English: “And she shall do her nails” — what does “do” mean? Rabbi Akiva says: she shall let her nails grow. Why? “Doing” is stated with regard to the head and “doing” is stated with regard to the nails; just as the action on the head is for the sake of making her unattractive, so the action on the nails is for the sake of making her unattractive.
On the daf / in context: The dispute between Rabbi Eliezer (cut the nails) and Rabbi Akiva (let them grow) is resolved in favor of Rabbi Akiva’s reading that both acts are intended to diminish her beauty so that the soldier’s desire may cool.
Type of Learning
Gezerah shavah on the shared verb “asiyah” (R. Akiva).
What Is Learned
According to Rabbi Akiva the captive woman must let her nails grow long, parallel to shaving the head, so that she becomes less attractive.