THOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM NOR WORSHIP THEM. As R. Eleazar was once walking in company with R. Hiya, the latter said: ‘It is written: “When thou goes: out to war against thine enemies… and seest among the captives a beautiful woman… thou shalt bring her home to thine house” (Deut. 21, 10, 11). How can this be? Is not intermarriage with heathens prohibited?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘This only applied to the seven nations1v. Deut. 7, 7. when they were independent in their own land.
But mark this. There is no woman among the heathen nations who is free from taint. Therefore the section concerning the captive woman is immediately followed by that of the rebellious son, to indicate that children born of such a union are far from good, the impurity of idolatry inherited by the mother being difficult to remove; all the more so if she has been already married, as the taint of her husband cleaves to her. Hence the command of Moses to exterminate the Midianite women who were the cause of Israel’s downfall in the wilderness (Num. 25, 1-9; XXXI, 15-19).
Blessed is the man who keeps in purity this heritage (the Covenant), for in this holy possession he unites himself with the Holy One, blessed be He, especially if he keeps the commandments of the Torah! The Holy One then stretches out His Right Hand to receive him, and he cleaves to the Holy Body. Concerning this it says of Israel: “And ye who cleave to the Lord your God” (Deut. 4, 4); “Sons are ye to the Lord your God” (Ibid. 14, 1): literally “sons”, as it is also written: “My firstborn son Israel” (Ex. 4, 22); “Israel, in whom I am glorified” (Isa. 49, 3).
(שמות כ׳:ה׳) לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם. ר' אֶלְעָזָר הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא, וַהֲוָה ר' חִיָּיא עִמֵּיהּ. אָמַר ר' חִיָּיא, כְּתִיב (דברים כ״א:י״א) וְרָאִיתָ בַּשִּׁבְיָה אֵשֶׁת יְפַת תֹּאַר וְגוֹ', מַאי טַעֲמָא. וְהָא כְּתִיב לֹא תִתְחַתֵּן בָּם. אָמַר לֵיהּ, בְּעוֹד דְּבִרְשׁוּתַיְיהוּ קַיְימֵי.
THOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM NOR WORSHIP THEM. As R. Eleazar was once walking in company with R. Hiya, the latter said: ‘It is written: “When thou goes: out to war against thine enemies… and seest among the captives a beautiful woman… thou shalt bring her home to thine house” (Deut. 21, 10, 11). How can this be? Is not intermarriage with heathens prohibited?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘This only applied to the seven nations1v. Deut. 7, 7. when they were independent in their own land.
וְתָא חֲזִי, לֵית לָךְ אִנְתּוּ בְּעַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת כְּשֵׁרָה כַּדְקָא חֲזִי. דְּתָנֵינָן, אֲמַאי אַסְמִיךְ פַּרְשְׁתָּא דָּא, לְבֶן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה. אֶלָּא בְּוַדַּאי, מַאן דְּנָסִיב הַאי אִתְּתָא, בֶּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה יָרִית מִינָהּ. מַאי טַעֲמָא. מִשּׁוּם דְּקָשֶׁה לְמֶעְבַּר זוּהֲמָא מִינָהּ, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן הַהִיא דְּאִתְנְסִיבַת בְּקַדְמִיתָא, דְּדִינָא בְּדִינָא אִתְדְּבַק, וְאִסְתְּאָבָת בָּהּ, וְקַשְׁיָא זוּהֲמָא לְמֶעְבַּר מִינָהּ, וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר מֹשֶׁה בִּנְשֵׁי מִדְיָן, (במדבר ל״א:י״ז) וְכָל אִשָּׁה יֹדַעַת אִישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּב זָכָר הֲרֹגוּ.
But mark this. There is no woman among the heathen nations who is free from taint. Therefore the section concerning the captive woman is immediately followed by that of the rebellious son, to indicate that children born of such a union are far from good, the impurity of idolatry inherited by the mother being difficult to remove; all the more so if she has been already married, as the taint of her husband cleaves to her. Hence the command of Moses to exterminate the Midianite women who were the cause of Israel’s downfall in the wilderness (Num. 25, 1-9; XXXI, 15-19).
זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ, דְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּיָרִית אַחֲסַנְתָּא דָּא, וְנָטִיר לָהּ. דִּבְהַהוּא אַחֲסָנָא קַדִּישָׁא אִתְדָּבַּק בַּר נָשׁ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִי זָכֵי בְּפִקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּהָא פָּשִׁיט מַלְכָּא יְמִינֵיהּ לָקֳבְלֵיהּ, וְאִתְדְּבַק בְּגוּפָא קַדִּישָׁא. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, (דברים ד׳:ד׳) וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּיְיָ' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. וּכְתִיב (דברים י״ד:א׳) בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַיְיָ'. בָּנִים אַתֶּם מַמָּשׁ. דִּכְתִּיב, (שמותד) בְּנִי בְכוֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּכְתִיב (ישעיהו מ״ט:ג׳) יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר.
Blessed is the man who keeps in purity this heritage (the Covenant), for in this holy possession he unites himself with the Holy One, blessed be He, especially if he keeps the commandments of the Torah! The Holy One then stretches out His Right Hand to receive him, and he cleaves to the Holy Body. Concerning this it says of Israel: “And ye who cleave to the Lord your God” (Deut. 4, 4); “Sons are ye to the Lord your God” (Ibid. 14, 1): literally “sons”, as it is also written: “My firstborn son Israel” (Ex. 4, 22); “Israel, in whom I am glorified” (Isa. 49, 3).