Daily Halacha - Laws of Rosh Hashanah, 21st of Elul 5777

Does the annulment of vows on the eve of Rosh Hashanah effectively nullify vows made during the year?

It is customary to perform annulment of vows on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, since the sin of unfulfilled vows is considered very severe.

The annulment of vows performed on the eve of Rosh Hashanah does not nullify vows that a person remembers making, but only vows one has forgotten or good practices one adopted with the intention of continuing forever, as vow annulment is only effective when the specific vow is detailed, while this annulment is only general [Shulchan Aruch 228, 1].

How many people need to be present to annul vows?

It is not obligatory to have ten people present for the annulment, but the custom is to preferably have ten people seated, in case someone in the group made a vow in a dream, which requires ten people for annulment. If it is not possible to gather ten people, three suffice [Shulchan Aruch 210, 2].

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