2,725. The Second Type of Vow

Hilchos Nedarim 1:2

The second type of vow is when one obligates himself in an offering that he would not otherwise be required to bring. For example, if one says, “I obligate myself in a burnt offering/peace offering/flour offering,” or “This animal is a burnt offering/peace offering.” If a person says, “I obligate myself in X,” that’s a vow and if he says, “This is Y,” it’s a donation. Donations and vows are the same kind of commitment but one is responsible for a vow and not for a donation, as per Deuteronomy 12:17, “Your vows that you commit and your donations.” The Rambam calls this type of vow “sanctity vows.”

Hilchos Nedarim 1:3

In Hilchos Nedarim we will discuss vows of the first type (i.e., vows of prohibition) and their related topics. The laws and details of sanctity vows will be discussed IY”H in Hilchos Maaseh HaKorbanos.