Ki Seitzei 21:14 · unit 3

TT #26 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · First aliya · Passuk 21:14

The Complete Passuk

וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א חָפַ֣צְתָּ בָּ֗הּ וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ֙ לְנַפְשָׁ֔הּ וּמָכֹ֥ר לֹא־תִמְכְּרֶ֖נָּה בַּכָּ֑סֶף לֹא־תִתְעַמֵּ֣ר בָּ֔הּ תַּ֖חַת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִנִּיתָֽהּ׃

And it shall be, if you do not desire her, then you shall send her away for herself; you shall not sell her for money; you shall not treat her as a slave, because you have afflicted her.

Chabad.org — 21:14

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sifrei Devarim.

Sefaria — Sifrei Devarim

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ לְנַפְשָׁהּ – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאִם הָיְתָה חוֹלָה מַמְתִּין לָהּ עַד שֶׁתַּבְרִיא, וְהַזֶּה קַל וָחֹמֶר לִבְנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

English: “And you shall send her away for herself” — this teaches that if she is ill he must wait until she recovers; and this is a kal va-chomer for the daughters of Israel.

On the daf / in context: “Le-nafshah” implies she must be able to leave under her own power. Therefore a sick woman may not be dismissed until she is well. The same consideration applies a fortiori to an ordinary Jewish wife.

Type of Learning

Kal va-chomer from the captive woman to the daughters of Israel.

What Is Learned

One may not divorce a woman while she is ill; he must wait until she recovers. This rule is derived from the captive-woman law and applies even more strongly to ordinary Jewish wives.