Last night, the night of Thursday, 5 Shevat, tens of thousands of Daf Yomi learners completed Tractate Nedarim as part of the Daf Yomi cycle:

Presented here is a segment from last night’s Ma’ariv, in which The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, completed Tractate Nedarim being learned in Daf Yomi. The siyum took place במסגרת “Mifal HaTorah” of our holy community. After Ma’ariv, The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, read the final lines of the Gemara, and—true to his holy way—added with wondrous vitality, in good taste and understanding, on the stories.

Here are the words of The Rav shlit"a on explaining the Gemara:

The wording of the Gemara:

Case A: There was a certain woman who, every day before marital relations, would wash her husband’s hands. One day she brought him water to wash. He said to her, “This thing did not happen now.” She said to him, “If so, it must have been one of the gentiles—those who were here now. If it wasn’t you, perhaps it was one of them.” Rav Nachman said: “She has set her eyes on another, and there is no substance to what she is saying.”

Case B: There was a certain woman whose mind was not at ease with her husband. He said to her, “What is different now?” She said to him, “Never have I troubled you in matters of proper conduct as I have now.” He said to her, “This thing did not happen now.” She said to him, “If so, it must have been these gentiles, the naphtei-sellers, who were here now. If it wasn’t you, perhaps it was one of them.” Rav Nachman said to them: “Pay her no attention; she has set her eyes on another.”

Case C: There was a certain man who was hiding in the house with a woman. The owner of the house came; he untied his adulterer’s belt and fled. Rava said: “The woman is permitted. For if he had committed a prohibition, he would have tightened his belt.”

Case D: There was a certain adulterer who came to that woman. The husband came; the adulterer went up and sat behind the door. There were cress (or similar greens) placed there, and a snake tasted them. The husband wanted to eat from those greens without his wife’s knowledge. The adulterer said to him: “Do not eat from them, for a snake has tasted them.” Rava said: “His wife is permitted. For if he had committed a prohibition, it would have pleased him for him to eat and die, as it is written: ‘For they committed adultery, and blood is in their hands.’ It is obvious. Lest you say: He committed a prohibition, yet what he told him was because it pleased him that the husband not die so that his wife would remain forbidden to him—‘Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant’—it teaches us otherwise.”

The holy words of The Rav shlit"a:

Case A: So here the Gemara tells about a woman who would wash her husband’s hands—because it is the woman’s role to wash her husband’s hands. And she said to him: “Listen, today there was something terrible and frightening—what you did to me.” He says, “It wasn’t me.”

Case B: So she says… yes—those who sell naphtha, right, right, right, right—she says there are those who sell naphtha, that you need…

Once we used to use a wick-lamp. When I got married, people would come with a wagon with naphtha—he would go around with a wagon of naphtha—and we would stand downstairs filling the can with naphtha, from the naphtha.

Yes, that’s the “naphtei-sellers.” “Rav Nachman said to them”: leave her alone—this is all nonsense; it’s not true; it’s all lies. We don’t believe lies—this is all. What “naphtha-seller” today? Today there are stoves, there’s already gas—so what suddenly, naphtha?

Case C: There was someone who also hid in the house, and he ran away. He ran away. He said to him… if he ran away, it’s a sign that everything is fine—blessed is Hashem that he ran away.

Case D: And there were shachalim there—shachalim are like these onions, these spicy ones—so tasty. Everyone should put shachalim into the soup; you need to always put shachalim into the soup. And the snake tasted it. So the owner of the house came, and he shouted to the owner of the house: “Don’t taste this—the snake tasted this.” A snake with seven heads—there is a snake with seven heads. Have you seen a snake with seven heads? Where is it written in Kiddushin? Kiddushin 29b—that you should be careful that it doesn’t bite you. A snake with seven heads says… this was a poor woman from the end of Shoftim—they cut her into twelve parts; she comes with a snake with seven heads.

There was a snake here—so how does he know? When they say, “No, everything is fine.” They say, “No—maybe he wants him to live,” because that is “Stolen waters are sweet.” He says, “No, no—if he said a snake ate, then everything is fine.” If it’s a snake, then that’s excellent—so it was a righteous snake… because the snake of the house guards the house. By the Rebbe, all snakes are good; by the Rebbe, therefore it is written: “Take the staff that turned into a snake” (Scripture, Shemos 7:15), because by the Tzaddik the snake turns back into a staff. So here too—this was a good snake…

We will return to you, Tractate Nedarim!!

After the siyum, the community’s halachic authority (Mo"tz), the chassidic Rav R’ Nachman Cohen shlit"a, spoke about the importance of increasing Torah—especially the great value of taking the tests on Daf Yomi through Mifal HaTorah.

Presented here is a replay broadcast from the siyum of Tractate Nedarim. The siyum begins at 40:41; the words of the Mo"tz, the chassidic Rav R’ Nachman Cohen shlit"a, are at 46:50 >>