Rabban Gamliel was strolling from Akko to Keziv. Tavi, his servant, was walking before him and Rabbi Ilai behind him. He saw a certain loaf cast on the road, and he saw a certain gentile. He said to him: ‘Mabegai, take the loaf.’
He took it and he joined him. Rabbi Ilai said to him: ‘What is your name?’ He said to him: ‘Mabegai.’ He said to him: ‘Have you ever in your days greeted Rabban Gamliel?’
He said to him: ‘No.’ He said to him: ‘Where are you from?’ He said to him: ‘From these towns of huts.’ We learned three matters: That the leavened bread of a gentile is permitted after Passover;8By telling the gentile to pick up the loaf, Rabban Gamliel indirectly benefited from the loaf because the gentile felt a debt of gratitude to Rabban Gamliel. that [Rabban Gamliel] saw by means of the Divine Spirit that his name was Mabegai; and that one may not pass by food.9One may not pass by bread on the ground and leave it there.
Rabbi Yaakov bar Zavdi in the name of Rabbi Abbahu: That which you said was [true] initially, but now, one passes by food due to sorcery.10One need not pick up the bread, due to the concern that the one who left it there performed sorcery and the bread will harm the one who picks it up. They entered Keziv. Once they had eaten and drank, one came to him to request that [Rabban Gamliel] dissolve his vow.
Rabban Gamliel said to Rabbi Ilai: ‘Do you estimate a quarter-log of Italian wine?’11Do you think I drank that much? He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to the requester: ‘Stroll with us until we cause the effects of my wine to wear off.’ He began strolling after them until they reached the Promontory of Tyre.
When he reached there, Rabban Gamliel dismounted from the donkey, wrapped himself in his prayer shawl, and seated himself. We learned numerous matters on that day: A quarter-log of wine causes drunkenness, a journey causes the effects of wine to wear off, and one may not issue a halakhic ruling while intoxicated with wine. And we learned from him three matters: That one may not dissolve a vow while intoxicated with wine, while riding, or standing; only seated and wrapped in a prayer shawl.
What opening did he suggest for him?12In the laws of vows, an ‘opening’ is an undesirable consequence of the vow that was not realized at the time of the vow. The existence of such an unknown consequence allows (grants an opening) for the vow to be annulled. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: With this language he suggested an opening for him: “There is one who expresses like stabbings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is a cure” (Proverbs 12:18) – by right, anyone who voids vows should be stabbed with a sword.
What is his remedy? “But the tongue of the wise is a cure” – he goes to Sages and they dissolve his vow.13Thus, Rabban Gamliel asked the man if he had known the severity of taking vows. If he had not known, Rabban Gamliel was willing to annul the vow. That is why Moses cautions Israel and says to them: “If a man articulates a vow.”14The verse uses the term “vow” to imply that just as one should refrain from taking vows, one should similarly refrain for valuations.