Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L
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Captive Women. Two Wives. A Wayward Son.
Captive Women
Regarding the wars which the Israelites were commanded to fight to conquer the land of Israel, they were obligated to not leave anyone from those who they were conquering alive.
Chumash now details a situation of an optional war which they win but since they are not obligated to kill everyone in this war, (even Canaanites in spite of them being of the seven nations they were commanded to conquer), they might take captives.
If an Israelite man fighting in such an optional war sees a beautiful woman (even one who is already married) amongst the captives whom he desires, he may marry her. Rashi explains that Torah makes it permitted for him to marry her because if it didn't then he would still take her illicitly due to his evil inclination. Also, Rashi teaches that if he marries her, he will come to hate her and will eventually father a rebellious son through her, which is why the laws regarding a rebellious son follow this section regarding taking a captive as a wife.
The one who takes her must bring her to his home and shave her head and let her nails grow out so as to make her disgusting to him so as to encourage him to no longer want to marry her.
During wartime, the women amongst the nations of the world would get all dressed up to try to seduce the enemy soldiers into having relations with them. She is to remove her nice clothing so as to make her look ugly, in contrast to the Israelite woman who will be dressed up nicely.
This captive woman is to stay there in his home for a month, so he is to witness her crying over her missing of her parents and become overwhelmed at seeing her in such an unattractive state so frequently.
After this month has passed, he is then allowed to have relations with her and marry her.
If he decides that he no longer desires her (which Chumash hints is what will happen), he is to send her away to wherever she'd like, however he may not sell her as a servant nor keep her as a servant.
Two Wives
Chumash now details a situation whereby a man has two wives - one whom he loves and the other whom he hates, they both bear him sons and the firstborn son is born to the wife he hates. In such a situation, when the time comes, he must entrust his property to the firstborn son and give him a double portion of his possessions* (i.e. equal to the portion of two sons) regardless of his preference for the other wife.
*Side note: This only includes his current possessions while the father was alive, not anything which the father is entitled to but didn't have in his possession during life, for example an uncollected debt.
A Wayward Son
Chumash now details the laws regarding a rebellious son. Such a son is only punished if he continues to rebel after being reprimanded in front of three people yet continues to rebel.
Rashi specifies that such a son is only executed for two specific actions as they are indicative of inner motivations and serve as a progenitor of what would become of him were he to be allowed to live:
Stealing money from his father
Being a "glutton or guzzler" which is defined as someone who eats a "tartemar" (the weight of a 1/2 of a maneh) of meat and drinks a 1/2 a log of wine in the same meal
These behaviors will lead him to waste the money he steals from his father and try to find those foods he was used to and when he doesn't find them, mug and kill people by the side of the road, causing him to be liable for the death penalty. Thus the Torah would rather have him be killed while he is still innocent of such severe crimes.
So in this case, his parents are to bring him in front of the elders of the city to whom they are to relate their son's rebelliousness.
The son is then to be stoned to death by the hands of the court in the presence of three judges and the court is to make a public announcement regarding this so such a son will serve as an example.
Ki Teitzei, 1st Aliya