Kiddushin, Daf Kaf Aleph, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today s section continues to discuss whether certain laws of the Torah apply even to priests.

The issue here is the beautiful woman taken captive during a war (Deuteronomy 21:10-14). Generally a kohen cannot marry a convert, but perhaps this is an exception.

The law of the captive woman is not a law that has been observed, maybe ever, but certainly not in rabbinic times or since. It is clearly a problematic law for it allows a man to essentially take a woman against her will. But such was probably the norms of war in the ancient world (and still in many parts of the modern world) and as such, the intent of the law seems to have been to create some sort of brake on what could have been an even worse situation.

The Talmud will continue to discuss the beautiful captive woman below.

 

איבעיא להו כהן מהו ביפת תואר חידוש הוא לא שנא כהן ולא שנא ישראל או דילמא שאני כהנים הואיל וריבה בהן מצות יתרות

רב אמר מותר ושמואל אמר אסור

 

They asked: May a priest take a beautiful woman (captured in war)? This is an innovative law and so there is no difference between priests and Israelites: or perhaps priests are different, since the verse imposed extra mitzvoth on them?

Rav said: It is permitted; while Shmuel said: It is forbidden.

 

The whole law of the beautiful woman taken captive is an unusual law because it allows a Jew to have sex with a non-Jewish woman (one time). So maybe the same rule applies to priests. Alternatively, since priests have extra restrictions, maybe they are prohibited to do what other Israelites are allowed to do.

As we saw in yesterday s section, Rav allows and Shmuel prohibits.

 

בביאה ראשונה דכ"ע לא פליגי דשרי דלא דברה תורה אלא כנגד יצר הרע

כי פליגי בביאה שניה רב אמר מותר ושמואל אמר אסור

רב אמר מותר הואיל ואישתריא אישתרי ושמואל אמר אסור דהא הויא לה גיורת וגיורת לכהן לא חזיא

 

With respect to the first intercourse all agree that it is permitted, since the Torah only allowed this due to man s evil inclination;

They dispute only about the second intercourse.

Rav said: It is permitted; and Shmuel said: It is forbidden.

Rav said: It is permitted, once it was permitted once, it is permitted.

Shmuel said: It is forbidden; for she is a convert, and a convert is ineligible to marry a priest.

 

The Torah allows the soldier to have sex with the woman the first time before she converts because the Torah knows that men (soldiers in particular?) have an evil inclination and when they see this beautiful woman they will either sleep with her in a permitted way or do something far worse. Therefore, since priests also have this inclination, they too are allowed to have relations with the captive woman. But the second time, after she converts, is disputed. Rav says that since the first act was permitted, she stays permitted to him. Shmuel says that she is a convert and since priests cannot marry converts, a priest cannot marry this woman.

 

א"ד בביאה שניה כ"ע לא פליגי דאסירא דהויא לה גיורת כי פליגי בביאה ראשונה רב אמר מותר דהא לא דברה תורה אלא כנגד יצר הרע ושמואל אמר אסור כל היכא דקרינא ביה (דברים כא, יב) והבאתה אל תוך ביתך קרינא ביה וראית בשביה כל היכא דלא קרינא ביה והבאתה אל תוך ביתך לא קרינא ביה וראית בשביה

 

There are those who say that with respect to the second intercourse all agree that it is forbidden, since she is a convert.

They dispute only about the first intercourse: Rav said, It is permitted, since the Torah only provided for man’s evil inclination.

Shmuel said: It is forbidden: In any case where I can read, Then you shall bring her into your home (Deuteronomy 21:12), I also read, and you see her in captivity. But in any case where I cannot read, Then you shall bring her into your home (Deuteronomy 21:12), I also cannot read, and you see her in captivity.

 

According to this version of the dispute, the two sages both agree that marrying her, the second intercourse is prohibited because priests may not marry converts. They disagree over whether the Torah s concession to the evil inclination applies to even to the priest. Rav says that it does, since priests, like everyone else, have evil inclinations.

Shmuel holds that since he cannot bring her into his house as a wife, he also cannot have intercourse with her the first time.