Ki Seitzei 21:11 · unit 3

TT #5 · 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.

Sefaria — Kiddushin 21b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
יְפַת תֹּאַר – לֹא דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה אֶלָּא כְּנֶגֶד יֵצֶר הָרָע. מוּטָב שֶׁיֹּאכְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשַׂר תְּמוּתוֹת שְׁחוּטוֹת וְאַל יֹאכְלוּ בְּשַׂר תְּמוּתוֹת נְבֵלוֹת.

English: “Of beautiful form” — the Torah spoke only in response to the evil inclination. Better that Israel eat the meat of animals that are about to die but have been properly slaughtered than that they eat the meat of animals that have already died of themselves.

On the daf / in context: The classic baraisa on Kiddushin 21b explains the entire captive-woman permission as a concession to the yetzer hara. If the Torah had forbidden her outright, the soldier would take her in sin; the Torah therefore channels the desire into a regulated process that ultimately protects both parties.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13; the Gemara presents the law as a concession to the yetzer hara.

What Is Learned

The captive-woman permission is a concession to human desire; better a regulated path than outright prohibition that would be violated.