Negative Commandment 62 (Digest)
Vain Oaths
"You shall not take the name of the L-rd, your G‑d, in vain"—Exodus 20:7.
It is forbidden to needlessly swear in the name of G‑d.
Examples:
- To swear falsely regarding something that is an obvious untruth [e.g., to swear regarding a simple pebble that it is made of gold].
- To swear that a phenomenon that is known to be impossible has occurred.
- To swear to do something that violates a Torah commandment.
- To swear in attestation of an obvious truth, e.g., to swear that all that are slaughtered die.
The
62nd prohibition is that we are forbidden to swear a sh'vuas shav (a vain oath).
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "Do not take the name of G‑d your L‑rd in
vain."
[A
sh'vuas shav is] when one swears that
something is the opposite of what it actually is; or that something exists, when in fact it
cannot; or that he will violate a mitzvah of the Torah. So too if one swears to an obvious and
undisputed fact, such as swearing to G‑d that anything which is slaughtered
will die. This is also considered a sh'vuas
shav.
The
Mishneh says, "What is a sh'vuas
shav? An oath which contradicts an obvious truth."
One
who transgresses this prohibition intentionally is punished by lashes. If done
unintentionally, he is exempt [from even bringing a sacrifice], as with many
other prohibitions, as explained above.
There
— i.e., in tractate Sh'vuos — it is said that this is the sh'vuas shav for which one is lashed if done intentionally and
exempt if done unintentionally. The details of this mitzvah are explained there.
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