The
7th mitzvah is that we are commanded
to swear in G‑d's name whenever necessary — whether to insure something be done
or to prevent ourselves from doing something. [We are required to swear in His
name] because it exalts, glorifies, and magnifies G‑d.
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "And swear in His name."
Our
Sages said explicitly, "The Torah tells us 'swear in His name' and
'do not swear.' " This means that
just as one may not make an unnecessary oath, which is a prohibition, one is
commanded to make a necessary oath, which is a positive commandment.
Therefore,
one may not swear in the name of any other creation, such as angels or stars.
An exception is where the subject [i.e. G‑d] is obviously omitted, such as one
who swears in "the truth of the sun," but means "the true G‑d of [i.e. Who
created] the sun." It is in this manner that our nation swears in the name of
Moshe — in order to gain honor through [mentioning] his name. It is as if the
person uttered the oath, "in the G‑d of Moshe," or "in the One Who sent Moshe."
However, when the person uttering the oath does not have this in mind, and
swears in the name of a created being having in mind that this object is so
true that he can swear on it, he has transgressed, and has "placed an object on
the same level as G‑d." The Oral Tradition explains that "one who 'places an object on
the same level as G‑d' is uprooted from the world."
This
is the intention of the verse, "swear in His name," i.e. keep in mind that He
alone is the True Existence that it is proper to swear by. In the first chapter
of T'murah our Sages say, "what is the source that one
may take an oath to fulfill a mitzvah?
The verse, 'And swear in His name.' "
