Shelach 15:3 · unit 5 — or as a freewill offering alone

Parashas Shelach · Aliyah 5 · Passuk 3

The Complete Passuk

וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֨ם אִשֶּׁ֤ה לַֽיהֹוָה֙ עֹלָ֣ה אוֹ־זֶ֔בַח לְפַלֵּא־נֶ֙דֶר֙ א֣וֹ בִנְדָבָ֔ה א֖וֹ בְּמֹעֲדֵיכֶ֑ם לַעֲשׂ֞וֹת רֵ֤יחַ נִיחֹ֙חַ֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה מִן־הַבָּקָ֖ר א֥וֹ מִן־הַצֹּֽאן׃

And you shall make a fire-offering to Hashem… to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering…

Chabad.org — 15:3

Source Citation

Torah Temimah: Menachos 91a — “or” separates vow and freewill.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
לָמָּה לִי דִּכְתַב רַחֲמָנָא ״אוֹ בִנְדָבָה״? סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ אָמֵינָא אֵינוֹ חַיָּב בִּנְסָכִים עַד דְּמַיְיתֵי נֶדֶר וּנְדָבָה, קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן דְּהַאי לְחוֹדֵיהּ וְהַאי לְחוֹדֵיהּ נָמֵי.

English: Why did the Merciful One write “or as a freewill offering”? You might have said he is not liable for nesachim until he brings both a vow and a freewill offering; this teaches that this alone and that alone also [suffice].

Type of Learning

Disjunctive “or.”

What Is Learned

Either a vow or a freewill offering by itself triggers nesachim.