When You Take a Captive Woman (Deut 21:10 and Yevamot 48a)
August 14, 2009
Deut. 21:10
10 When you go to battle against your enemies and the Lord your God has delivered them into your hands and you have taken them captive 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and have a desire for her to become your wife, 12 then you shall bring her home to your house and she shall shave her head, make her nails, and be as a zombie. 13 She shall don earthen clothes and shall remain in your house, wailing for a full month and only after you shall go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.
Yevamot 48a
We have learned in a Baraita: It says, “she must make her nails.” R. Eliezer says, “She should cut them down to stubs.” R. Akiva says, “She must let them grow.” What is between them? One says that the nails of the zombie women break when they sink their fingers into flesh. The other believes that their nails are strong and can sink even into trees without cracking. Both agree that they should not wash their fingers for the alotted month.
We have learned in a Baraita: It says “wailing for a full month.” Rabbi Eliezer said, “so that she sound like a zombie.” R. Akiva says “for having to seem like a zombie.” For even the nations know of their horror.
