Your Own Torah

The Parsha opens וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל⁠־רָאשֵׁ֣י הַמַּטּ֔וֹת לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר זֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה י״יֽ.  Rashi says זה הדבר – משה נתנבא בכה אמר י״י כחצות הלילה וגו׳, והנביאים נתנבאו בכה.  The word זה is used to express a level of clarity of Moshe's prophesy.  Why is this mentioned specifically in the parsha of nedarim?  Why does the parsha not open with the traditional opening of וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר?  

The Ishbitzer says that since a nedar is something that one voluntarily takes upon themselves it can't be expressed as a command from Hashem.  הענין שלא נאמר בפרשת נדרים וידבר ה' אל משה כמו בכל המצות, כי כל המצות הם נוהגים תמיד אבל נדרים הוא בינה בלב האדם שיבין בדעתו שמזה הדבר צריך להגדיר עצמו לשעה זו ואחר כן יהיה מותר לו, ולכן לא כתיב וידבר ה' אל משה שזה אינו מצד שהשי"ת אוסר על האדם רק ממה שהאדם בעצמו מבין בדעתו ובחכמתו, וזה נקרא וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות.

The parsha of nedarim teaches us that besides the general Torah for all there is the specific Torah for each individual.  It is up to a person to pick up on what is needed for his/ her life out of the context of a specific command and incorporate that as past of their own Torah.

The Mishna Chagigah (10a) says הֶיתֵּר נְדָרִים — פּוֹרְחִין בָּאֲוִיר וְאֵין לָהֶם עַל מָה שֶׁיִּסָּמֵכוּ.  Rav Tzadok (Machshavot Charutz #12) identifies the פּוֹרְחִין בָּאֲוִיר s part of the halachot that exist between the lines of the Torah.  The words on the page are the halachot that are for all time, ridged and set in place.  Then there are halachot of the spaces, these are not etched in stone and it is up to the Chachamam through תורה שבעל פה to interpret and derive these laws. The heter of nedarim depends on the nature and intent of the one making the neder and hence there is not a precise rule that can be spelled out.

In an article, Rabbi Yehuda Cooperman elaborates on a Midrash that the idea of hataras nedarim was to a certain extent initiated by Moshe Rabbenu. The Torah is not not telling us merely the level of prophesy of Moshe to extol his greatness over other prophets.  What the Torah is informing us is the channel that Moshe Rabbenu was in tune with was that of a clear perception of what Hashem wanted.  It was this perception that gives him a license to be able to perceive the idea of hataras nedarim.  And it is only through that power of intuition which is passed on to the Chachamim of the future generations that such a halacha is possible.  That is what allowes the halacha of empty space to become a reality.