The Mosaic law forbade swearing by anything but God. Of course, it was done all the time any way. But the Master said, “Swear not at all.” This means that we should not take or make vows. The main problem with the vow is that it is a mortgage on the future. For instance, if we impetuously proclaim, “I will never speak to him again as long as I live,” we are limiting future experience to our present low state of consciousness. Usually, we come to regret such a vow. Either we break it with a sense of weakness of character or we hold to it stoically, feeling trapped by a regrettable decision.
