(10) When you [an Israelite warrior] take the field against your enemies, and your God יהוה delivers them into your power and you take some of them captive, (11) and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her and would take her [into your household] as your wife, (12) you shall bring her into your household, and she shall trim her hair, pare her nails, (13) and discard her captive’s garb. She shall spend a month’s time in your household lamenting her father and mother; after that you may come to her and thus become her husband, and she shall be your wife. (14) Then, should you no longer want her, you must release her outright. You must not sell her for money: since you had your will of her, you must not enslave her.
Robert Alter: Throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, captive women of vanquished peoples were assumed to be the due sexual prerogative of the victors. This law exceptionally seeks to provide for the human right of the woman who falls into this predicament.
(א) כי תצא למלחמה. במלחמת הרשות הכתוב מדבר....
(ו) אשת. אף על פי שהיא אשת איש.
(ז) יפת תואר. אין לי אלא בזמן שהיא יפת תואר. מנין אף על פי שהיא כעורה? ת"ל וחשקת, אף על פי שאינה יפת תואר.
(ח) ולקחת לך לאשה. שלא תאמר, "הרי זו לאבא" "הרי זו לאחי".
(1) (Devarim 21:10) "If you go out to war": Scripture speaks of an optional war (as opposed to a war of mitzvah)....
(6) "a woman": even a married woman.
(7) "of beautiful form": This tells me only of a woman of beautiful form. Whence do I derive that the same applies to an ugly woman? From "and you desire her": even if she is not beautiful. If so, why is it written of beautiful form"? Scripture speaks of the common instance.
(8) "then you may take her for yourself as a wife": and not for his father and not for his son.
(ב) וגלחה את ראשה וגו'. (יבמות מח) ר' אליעזר אומר תקוץ, רבי עקיבא אומר תגדל.
(2) "and she shall shave her head and she shall do her nails": R. Eliezer says: She shall cut them. R. Akiva says: She shall let them grow long....
(א) והסירה את שמלת שביה מעליה. מלמד שמעביר ממנה בגדים נאים, ומלבישה בגדי אלמנות. שהכנענים, בנותיהם היו מתקשטות במלחמה, בשביל להזנות אחרים עמהם.
(ב) וישבה בביתך. בבית שמשתמש בו. נתקל בה ונכנס, נתקל בה ויוצא; רואה (בקרויה) [בקלקולה], ורואה בנוולה.
(ג) ובכתה את אביה ואת אמה. (יבמות מח) אביה ואמה ממש, דברי רבי אליעזר. רבי עקיבא אומר, אין אביה ואמה, אלא עבודת כוכבים, שנא' (ירמיה ב) אומרים לעץ, אבי אתה.
(ד) ירח ימים. שלשים יום. דבר אחר, (יבמות מח) "ירח" אחד, "ימים" שנים, [" ואחר כן "] הרי ג', כדי (בגדי נויה שהיו עליה וחמדה) תקון הולד. כדברי רבי עקיבא, להבחין בין זרע ראשון לזרע שני.
(ה) ר' אליעזר אומר, "ירח ימים" כמשמעו. וכל לכך למה? כדי שתהיה בת ישראל שמחה וזו בוכה, זו מתקשטת וזו מתנוולת.
(ו) [ואחר כן תבוא אליה]. הא אם לא עשה בה את כל המעשים האלו, ובא עליה - הרי זה בעילת זנות.
(ח) והיתה לך לאשה. כענין שנאמר (שמות כא) שארה כסותה ועונתה, לא יגרע.
(א) והיה אם לא חפצת בה. הכתוב מבשרך שאתה עתיד לשנאותה.
(ב) ושלחתה לנפשה. ולא לבית אלהיה.
(ג) ושלחתה. בגט, כדברי רבי יונתן. ואם היתה חולה, ימתין לה עד שתבריא. קל וחומר לבנות ישראל, שהם קדושות וטהורות.
(ד) (ומכור) לא תמכרנה בכסף. אין לי אלא שלא ימכר בכסף. מנין שלא יתננה במתנה, ושלא יעשה בה טובה? תלמוד לומר ומכור לא תמכרנה (בכסף).
(ה) לא תתעמר בה. לא תשתמש בה....
(ו) תחת אשר עניתה. אפילו לאחר מעשה יחידי.
(1) (Devarim 21:13) "And she shall remove the garment of her captivity from her": We are hereby taught that he removes her alluring clothing and dresses her in widows' weeds; for the Canaanites would dress their daughters enticingly to cause others to stray after them.
(2) "and she shall sit in your house": the house that he frequents, so that he "stumbles" upon her coming and going, and sees her in her ungainliness, and she becomes repulsive to him.
(3) "and she shall mourn her father and her mother": This is to be taken literally. These are the words of R. Eliezer. R. Akiva says: "her father and her mother" are idolatry, as it is written (Jeremiah 2:27) "They say to the wood 'You are my father,' and to the stone 'You bore me.'"
(4) "a month of days": thirty days. R. Shimon b. Elazar says: "a month": one (month). "days": two (months). "and after that": three (months, all together), for the "amendment" of the child, to distinguish between the seed of the first and the seed of the second.
(5) And why all this? (i.e., Why this separation from cohabitation?) So that the Jewish daughter (i.e., his first wife) rejoice, and this one weep; this one, adorn herself, and this one abase herself.
(6) "and after, you shall come to her": But if he does not do all of the foregoing and he cohabits with her, this is a cohabitation of harlotry.
(8) "and she shall be to you as a wife": as it is written (Shemoth 21:10) "her food, her clothing, and her (conjugal) time he shall not diminish."
(1) (Devarim, Ibid. 14) "And it shall be, when you do not desire her": Scripture apprises you that you are destined to hate her.
(2) "then you shall send her on her own": but not to the house of her god.
(3) "then you shall send her": with a divorce (a "get"), as per R. Yochanan. "on her own": If she were sick, he must wait until she recovers — a fortiori, for Jewish daughters, who are holy and pure.
(4) "you shall not sell her for money": This tells me only that he may not sell her for money. Whence do I derive that he may not give her away as a gift or as a gratuity? From (the superfluous) "and sell you shall not sell."
(5) "lo tithamer bah": You shall not use her....
(6) "after you have afflicted her": even after one act (of cohabitation).
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ....
״יְפַת תּוֹאַר״ – לֹא דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה אֶלָּא כְּנֶגֶד יֵצֶר הָרָע. מוּטָב שֶׁיֹּאכְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשַׂר תְּמוּתוֹת שְׁחוּטוֹת, וְאַל יֹאכְלוּ בְּשַׂר תְּמוּתוֹת נְבֵילוֹת....
״וַהֲבֵאתָהּ״ – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁלֹּא יִלְחָצֶנָּה בַּמִּלְחָמָה.
The Sages taught:....
The phrase “a beautiful woman” indicates that the Torah here spoke only in response to the evil inclination, as it is due to her beauty that he desired her. And why does the Torah permit this? It is preferable for Jews to eat the meat of dying animals that were slaughtered, and let them not eat the meat of dying animals that were not slaughtered but which will become carcasses. In other words, it is preferable for this act to be performed in a somewhat permitted way rather than in a manner that is entirely prohibited....
The verse: “Then you shall bring her home into your house” (Deuteronomy 21:12), teaches that he should not pressure her to engage in sexual intercourse during the war, but he should first take her into his home.
(ב) ולקחת לך לאשה. לֹא דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה אֶלָּא כְּנֶגֶד יֵצֶר הָרַע, שֶׁאִם אֵין הַקָּבָּ"ה מַתִּירָהּ יִשָּׂאֶנָּה בְאִסּוּר, אֲבָל אִם נְשָׂאָהּ סוֹפוֹ לִהְיוֹת שׂוֹנְאָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אַחֲרָיו "כִּי תִהְיֶיןָ לְאִישׁ וְגוֹ'", וְסוֹפוֹ לְהוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּה בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, לְכָךְ נִסְמְכוּ פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הַלָּלוּ (תנחומא):
(1) ולקחת לך לאשה [AND THOU DELIGHTEST IN HER,] THAT THOU WOULDEST TAKE HER FOR THY WIFE) — Scripture is speaking (makes this concession) only in view of man’s evil inclination (his carnal desires) (Kiddushin 21b). For if the Holy One, blessed be He, would not permit her to him as a wife, he would nevertheless marry her although she would then be forbidden to him. However, if he does marry her, in the end he will hate her, for Scripture writes immediately afterwards, (v. 15) “If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, etc.” and ultimately he will beget a refractory and rebellious son by her (v. 18). It is for this reason that these sections are put in juxtaposition (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 1).
Tosafot to Kiddushin 22a:
"From his Commentary it seems that Rashi did not allow the soldier to have relations with the captive women on the battlefield, and his initial sexual relations were permitted only after all those acts [as cited in Humash].
This is perplexing. If so, what does it mean that "the Torah addressed the evil impulse?" Since he could not have relations with her in the battlefield but only after she came to his home, and after all those actions - how was his impulse satiated thereby? His evil impulse was in the battlefield, in his home, until after a month of days?!"
Rabbeinu Tam, one of the Baalei-Tosafot, interpreted that he was allowed to have relations with her on the battlefield but could not do so again without the various acts described in Humash.
Rav Yitzhak of Danpierre, another of the Baalei-Tosfot, comments that relations were permitted only after the various acts.
רִבִּי יוֹחנָן שָׁלַח לְרַבָּנִין דְּתַמָּן. תַּרְתֵּין מִילִּין אַתּוֹן אָֽמְרִין בְּשֵׁם רַב וְלֵית אִינּוּן כֵּן. אַתּוֹן אָֽמְרִין בְּשֵׁם רַב. יְפַת תּוֹאַר לֹא הִתִּירוּ בָהּ אֶלָּא בְעִילָה רִאשׁוֹנָה בִּלְבַד. וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר. לֹא בְעִילָה רִאשׁוֹנָה וְלֹא בְעִילָה אֲחַרוֹנָה אֶלָּא לְאַחַר כָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים. וְאַ֨חַר כֵּ֜ן תָּב֤וֹא אֵלֶ֨יהָ֙ וּֽבְעַלְתָּ֔הּ. אַחַר כָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים.
Rebbi Joḥanan sent to the rabbis there84Babylonia.: Two things you say in the name of Rav which are not so. You say in the name of Rav that only the first copulation with the beautiful woman The female prisoner of war whom her captor desires, Deut. 21:10–14. is permitted.
[The Babli Qiddušin 21b (Tosaphot 22a s. v. שלא) seems to permit a first copulation before the woman undergoes formal conversion even for a Cohen to whom the convert will be forbidden.]
But I am saying, the first or the later copulations are permitted only after all ceremonies; after that you may come to her and copulate with her86Deut. 21:13, after full conversion.
The Babli (Qiddušin 68a) reads the verse as: after that you may copulate with her as her husband, meaning that valid marriage is possible only after conversion., after all ceremonies.
(א) ובכתה את אביה ואת אמה.... ואחר כן תבוא אליה. אבל קודם לכן לא לפי שאין דבר זה הגון, שהיא תבכה ואתה תשחק עמה:
(1) And she shall weep for her father and her mother.... And after that, come upon her but before this, no; since this thing is not seemly, that she is weeping and you are sporting with her.
Re 21:14: There is much discussion about the term hit'amer, which only occurs here and in verse 7.
The root inui is used to describe the rape and capture of Dinah, Sarah's abusive treatment of Hagar, the rape of an unmarried virgin (Deut. 22:29), also Psalms 90:15 ("Give us joy for as long as You have afflicted us.").
Robert Alter notes: "The verb 'inah, "abuse," "debase," "afflict," is also sometimes used for rape, and its employment here astringently suggests that the sexual exploitation of a captive woman, even in a legally sanctioned arrangement of concubinage, is equivalent to rape."
(א) לא תתעמר - סחורת אדם המכור נופל בו לשון זה. וכן לפנינו והתעמר בו ומכרו.
(ב) אשר עניתה - ביאת נשואין לפי הפשט.
(1) לא תתעמר, an expression used to describe slave trade, trade in human beings. (Compare 24,7)
(2) אשר עניתה, according to the plain meaning this refers to sexual intercourse for the purpose of marriage.
The Sifri can be interpreted to view the various actions as means to delay first intercourse, or means to cause her to become unappealing to the warrior. Tosafot, based upon the Talmud's discussion, considers whether the soldier could have had relations with the woman on the battlefield, and that the consideration of other impediments were only prior to a second sexual encounter or marriage. Thus, the timing and purpose of these acts was debated in both Talmudic and Medieval periods.
Bekhor Shor clearly viewed some of the acts done to the woman or the waiting period as reflections of the Torah's desire to respect the captive woman.
Robert Alter (to 21:12) presented another motivation for the Bible's actions to the captive. "Several of the medieval Hebrew commentators construe this as intended to make her unattractive. That is, her captor, having been smitten with desire when he first saw the beautiful woman, may now have second thoughts about her desirability and change his mind. But especially since trimming the nails would scarcely impair her attractiveness, it is more likely that this cutting of excrescences growing from the body, together with the removal of the garment of captivity, is a rite of transition that marks the woman's transformation from the daughter of an alien people to a fit mate for an Israelite man. The period of thirty days...is another indication that the law encodes a ritual of transition.
His earlier cited remarks explain the purpose of this unusual law: "Throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, captive women of vanquished peoples were assumed to be the due sexual prerogative of the victors. This law exceptionally seeks to provide for the human right of the woman who falls into this predicament."