Q. Dear Rov. If I use my phone to program my daily schedule of all things to be done every day. Some of those activities are mitzvos such as davening, Torah Shiurim, Bikur Cholim activities, Tzedaka meeting, etc., I vocally, as many others do, instruct my phone to write, program and remind me of all my future appointments as the day goes on.
Since I do tell my phone what does Mitzva activities will be, is that a problem of making a Neder? Do I have to instruct each time my phone that what I want to be written and recorded is ‘Beli Neder’. Even better, can I just instruct at a point for the future, that it is all to be done only ‘Beli Neder’, does that take effect when applied to that artificial intelligence? (I’m learning Nedarim at the Daf).
A. The reality is that you are only instructing the artificial intelligence to record an appointment and to remind you of it. At no point are you mentioning that you are going to do it, you just desire to have it recorded and that is not a Neder at all.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is similar.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit’a.