daf bit: Shevuot 23

[cellio]

The mishna (near the end of the previous page) gives some rules for precisely interpreting oaths. If a man said "I swear I shall not eat" and he both ate and drank, he is liable only once. But if he said "I swear I shall not eat and I shall not drink" and he ate and drank, he is liable twice. If "I swear I shall not eat" and he ate wheat, spelt and rye breads, only once; if he enumerated them in the oath, then once per type he ate. The mishna gives more examples of this pattern.

The g'mara then discusses eating and drinking. If he said "I swear I shall not eat" and he drank, R' Hiyya b. Abin says in the name of Sh'muel that he is liable, because drinking is included in eating. But, Abaye says, if drinking is included in eating, then what do we make of the one who swears not to eat and not to drink? That's redundant! Raba (I think it's Raba) answers that drinking is included in eating, but if somebody separated it out then that person is clearly making a distinction, and so we hold him liable for each separate case. I'm a little surprised that the g'mara here doesn't use the part about the bread -- bread is bread, but again, we have a case of somebody separately swearing about different types and being held liable for each type. (22b-23a)