1. While the husband cannot dissolve after the father’s death (Mishnah 2), the father can dissolve alone after the husband’s death (as long as the marriage is in the preliminary stage) since after the husband’s death the underage daughter returns to the father’s tutelage.

2. An underage girl can be married off by her father. A woman becomes an adult in two steps. At age 12 (if she had developed two pubic hairs) she becomes an adult before the law but the father retains the right to marry her off and the right to her earnings for an additional 6 months, when she is called נַעֲרָה “adolescent girl”. After these 6 months she becomes an adult, בּוֹגֶרֶת “ripe”, is totally independent from her father, and has to marry on her own. The vow of a minor below age 11 is void. If she made a vow after age 11 (for a male after age 12), one has to investigate whether she understands the meaning and implications of a vow. If the investigation has a positive result, her vows are valid and, as far as vows are concerned, she has acquired the status of adolescent, even though in other legal aspects she remains a minor.
The chapter on vows states clearly that the father can dissolve his dependent daughter’s vows (Num. 30:4–6). Similarly, the husband can dissolve the vows of his wife if she lives “in his house” (vv. 11–15). A preliminarily married girl (cf. Peah 6:2 Note 46; Demay 4:1, Note 19; Terumot 8:1, Note 9) remains under her father’s jurisdiction until she is taken to her husband’s house in the final ceremony. It is asserted that during her status as preliminarily married wife, the father can dissolve her vows since she is “in his house” and the husband is given special authority over her vows in vv. 7–9 which, therefore, are not duplicated in vv. 11–15.
The power of dissolution in any case is restricted to the day after the father or husband first was informed of the vow (vv. 6,9,13,15). But if one of them agreed to the vow within the allotted period, he can no longer object after that.

1. If the girl is preliminarily married and the father dies after he had dissolved her vow but before the husband did, her vow cannot be dissolved.

2. Mishnah 4. The quote does not prove anything; the proof is from the second part of the Mishnah which requires the husband to dissolve all prior vows of his bride prior to her entering his house, i. e., as long as she still is only preliminarily married. After she enters his house, he can no longer dissolve prior vows. Since the final marriage ceremony emancipated the girl (older than three years and one day) from her father and the father’s death does the same, it is concluded that the husband’s power over a preliminarily married girl endures only as long as she is under her father’s tutelage.

1. Mishnah 3. Since the last husband has to dissolve, it follows that the first did not. Nevertheless, the father can dissolve her vows after the first husband was eliminated by divorce (or death).

1. As R. M. Margalit points out, one would expect the quote to read: “If the husband died, his power is voided in favor of the husband.”

2. Since it is a biblical decree that her vows can be voided only by the concurrent action of father and husband, we can understand that in the absence of the father, the husband has no authority. But the father was the only authority for vows preceding the preliminary marriage; why can we not say that at the father’s death the husband inherits his powers?

3. Since the husband in conjunction with the father can void vows that precede the preliminary marriage, the requirement of joint action is permanent.

4. The argument is parallel to the preceding one, only this time to confirm that even for vows made after the preliminary marriage, the sole powers of dissolution belong to the father after the husband’s death.

1. If the material in the first paragraph is Amoraic, R. Eleazar is the Amora, bar Pedat. If the argument is tannaїtic, he is the Tanna, ben Shamua. R. Eleazar’s argument is paralleled in Sifry Num. 153 by R. Joshia, student of R. Ismael. The final argument in this paragraph is attributed to R. Ismael in the Babli, 68a.

2. Num. 30:7. The masoretic text reads הָיוֹ.

3. At 12 years and 6 months (or 6 months after she developed two pubic hairs) she permanently leaves her father’s potestas. He reads the verse as dealing with a case where there is no residual power of the father. But since vv. 11 ff. speak of the married woman, he must find a case of a preliminarily married woman free from her father.