Nedarim 8:Two Oaths at Once; Agents in Nullification; Sun as Healer

If a man takes an oath to arise early and learn Torah, is that oath valid?  We have already promised (whether at Sinai or otherwise) to learn Torah daily.  A second oath cannot be prioritized until the first oath is completed.  So is it possible to make an oath in this way?  And would saying the morning Shema meet the requirements of both oaths?  The rabbis remind us that we are to learn more than just the basics, and thus saying the Shema does not meet either promise.

What if a person has a dream that he is ostracized?  Rav Yosef believes that he must find ten scholars of Torah to dissolve the ostracism.  Other rabbis argue that one might not have many Torah scholars in a given town, and they suggest that people who read Torah, or those who have learned Mishna, or ten people on the street, or even just three people will serve the same purpose.  They recognize that every dream is a mixture of truth and idle matter, but just in case the ostracism was real, that ostracism must be dissolved.

We learn about Ravina's wife.  She made a vow that she wanted her husband to nullify, but he did not do so that same day.  She asked if he would act as her agent with the court to nullify her vow.  Ravina took this question to Rav Ashi.  We learn three halachot through this narrative: 

• a husband can act as his wife's agent when she regrets an action
• a Sage cannot dissolve a vow in the same location as his teacher, and
• a court of three people can dissolve a vow, but only if they were sitting already for a different purpose

Finally, the rabbis share that an expert Sage can reverse an excommunication on his own - no court of three is required.

We end today's daf with a discussion about the sun.  Many, many rabbis are part of this argument about the healing power of the sun.  Perhaps it is the dust that shines in the rays of the sun; perhaps it is that righteous people are healed by the sun's light; perhaps all of us can benefit from the sun's healing power.  And some rabbis believe that the wicked will be punished by the sun's heat.  Proof texts are used to demonstrate G-d's intentions regarding our relationship with the sun.

Hopefully tomorrow's daf will continue to 'shine light' on this conversation.