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What constitutes the essential formulation (ikar) of a neder? The Ran in Nedarim holds "davar zeh asur alai" is sufficient, while the Ran in Shavuos maintains you must say "kikorban." The shiur explores whether this reflects a disagreement about linguistic form or reveals two fundamentally different understandings of how nedarim work—creating an isur on an object versus transferring kedusha from a korban.
This shiur analyzes the Ran's apparent contradiction between his position in Masechta Nedarim and his position in Masechta Shavuos regarding what constitutes the ikar (essential formulation) of a neder. In Nedarim, the Ran states that saying "davar zeh asur alai" (this thing is forbidden to me) is sufficient to create a valid neder, even without adding "kikorban" (like a korban). However, in Shavuos, the Ran appears to hold that one must explicitly mention korban, treating "davar zeh asur alai" as merely a yad (incomplete formulation) that requires completion. The Mishne LaMelech presents a fundamental question: If someone says to his wife "you should be asur on me like my mother," what is the halachic status? The Mishne LaMelech argues this depends on which Ran you follow. According to the Ran in Shavuos, "davar zeh asur alai" is only a yad that we complete to mean "kikorban," so if you substitute "like my mother" for "kikorban," the statement is invalid because you've completed it incorrectly with a davar ha'asur (something already forbidden) rather than a davar ha'nadur (something involved in nedarim). According to the Ran in Nedarim, "davar zeh asur alai" is a complete formulation, so adding "like my mother" doesn't invalidate it—the neder remains effective.
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Nedarim 2a
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