"I took the Barash Vow to live alone inside the Force, until my true path as a Jedi became clear."
―Kirak Infil'aThe Barash Vow saw a Jedi refrain from all activities within the greater Jedi Order.
The Barash Vow, also called Barash, was an oath taken by Jedi who completely abstained from all activities connected to the Jedi Order as an act of penitence. Those who took it withdrew from everything except the Force itself, dedicating themselves to achieving ultimate communion with it. Jedi MasterBarash Silvain established the practice, which was named after her. Although most Jedi who swore the vow did so to atone, others took it to re-focus themselves on the Force.
"I cannot trust myself. I cannot allow you, or any other Jedi, to trust me. Not until I know I am hearing the Force clearly again. I will go."
"_You're…_leaving the Order?"
"No, Brother. I am still a Jedi and always will be. But until I regain my certainty…I must listen. I will take no action on behalf of the Order."
―Barash Silvain and Porter EngleJedi Master Barash Silvain (pictured) was the namesake and originator of the Barash Vow.In 382 BBY,Jedi MasterBarash Silvain accompanied her adopted brother Master Porter Engle on a mission to the planetGansevor to settle a conflict between the citiesFirevale and Bethune. Silvain was deceived by PrincessSicatra of Bethune into worsening the conflict, as the Jedi Master was influenced by her own biases and failed to listen to the Force. After recognizing her mistake and seeing the conflict resolved, she swore to Engle that she would take no action on behalf of the Jedi Order and isolate herself until she could once again trust herself and the Force. Barash Silvain's choice became the practice known as the Barash Vow,which was named after her.From the Order's founding to its doom, more than fourteen thousand Jedi pursued Barash.Although it was primarily a means of atoning for terrible mistakes, some Jedi, including Jedi KnightDez Rydan, took the vow to refocus themselves on the Force.In 232 BBY,After a traumatic experience as a prisoner of the dark side-steeped Drengir, Rydan chose to swear the vow and depart for a contemplation world. He hoped both to recover from the damage inflicted by the Drengir and to redirect his path toward service rather than action and excitement.While taking the vow, Torbin remained in a state of silent levitation for over 10 years.Jedi Master Torbin took the Barash Vow in response to an incident on Brendokaround 148 BBY.As part of his vow, he eventually entered a silent levitatingmeditation, during which the Force deflected any physical interaction with him. After spending more than a decade in this state,in approximately 132 BBY,he was confronted by assassinMae Aniseya, who warned that she would kill him unless he confessed to the Jedi High Council the crime he had committed on Brendok. Seeking forgiveness, Torbin broke his meditative state and killed himself by drinking a concoction provided by Aniseya that contained the poisonous substance bunta.During the late Republic Era, Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a was a Barash-taker who survived the execution of Order 66in 19 BBYbecause of his adherence to the vow. Since the vow required disengagement from everything except the Force and therefore prevented Infil'a from responding to the event, Sith LordDarth Vader pursued him,locating him on the planet Al'doleem. There, Infil'a spent his Barash meditating while levitating atop the sacred Jedi mountainPasvaal. While sparring with his droidArex, Infil'a reaffirmed his decision not to hide and sensed Darth Vader's imminent arrival through the Force. After Infil'a stared down Vader from the mountain and resisted the Sith Lord's Force attacks, Vader confirmed that he had killed the other Jedi and intended to kill Infil'a as well. In response, Infil'a declared his Barash complete, determining that his new path would end with killing Vader.However, their duel ended with Vader killing him instead.Obi-Wan Kenobi observed and followed the ways of the vow during his exile on Tatooine until he left the planet to answer PrincessLeia Organa's call for aid alongside his former apprentice's son, Luke Skywalker.
Behind the scenes
"The Vow is taken by Jedi who feel they have done something deeply wrong – particularly a misinterpretation of what they believed the Force wanted them to do – and while they don't leave the Order, they decide to sit and listen to the Force until they better understand themselves and what it's saying."
Soule was delighted to see the Barash Vow make its live-action debut in Star Wars: The Acolyte episode "Revenge / Justice." On Twitterand Instagram, Soule described his enjoyment of the Barash Vow's appearance in The Acolyte, recounting the Vow's origins both in and out of the universe. Soule also claimed that Jedi had adopted the practice before and after its namesake, Barash Silvain, although no canon source has yet stated this.
