Awareness of tumah is of two [types] which are [in reality] four: [If] one became tamei and was aware of it, and [afterwards] the tumah escaped his awareness, but he remembered the holy thing; [or awareness of] the holy thing escaped him, but he remembered the tumah; [or] both escaped his [awareness], and he ate holy things being unaware, and he became aware after he ate —- he is [required to bring] a variable [sin-] offering. [If] one became tamei and was aware of it, and [afterwards] the tumah escaped his awareness, but he remembered the Temple; [or awareness of] the Temple escaped him, but he remembered the tumah; [or] both of them escaped his [awareness], and he entered the Temple being unaware, and he became aware after he came out —- he is [required to bring] a variable [sin-]offering.

Both the one who enters the Courtyard and the one who enters the addition to the Courtyard [are liable]; for they do not add to the city or to the [Temple] courtyards except with a king, a prophet, the Urim V'Tumim, and a Sanhedrin of seventy-one, with two thanksgiving-offerings, and with song. The beis din walked with [the] two thanksgiving-offerings, after them, and all Israel after them. The inner one was eaten, and the outer one was burnt. Any [addition] not made with all these —- whoever enters therein is not liable for it.

[If] one became tamei in the Courtyard, and the tumah escaped his memory, though he remembered the Temple; [or, the fact that it was] the Temple escaped his memory, though he remembered the tumah; [or] both escaped his memory, and he prostrated himself, or stayed long enough to prostrate himself, [or if] he went out by a longer way —- he is liable; by the shortest way —- he is exempt. This is the positive commandment concerning the Temple, for which there is no liability.

Now what is the positive commandment concerning the menstruant, for which there is liability? [If] one was cohabiting with a woman who was tahor, and she said to him, “I have become tamei,” and he withdrew immediately —- he is liable, because his exit is as pleasurable to him as his entry.

R' Eliezer says: A sheretz . . . and it escaped his awareness (Lev. 5:2) —- he is liable for forgetting the sheretz, but he is not liable for forgetting the Temple. R' Akiva says: And it escaped his awareness, and he was tamei (ibid.) —- he is liable for forgetting the tumah, but he is not liable for forgetting the Temple. R' Yishmael says: [The words] And it escaped his awareness, and it escaped his awareness (Lev. 5:23) [are stated] twice —- to make [one] liable both for forgetting the tumah and for forgetting the Temple.

Oaths are of two [types], which are [in reality] four: “I swear that I will eat,” or “[I swear] that I will not eat”; “[I swear] that I ate,” or “[I swear] that I did not eat.'' [If he said,] “I swear that I will not eat,” and he ate a minute quantity —- he is liable; [these are] the words of R' Akiva. They said to R' Akiva: Where do we find that one who eats a minute quantity is liable, that this one should be liable? R' Akiva said to them: Where do we find one speaking and bringing a sacrifice, that this one speaks and brings a sacrifice? “I swear that I will not eat,” and he ate and drank —- he is liable only once. [But if he said,] “I swear that I will not eat and that I will not drink,” and he ate and drank —- he is liable twice.

“I swear that I will not eat,” and he ate wheat bread, barley bread, and spelt bread —- he is liable only once. [But if he said,] “I swear that I will eat neither wheat bread, nor barley bread, nor spelt bread,” and he ate —- he is liable for each one.

“I swear that I will not drink” —- and he drank many beverages —- he is liable only once. [But if he said,] “I swear that I will drink neither wine, nor oil, nor honey,” and he drank —- he is liable for each one.

“I swear that I will not eat,” and he ate foods that are unfit to eat or drank beverages that are unfit to drink —- he is exempt. “I swear that I will not eat,” and he ate neveilos, treifos, abominable creatures, or crawling things —- he is liable. R' Shimon exempts [him].  [If] he said, “Konam that my wife derive pleasure from me if I have eaten today,” and he had eaten neveilos, treifos, abominable creatures, or crawling things —- his wife is forbidden.

[The law applies] both to matters pertaining to himself as well as to matters pertaining to others; and to both matters of substance and matters lacking substance. How so? [If] he said, “I swear that I will give to so-and-so,” or “that I will not give”; [or] “that I gave,” or “that I did not give”; “that I will sleep,” or “that I will not sleep”; “that I slept,” or “that I did not sleep”; “that I will cast a pebble into the sea,” or “that I will not cast”; [or] “that I have cast,” or “that I have not cast.” R' Yish-mael says: He is liable only for [oaths concerning] the future. As it states (Lev. 5:4): To do bad or to do good. Said R' Akiva to him: If so, we know only of things pertaining to doing bad or good; [but] how do we know of things not pertaining to doing bad or good? He said to him: From the extension of the verse. He said to him: If the verse extended it in that regard, the verse extended it in this regard [as well].

[If] one swore to annul a mitzvah, and did not annul it —- he is exempt; to fulfill [a mitzvah], and he did not fulfill [it] —- he is exempt. For it might have been inferred that he be liable, as is the opinion of R' Yehudah ben Beseira. Said R' Yehudah ben Beseira: If for an optional matter, concerning which he was not adjured from Mount Sinai, he is liable; [then] for a mitzvah, concerning which he is adjured from Mount Sinai, is it not certain that he should be liable? They said to him: No! If you say this as regards an optional oath, it is because [Scripture] has made negative equal to positive in that regard. Will you say this in the case of an oath to fulfill a mitzvah, in which [Scripture] did not make negative equal to positive? For if he swears to annul it and does not annul it, he is exempt.

“I swear that I will not eat this loaf”; “I swear that I will not eat it”; “I swear that I will not eat it,” and he ate it —- he is liable only once. This is the oath of utterance for which one is liable for its willful transgression to [a penalty of] lashes, and for its inadvertent transgression to a variable [sin-] offering. [For] a vain oath —- one is liable for its willful transgression to [a penalty of] lashes, and for its inadvertent transgression, one is exempt.

What is a vain oath? One [who] swears to contradict what is known to man: [For example,] he said concerning a pillar of stone that it is of gold, concerning a man that he is a woman, or concerning a woman that she is a man. One [who] swears concerning some-thing that is impossible: [for example,] “If I did not see a camel flying through the air,” or, “If I did not see a snake like the beam of an olive press.” One [who] said to witnesses, “Come and testify for me,” [and they replied,] “We swear that we will not testify for you.” One [who] swears to annul a mitzvah; [for example,] not to make a succah, not to take a lulav, or not to put on tefillin. These are the vain oaths for which one is liable to [a penalty of] lashes for their willful transgression, and for whose inadvertent transgression one is exempt.