Niddah 5:6-7

Niddah 5:6

When a girl is eleven years and one day old, her vows are examined (to determine if she understands enough to consider them effective); when she’s twelve years and a day old, her vows are effective. Her comprehension is examined throughout her twelfth year. Regarding a boy, his vows are examined when he’s twelve years and one day old and they’re effective when he’s thirteen years and one day old. They examine his comprehension throughout his thirteenth year. Before these ages, even if they say they understand in Whose Name they have vowed or consecrated property, their vows and consecrations are ineffective. After these ages, their vows and consecrations are effective even if they say they don’t understand in Whose Name they have vowed or consecrated.

Niddah 5:7

The Sages employed a metaphor to describe the stages of a woman’s maturity: an unripe fig is a minor and a ripening fig is a maiden. In both of these cases, her father is entitled to her found objects, her wages and to annul her vows. A fully ripe fig is an adult woman, whose father no longer has jurisdiction over her.