Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 21:11/רמב"ן על דברים כ״א:י״א
אאֵשֶׁת יְפַת תֹּאַר, דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּהוֹוֶה. וּבְסִפְרֵי (תצא ה), מִנַּיִן אֲפִלּוּ כְּעוּרָה, ת"ל וְחָשַׁקְתָּ בָהּ אע"פ שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְפַת תֹּאַר. ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על דברים כ"א:י"א), יְפַת תֹּאַר, בְּעֵינָיו. וְהִנֵּה הוּא דָּבֵק עִם וְרָאִיתָ. וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב וְחָשַׁקְתָּ בָהּ, שֶׁלֹּא יַתִּירֶנָּה לוֹ רַק מִפְּנֵי הַחֵשֶׁק בִּהְיוֹת יִצְרוֹ מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו, אֲבָל אִם מוֹצֵא בְּעַצְמוֹ שֶׁאֵין לוֹ חֵשֶׁק בִּבְעִילָתָהּ אֶלָּא שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה לָקַחַת לוֹ אִשָּׁה, לֹא יִשָּׂא לָזוֹ. וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ בְּסִפְרֵי (שם), וְלָקַחְתָּ לְךָ לְאִשָּׁה, שֶׁלֹּא תֹּאמַר הֲרֵי זוֹ לְאַבָּא הֲרֵי זוֹ לְאָחִי. וּבַגְּמָרָא (קידושין כב א), שֶׁלֹּא יִקַּח שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים, אַחַת לִבְנוֹ וְאַחַת לוֹ, אַחַת לְאָבִיו וְאַחַת לוֹ. וְהָאִסּוּר בְּאוֹתָהּ שֶׁל בְּנוֹ אֲפִלּוּ לְבַדָּהּ:
1A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. Scripture speaks of the common case. And in the Sifre it is stated:1 211. “Whence do we know that [the same law applies] even if she be ugly? From what Scripture states, and thou desirest her — even though she is not beautiful.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “A beautiful woman — in his eyes.” Thus the expression [a beautiful woman] is connected with [the first word in the verse] ‘v’ra’itha’ (and thou seest).2. Ramban thus points out that, according to Ibn Ezra’s interpretation, the verse means to say: “and thou seest a beautiful woman among the captives,” for the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. She may actually be ugly. Scripture mentions and thou desirest her, denoting that he is not to permit her to himself except because of lust — when his impulse overpowers him. However, if he discovers within himself that he has no lust for cohabitation with her, but he wants just to take a wife, he should not marry her. Thus the Rabbis have said in the Sifre:3 212. “And thou wouldest take her to thee to wife. You are not to say, ‘This one is for [my] father, that one for my brother.’” And in the Gemara4 we find that he is not to take two women — one for his son and one for himself, or one for his father and one for himself. Now the prohibition against taking one for his son [or for his father] applies even to her alone [i.e., if he has not taken one for himself].