Vows

If the biblical day began at nightfall, why does the Torah need to spell out that Yom Kippur lasts “from evening to evening” (Leviticus 23:32), and that matzah is eaten “from the evening of the fourteenth” (Exodus 12:18)? The simple reading of the Creation story (Genesis 1), with morning closing each day of creation, indicates that the biblical day originally began at dawn. The requirement to begin Yom Kippur and eat matzah at night reflects a reform to begin the day at dusk.

Numbers 6 allows women to take the nazirite vow, rendering them “holy to YHWH” with a temporary, quasi-priestly status. Numbers 30, however, grants fathers and husbands veto power over vows made by women under their auspices, but without mentioning the nazirite vow. How are we to understand the relationship between these two chapters?  

How a provoking and problematic Aramaic prayer continues to mesmerize so many Jews every Yom Kippur.

The vows of maiden daughters and wives are subject to veto by the woman’s father or husband. What does this say about the status of women in ancient Israel?

The story of Jephthah’s daughter is famous as an example of child sacrifice, yet certain clues in the biblical text imply she may have suffered a very different fate.

The vow Jacob makes to God is ambiguous. Where does the condition of the vow end and his action begin?