The Wood-chopper and the Thief
The other was a thief.
Both men had daughters, but there was one glaring difference. The wood-chopper had somehow managed to save enough to provide a decent dowry for his girls, while the thief struggled to gather enough to even buy a decent pair of shoes for them.
One day, the thief complained, "I don’t get it. We’re both poor. How did you manage to save up enough for a proper dowry to marry off your daughters?"
The wood-chopper scratched his beard and smiled. "It’s simple. Whenever a child was born, I made a wooden box, locked it up, and every day I put a coin in it. By the time they were ready to marry, the box was full, and there was enough to cover the wedding and help the young couple start their life."
The thief raised an eyebrow. "You did this for each child?"
"Yes," said the wood-chopper, proudly. "You should’ve done the same."
The thief broke out in laughter. "This method works for you. You’ll never open that box, even when times are tough and you need the money."
He grinned sheepishly. "But for me? I’m a thief by trade, my friend. I open other people’s locks. Certainly, my own lock wouldn’t stay locked for long, the moment I needed a little extra cash!"
Who May Make a Vow?
The Midrash offers an important insight: Moses was not simply giving permission to make vows. He was setting boundaries. To make a vow in God’s name, one must first possess certain qualities: awe and reverence of God, sincere devotion, the will to serve Him. Only then, if these traits are truly embodied, can a person make a vow. Without these, even a truthful vow should be avoided.
Why this caution?
A vow is like a lock—a promise that secures something sacred and set apart. Those who carefully observe the Torah’s prohibitions—who respect what has been "locked away"—are trusted to make vows. They understand the weight of their words and the responsibility they carry.
But someone who disregards the Torah’s "locks"? Can they be trusted to honor their own vows? Such a person is like the thief who can’t leave a locked box untouched. Just as a thief would break into his own secured savings, so too would this person break his own promises.
The Sages, in their wisdom, taught that only those who are truly God-fearing, who possess the self-discipline to protect what is sacred, can be trusted to make vows. These are the ones who can be relied upon to keep their promises and honor what they have vowed.
