Ki Seitzei 21:11 · unit 1

TT #3 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · First aliya · Passuk 21:11

The Complete Passuk

וְרָאִ֙יתָ֙ בַּשִּׁבְיָ֔ה אֵ֖שֶׁת יְפַת־תֹּ֑אַר וְחָשַׁקְתָּ֣ בָ֔הּ וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ לְךָ֖ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

And you see among the captives a woman of beautiful form, and you desire her, and you would take her for yourself as a wife.

Chabad.org — 21:11

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Kiddushin 21b (and Sifrei Devarim 211).

Sefaria — Kiddushin 21b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְרָאִיתָ בַּשִּׁבְיָה – בִּשְׁעַת שִׁבְיָה.

English: “And you see among the captives” — at the time of the capture itself.

On the daf / in context: The Gemara (Kiddushin 21b) and Sifrei require that the soldier’s eye fall on her at the moment she is taken captive. If he later decides to take a captive woman who was already in the camp for sale or service, the special permission does not apply.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli / Sifrei) — limiting the permission to the instant of capture by the force of “ba-shivyah.”

What Is Learned

The captive-woman permission is available only when the soldier notices her at the actual moment of capture, not later.