Jerusalem Talmud Nedarim 9.2

משנה: וְעוֹד אָמַר רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר פּוֹתְחִין בַּנּוֹלָד. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹסְרִין. כֵּיצַד אָמַר קוֹנָם שֶׁאֵינִי נֶהֱנֶה לְאִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי וְנַעֲשָׂה סוֹפֵר אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה מַשִּׂיא אֶת בְּנוֹ בְקָרוֹב וְאָמַר אִילּוּ הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהוּא נַעֲשֶׂה סוֹפֵר אוֹ שֶׁהוּא מַשִּׂיא אֶת בְּנוֹ בְקָרוֹב לֹא הָיִיתִי נוֹדֵר. קוֹנָם לְבַיִת הַזֶּה אֵינִי נִכְנָס וְנַעֲשָׂה בֵיֹת הַכְּנֶסֶת. אָמַר אִילּוּ הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהוּא נַעֲשֶׂה בֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת לֹא הָיִיתִי נוֹדֵר. רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מַתִיר וַחֲכָמִים אוֹסְרִין.

MISHNAH: In addition, Rebbi Eliezer said, one finds an opening in changed circumstances, but the Sages forbid it. How is this? If he said, a qônām that I shall not benefit from Mr. X, who then becomes a public scribe or who marries off his son to one of [the vower’s] relatives, and he said, if I had known that he will become a public scribe or marry off his son to a relative, I would not have vowed; or if he said, a qônām that I shall not enter this house and it was turned into a synagogue and he said, if I had known that it would become a synagogue, I would not have vowed; Rebbi Eliezer permits but the Sages prohibit.

הלכה: וְעוֹד אָמַר רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר פּוֹתְחִין בַּנּוֹלָד כול׳. רִבִּי סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי. מִמֹּשֶׁה לָמַד רִבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר שֶׁפָּתַח לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּנּוֹלָד. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. אִילּוּ הָיִיתָ יוֹדֵעַ כִי מֵתוּ כָּל הָאֲנָשִׁים הַמְבַקְּשִׁים אֶת נַפְשֶׁךָ נוֹדֵר הָיִיתָ. וְכִי מֵתִים הָיוּ. וַהֲלֹא דָתָן וַאֲבִירָם הָיוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁיָּרְדוּ מִנִּכְסֵיהֶם.

HALAKHAH: “In addition, Rebbi Eliezer said, one finds an opening in changed circumstances,” etc. Rebbi Simon in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: Rebbi Eliezer learned from Moses, to whom the Holy One, praise to Him, provided an opening by changed circumstances. The Holy One, praise to Him, said to him: If you had known that “all the men who want to kill you have died,” would you have vowed? But did they really die? Were they not Dathan and Abiram? Only, they became poor.

אָמַר רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה. הָדָא דְאַתְּ אָמַר עַד שֶׁלֹּא נָשְׂאוּ וְנָתְנוּ בַּדְּבָרִים כִּבְנוֹלָד הֵם. חֵיילֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי יוֹסֵי מִן הָדָא. זוֹ טָעוּת טָעָה נַחוּם הַמָּדִי. מַה טָעָה. שֶׁפָּתַח לָהֶן בְּנוֹלָד. אָמַר לָהֶן נַחוּם הַמָּדִי. אִילּוּ הָיִיתֶם יוֹדְעִין שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עָתִיד לִיחָרֵב נוֹדְרִין הָיִיתֶם לִהְיוֹת נְזִירִין. אָמַר רִבִּי זְעוּרָה. הָכֵין הֲוָה צָרִיךְ מֵימַר לוֹן. לֹא הָיִיתֶם יוֹדְעִין שֶׁנִּיבְּאוּ לָכֶם נְבִיאִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים בִּזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָים שֶׁעָתִיד לִיחָרֵב. לֹא הֲוָה כְנוֹלָד. אָמַר רִבִּי הִילָא. עוֹד הוּא בְּנוֹלָד. יָכְלִין הֲווֹן מֵימַר. יָדְעִין הֲוֵינָן אֶלָּא דַהֲוֵינָן סָבְרִין דְּמִילַּיָיא רְחִיקִין. הֶחָזוֹן אֲשֶׁר הוּא חוֹזֶה לְיָמִים רַבִּים וּלְעִיתִּים רְחוֹקוֹת הוּא נִיבָּא. וְאַתְיָיא דְּרִבִּי יִרְמְיָה כְּרִבִּי זְעִירָא וּדְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי כְּרִבִּי אִילָא.

Rebbi Jeremiah said, what you say is only that there are changed circumstances before the matter is discussed. The force of Rebbi Yose is from the following: “That was the error of Naḥum the Mede.” What was his error? That he found them an opening by changed circumstances. “Naḥum the Mede said to them: ‘Would you have made a vow to become nezirim if you had known that the Temple would be destroyed at some future time?’ ” Rebbi Ze‘ira said, the following he should have said to them: Did you not know that the earlier prophets had prophesied while the Temple was standing that eventually it would be destroyed? Then there are no changed circumstances. Rebbi Hila said, still it is changed circumstances. They could have said to him, we knew it, but it seemed to us that this referred to the far future: “The vision he sees is for many years; for faraway times he prophesies.” It turns out that Rebbi Jeremiah parallels Rebbi Ze‘ira and Rebbi Yose parallels Rebbi Hila.

דְּתַנִּינָן תַּמָּן. אֵין מוֹכְרִין בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת אֶלָּא עַל תְּנַאי. עַד כְּדוֹן שֶׁבְּנָיָיהּ לְשֵׁם כְּנֶסֶת. בְּנָיָיהּ לְשֵׁם חָצֵר וְהִקְדִּישָׁהּ מָהוּ. נִישְׁמְעִינָהּ מִן הָדָא. קוֹנָם לְבַיִת זֶה שֶׁאֵינִי נִכְנָס. וְנַעֲשָׂה בֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. הָדָא אָמְרָהּ. שֶׁבְּנָיָיהּ לְשֵׁם חָצֵר וְהִקְדִּישָׁהּ מַהוּ. אֵימָתַי הִיא קְדוֹשָׁה. מִיַּד אוֹ בִשְׁעַת תַּשְׁמִישׁ. נִישְׁמְעִינָהּ מִן הָדָא. הָעוֹשֶׂה תֵיבָה לְשֵׁם סֵפֶר וּמִטְפָּחוֹת לְשֵׁם סֵפֶר. עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן סֵפֶר מוּתָּר לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן הֶדְיוֹט. מִשֶׁנִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן סֵפֶר אָסוּר לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶן הֶדְיוֹט. וּמַה אֵילּוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לְשֵׁם סֵפֶר אֵינָן קְדוֹשׁוֹת אֶלָּא בִשְׁעַת תַּשְׁמִישׁ. זוֹ שֶׁבְּנָיָיהּ לְשֵׁם חָצֵר לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן. אֵילּוּ עֲשָׂאָן לְשֵׁם חוּלִין וְהִקְדִּישָן קָדְשׁוּ.

(As) we have stated there: “One sells a synagogue only conditionally”. So far if it was built as a synagogue. How is the situation if the building was first built for profane use and then dedicated? Let us hear from the following: “A qônām that I shall not enter this house and it was turned into a synagogue.” That implies that if it was built as a courtyard and afterwards was dedicated that it becomes holy. How? When does it become holy, immediately or when it is used? Let us hear from the following: “If somebody makes a chest for a Torah scroll, or wrappings for a Torah scroll, before they were used for a Torah scroll they may be used for private use; after they were used for a Torah scroll they may not be used for private use.” Since these were made for holy use but became holy only when used, that which was built as a courtyard not so much more? What is the status of those if they were made for profane use and then dedicated? They become holy.