Between the Lines
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Between the Lines i of the Bible A MODERN COMMENTARY ON THE 613 COMMANDMENTS HERBERT S. GOLDSTEIN, D.D. Professor of Homiletics, Yeshiva University + Rabbi, West Side Institutional Synagogue, New York rown Publishers, Inc., New York 530th Commandment 306 532nd COMMANDMENT these days, usually make a on The Law Of The Beautiful ee special plea to the congregants ior Captive Woman the observance of the Torah, w ic We read in Deuteronomy, Chap. serves as a comfort to those in t ° ter 21, verse 10 and 11, “When thoy Great Beyond. “When Thou Shalt Do That Which Is Right In The Sight goest forth to battle against thine enemies .. and thou carriest them Of The Lord”. Again the Torah re- peats (See Chapter 19, verse 13) away captive’, verse 11, “and seest its exhortation against’ among the captives a woman of ism. goodly form, and thou hast a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to This commandment prevailed in thee to wife’. The Torah here makes th Israel at the time when the Jews settled there and also in Transjor- a concession to human nature dur. dania. ing wartime. The Israelite was to bring her into his house and have 531st OF THE 613 BIBLICAL her cut. her hair, leave her nails COMMANDMENTS grow long, substitute for the beauti- ‘Not To Work Nor To Seed In ful garment she wore, plain, simple The Rough Valley ones and remove all the jewelry and Concerning this we read in Deu- ornaments that she had for the pur- teronomy, Chapter 21, verse 4, “And pose of enticing, and permit her to the elders of that city shall bring cry for a month for her parents be- down the heifer unto a rough valley, cause of her enforced absence. which may neither be plowed nor The Torah well understood that if sown, and shall break the heifer’s we did not permit the Israelite to neck there in the valley.” The words, take the captive, he would marry ene “rough valley’’ means a strong, un- her in a prohibited fashion, because cultivated, unfrequented territory of the strength of his passion at that with a perennial brook. Its strong time. In order to quiet his passion, running water would carry away the Torah commanded details which the blood of the heifer. This would we mentioned so as to remove the symbolize the removal of the defile- source of temptation from his eyes. ment from the land. Just as we have If after the period of the month he learned in the previous command- still wants to marry her, he may do ment concerning the heifer, namely, so but she must be converted to that the ceremony connected with it Judaism. gl was fo publicize the matter- of the This commandment _ prevailed murder to arouse the community when Israel was on its own land concerning its obligations, so the and he who trespassed it and did prohibition against working or sow- not carry out the details as mention- ing around the brook for all times, ed, annulled this positive command- was to be a constant reminder io all ment. ll that passed that way, concerning the murder that was committed, 533rd OF THE 613 This prohibition was for all times BIBLICAL COMMANDMENTS even when we did not possess Pal- Not To Sell The Beautiful Sm estine. It refers to male and female alike. One who trespassed it was Captive Woman to receive stripes. The Israelite is not permitted t° —xXx— sell the beautiful captive woman after he has had married relations Commandment goth mdment 5 ncerning this it is writ. with Chapter 21, in the best of ” ten in “And it shall be, if thoy sh gor is Of io one Tere verse delight in her, then thoy ave ot her go whither she will, Should no} that ‘the Chap- shalt le haslt not sell her at all for whtUe she jg 8nottroubledwel] fh ive’ en thoy but thee This marriage was deemed st thine 535TH OF THe | money oncession to human weak- st them 613 as a i of the worst manifestations d seest To H fo f ang Him ho Was Jud nan of unbridled passions of man. © Manged By The Beth Dies | desire of indicates that a wife tak. The this fashion will probably be- ea her to en an object of aversion to we, the to hang him makes or re dur- husbond. This law inculcates we read in Deuterono Vas to thoughtfulness and forbearance un- 21, verse 22, “And if i have der circumstances in-which the war- r nails rior, elated by victory, might deem committed q sin worthy of death, himself at liberty to act ag he and he be put to death, and thou shalt hang him on q tree”, simple pleased (Driver). After the count- ry and less rapes of conquered women with The purpose of this commandment pur- which recent history has made us was to give due Publicity to the her to so painfully familiar, it is like hear- Punishment so as to strike terror its be- ing soft music to read of the war- into the hearts of potential offenders. e. tior's duty to the enemy women, of Our process of punishment was that if the necessary marriage with its certainly not that of the Romantype. lite to set ritual and its due delay. And The fiendish punishment of crucify- marry the Legislator proceeds to trace the ing men alive, nailing them to the cause course of the husband's duty in the cross and prolonging their death- xt that event of the conquered alien wo- agonies for days, was a Roman in- ission, man failing to bring him the ex- vention. There were four methods which Pected delight, (Zangwill) of execution in Israel — stoning, ye the his commandment indicates that burning, the sword, and strangula- eyes. our better nature must prevail. tion. Hanging was sometimes added ith he 534th COMMANDMENT after death, in token of infamy, or ay do as a further deterrent; Joshua X, 26. ed to C Not To Cause The Beautiful Our method of hanging was as ior Woman To Work Hard lows: After the person was stones Oe not to enslave this cap- land a pillar of wood was sunk into he d did oncerning this we groun d with part of thedq. woodThe perp ntion- vere n Deuteronomy, Chapter 21, truding from the ground. ther folded togethe nand- 2 os 4, “thoy shalt not deal with son's hands were a $I sl d. toward humb ed her” because thou hast upon the wood. t ust as he is forbid- to © Sell her one SO is he forbidden untied. He was buried witsins eh ‘ Ss a slave woman. She wood upon which he was §ungane ter tee Naturalized Jewish with the stone on aes nol into } He is not allowed to sell t . bey t Service nor to force stone his inne wood upon we ed to eve him. The Rabbis also so and so was hung . oman a ©N no account is he overmitted2 theht, bodythey to remainni h wegeewill ® tire a° divorce her if he be- €r or if she is not ti iveve. which 533rd fruit is worth more, then it is no} mitted to eut it down. The world ond all its goods are to be enjoyeg used, but in nowise to be abused. cked tne Ye The purpose of this commandmen; they positive command is apparent. We are to train our nu mind and soul to love the goog E 613 BIBLICAL 528th Of The the useful and to be distant from an form of devastation. If one can g Not To Allow Any Male Ove something from being Spoiled, he Seven Nations To Remain should use all his power to go 80 in alive. We are warned not to allow any Not so is it with the wicked. They ons to remain of the seven nan to the Hitti- destroy and rejoice in the destruc. ven nati ee the Amorites, the tion of the world. We note children the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Je and even adults passing by fields sites and the Girgashites. Concern- uprooting shrubs, breaking twig. and so forth, unwantonly. All this is ing this we read in Deuteronomy, Chapter 20, verse 16, Thou s al an evidence of our lack of self-con- save clive nothing that breatheth”. trol. Thus, our Torah, in every aspect Of course, this means if they refuse of life, teaches us the negative side an offer of peace and are unwilling of self-control and conservation. We to give up idolatry and refuse to ob- are to try to conquer the spirit of serve the 7 Noachian Laws,—name- destruction that is in us. ly, to have courts of justice to prohi- _This prohibition prevails at all bit blasphemy, idolatry, incest, mur- times and at all places and refers to der, robbery and cruelty to animals, male and female. One who trespass- —by removing one of their limbs es it and destroy a fruit tree, trans- whilst alive, gresses this negative commandment and should receive stripes. 529th COMMANDMENT Not To Cut Down Trees In 530th OF THE 613 BIBLICAL Besieging A City COMMANDMENTS _ We are bidden to refrain from cut- The Laws Concerning The Heifer ting down trees when we besiege a Whose Neck Was Broken city in order to make the way nar- It in a field or on a road a slain Tow for the enemy. Concerning this we read in Deuteronomy, Chapter person was found and it was not known who slew him, the Bible Prescribed the following method of handling this matter, as we read in Deuteronomy, Chapter 21, verse © “If one be found slain in the lon .