Should a beis din annul a neder made to quit smoking?

#559: Should a beis din annul a neder made to quit smoking?

If someone in their struggle to quit smoking—or stop abusing drugs—made a neder (vow) to stop, but now wishes to have their neder annulled, should the beis din acquiesce?

The halachah is that a beis din should not be matir neder (annul a vow) that was made to stop one from violating an issur (a prohibition). However, some poskim argue that if there’s a chance that the person will violate the issur—and leaving the neder in place poses an additional michshol (pitfall) for them, possibly resulting in transgressing both the issur and the neder—the neder should be annulled.

It can be countered that the last point applies only if the neder is regarding an issur d’rabanan (rabbinic prohibition), but not to an issur d’Oraisa (biblical prohibition). Smoking and drug abuse pose a sakanah (physical danger) and should therefore be treated even more severely than an issur d’oraisa. For this reason many poskim rule not to be matir neder, saying it’s preferable to keep the neder in place on the chance that it may serve as a deterrent, even if it might be breached. #559

https://halacha2go.com?number=559

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.