As the month of Elul begins, we start using this month as a time of retrospect to think of how we have changed and what more we need to change. Elul is a time of forgiveness, not only between man to man but to Hashem too. In the Parsha of Ki Teitzei, the Torah says that we must keep our promises and fulfill them quickly. After making that statement it says וְכִ֥י תֶחְדַּ֖ל לִנְדֹּ֑ר לֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה בְךָ֖ חֵֽטְא which means if you don’t make a vow, you won’t have sin (23:23).

This verse makes it seem that if I make promises, I am causing myself to sin, but why would I sin if I keep my promises? If you keep your promises, you are not sinning. However, soon, we will say hatarat nedarim, a prayer in which we relinquish our promises. The need for all of us to say this prayer teaches us why sin comes from making promises. Sometimes we use our words plainly and do not mean what we say. In this generation, promises seem like meaningless words but they should be recognized as important. When we say we will be somewhere on time, or that we will get something for someone, this too can be like promising because to others they are counting on you to do what you said. God is telling us to watch out for this looseness of words. Additionally, nothing is in our control. We may push off our promises and forget, or we may even miss the window of time to fulfill our promises. Hashem is telling us in this verse that making promises and saying we will do things loosely is a tricky act. We must think before we agree and promise something to others, God, and ourselves. May we all be careful in our words and try our best with Hashem’s help to fulfill what we agree to try and do.