Vows As Sacred Boundaries

Parashat Matot-Masei (Numbers 30:2–36:13)

From the very first verse in Torah, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” — we see a process of differentiation, of separation, of boundary-making. Light is separated from darkness, land from sea, the holy from the profane. It is within this framework that we may understand the Torah’s juxtaposition of Parashat Matot, dealing with nedarim (vows), and Parashat Masei, detailing the borders of Eretz Yisrael. These seemingly disparate laws are thematically united by one principle: holiness emerges through boundaries.

Naming identifies limits.

Ramban (on Gen. 1:1) observes that the act of creation is a continuous process of ordering, of giving form to chaos. And at the heart of this ordering is the drawing of lines — spiritual and physical. In Parashat Matot, the Torah teaches that when a person utters a neder, they create a new reality through words — binding themselves to prohibitions not commanded by Torah, yet fully binding under its authority:

“He shall not profane his word; whatever comes from his mouth he shall do.” (Numbers 30:3)

The neder is a self-imposed boundary — an act of restraint that marks off a portion of the world as assur (forbidden) to the speaker. It is, in essence, a mini-creation: one’s speech forms a new spiritual border. Just as God ordered the world with words, so too we emulate God by using speech to define personal kedushah. Chazal teach that the greater the person, the greater the urge — and thus, the greater the need for self-imposed fences (Sukkah 52a).

Immediately following the laws of vows, Parashat Masei begins:

“These are the journeys of the Children of Israel… from Egypt to their armies, under the hand of Moshe and Aharon.” (Numbers 33:1)

After reviewing 42 wilderness encampments, the Torah outlines the precise borders of the Land of Israel. Ramban (on Bamidbar 34:2) notes that these geographic limits within those borders would the full weight of Torah commandments (terumot, Shemittah, Yovel) apply. Thus, national holiness, like personal holiness, is conditional upon borders. The sanctity of the land, like the sanctity of a vow, is made possible only through delimitation. The Sages speak often of a geder (fence) in both legal and spiritual contexts:

“Make a fence around the Torah.” (Pirkei Avot 1:1)

“Vows establish a fence” (Tanchuma, Matot)

Kabbalah describes creation as beginning with tzimtzum — God contracting His infinite light to make “space” for the world. This first act was one of withholding, of setting a boundary. Likewise, when a person creates a vow, they perform a personal tzimtzum — constricting desire, activity, or access in service of a greater spiritual expansion. In this way, the nedarim of Parashat Matot mirror the cosmic structure laid out at the beginning of Genesis — and the territorial gevulot of Parashat Masei fulfill that structure in the physical realm.

God instructs the Israelites to drive out the inhabitants of the land, destroy their idols, and take possession of it. He warns that if they do not, the remaining nations will be a spiritual trap:

“If you do not drive out the inhabitants… those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides…” (Numbers 33:55)


This passage is a spiritual boundary-setting directive. The sanctity of the Land — and of the people — depends on establishing exclusivity of worship, values, and purpose. Allowing “foreign elements” within the borders risks polluting the holiness of the space. This supports the idea that borders are not merely political or geographical — they are safeguards of spiritual integrity, much like vows fence in the inner terrain of the self.

This Torah portion references establishment of six cities of refuge for accidental killers is one of the most powerful border/constraint themes in the parasha.

These cities serve as zones of temporary exile — spatial boundaries where one is protected from blood revenge, but also cut off from normal life. The killer must remain there until the death of the Kohen Gadol — time-bound sanctified constraint.

These cities must be strategically placed within the borders and have clear roads leading to them (Makkot 10b).

The killer did not intend murder, but a human life was lost due to negligence. The confinement is not punitive but purifying. The city becomes a spiritual container, much like a neder — limiting the person’s movement to inspire reflection, teshuvah, and ultimately, reintegration. This exemplifies how space, restraint, and sanctity interact: the one who crossed a moral boundary must live within a physical one to realign his soul.

The division of the land among the tribes is executed with extreme precision, each receiving a portion with defined boundaries. The Torah does not allow random settlement; each tribe’s identity is tied to its location.

This final chapter of the parasha deals with a halachic conundrum: since the daughters of Tzelofchad inherited land (due to their father having no sons), what happens if they marry outside their tribe? The elders of Menashe’s tribe worry that this will cause land to transfer between tribal borders, violating God’s original distribution. They decide in favor of the tribe:

“Let them marry whomever they wish, but only within their father's tribe…”

(Number 36:6)


This is not chauvinism, rather it is recognition that even inheritance must respect boundaries. The land is not fungible. It’s a vessel of divine purpose, and its integrity depends on tribal borders remaining intact. Just as a neder must not be violated, the inheritance boundaries of Israel must not be fluid. Holiness, once defined, must be guarded.

The passage about vows includes laws about nullification by a father or husband. While this may seem like a limitation on women, it's actually an example of structured spiritual responsibility.

The Torah sets limits on the power of words — even sacred words like vows — by anchoring them within familial authority structures. The permission to nullify is not arbitrary; it must be done on the same day the vow is heard (Num. 30:13).

This teaches that boundaries around boundaries are also sacred. Even the holiness of a vow is not unrestrained. There are checks and balances — embedded borders — that keep the power of words from becoming spiritually dangerous.

Vows and borders are not restrictions in the negative sense. In Torah, a border is a vessel — a container for kedushah. Just as the world was created only when God set limits, so too, our personal worlds — our character, our desires and our identities take shape only when we define our spiritual terrain, creating a space where holiness can flourish:

“You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell, for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.” - Numbers 35:34