(Mishnah): If a man told his wife 'all vows that you will make from now until I return from place Ploni are affirmed', this has no effect;

If he says 'they are annulled', R. Eliezer says, it is are annulled;

Chachamim say, it is not annulled.

R. Eliezer: If he can annul vows that already took effect, all the more so, can he not annul vows that did not yet take effect?!

Chachamim: "Ishah Yekimenu v'Ishah Yeferenu" - what came to Kiyum (can be affirmed, i.e. the vow already took effect) can be annulled. What did not come to Kiyum cannot be annulled.

(Gemara) Question: They challenged R. Eliezer - a Mikveh is Yochi'ach (refutes your reasoning)! It raises Temei'im from their Tum'ah (it is Metaher them), but it does not save Tehorim from becoming Tamei. (Likewise, Hafarah helps only after the vow took effect, but not beforehand.)

R. Eliezer returned and judged differently. In a case that one cannot annul his own vows, i.e. after he vowed, he can annul his own vows before he vowed (he says, any vows that I will take will be Batel - above, 3:1). In a case that one can annul his wife's vows, i.e. after she vowed, all the more so he can annul his wife's vows before she vowed!

Chachamim: No - one can annul his own vows before he vowed, for if he wants to sustain it, it is sustained. (Vows that are normally Batel, e.g. Zeruzin, if he says beforehand that they are Kayam, they are Kayam - CHASDEI DAVID.) Can he annul his wife's vows before she vowed, for if he wants to affirm them, it is not affirmed?!

And it says "Ishah Yekimenu v'Ishah Yeferenu" - what came to Kiyum can be annulled. What did not come to Kiyum cannot be annulled.