A Taste of Torah - Ki Teitzei

Judaism takes promises seriously. In this week's Torah portion Ki Teitzei, the text instructs us that when we make a vow to God, we should not delay in completing it. It goes on to tell us that one way to avoid sin is to avoid making promises.

Often, when we make a promise, we don't carry through with the same level of enthusiasm with which we made the promise. According to some commentators, this lack of enthusiasm is as bad as not having followed through at all. That's why avoiding making promises keeps us from sinning.

The Hebrew word for vow is neder, which may sound familiar to you. Kol Nidre, the evening service of Yom Kippur, is named after a prayer by the same name that means 'all the promises.' It asks God to forgive us for not following through on promises we make between this Yom Kippur and the next if after honest effort we find ourselves unable to fulfill them. We are only let off the hook if we fail at keeping our promises when we try with the same level of intention and enthusiasm that we had when we made them.