Yesterday’s Torah reading on the subject of the Yefat To’ar – the beautiful captive – took on an acute relevance this year in light of the recent Eilat rape which has horrified Israel. Statistics released in news reports connected to the rape (as well as those reporting the recent #MeToo revelations) demonstrate that what might have once been regarded as unpleasant isolated incidents are actually symptoms of a widespread societal sickness.
People tend to offer solutions which fit with their existing worldview. Some religious thinkers see the sexual violence as the result of an overly-sexualised society in which teenagers are prone to translate prevalent, often violent, pornography and sexual images into real life. They argue for increased boundaries between the sexes and a reduction in the exposure of teenagers to powerful sexual images.
On the other hand, those coming from a secular standpoint believe that the plague can be resolved, or at least significantly diminished through education. By seeking to change the way in which society in general and men in particular view women, masculinity and rape culture (see more here).
). At first viewing, there seems little in the passage of Yefat To’ar that we may be inclined to take instruction from in terms of combating sexual violence in the 21st-century. Taking a broader perspective however, including the teachings of the accompanying Oral Tradition, I believe that we can draw inspiration from the Torah’s overall approach to the phenomenon.The basic law of Yefat To’ar conveys the Torah’s belief that mere moral teaching alone may often fail to curb the powerful male sexual desire – particularly in scenarios in which he does not feel immediately threatened by the long arm of the law. However, the laws themselves are to read – according to the Midrashic tradition – in context of their placement alongside the Ben Sorer Umoreh (Wayward and Rebellious Son) to impart the Torah’s severe warning of the consequence of such awful conduct. If this is correct, and any lesson from Yefar To’ar is to be transposed to tackling today’s plague of sexual violence, it may be to combine the two approaches cited above: both to reduce the exposure of teenagers to violent sexual images and culture and to accompany this with re-educating today’s youth towards a healthier frame of mind.
THE JUDAISM RECLAIMED FOOTNOTE:
“Yefat to'ar causes understandable consternation among those fortunate to live in peaceful societies, distant from the sobering realities of warfare, particularly those involving close combat. Even recent warfare, however, provides numerous examples of how human behaviour tends to be affected by the atmosphere of impunity and lawlessness which typically prevails in war zones. From 'comfort women' in the Japan-Korean war to ongoing inter-African conflicts, last century’s world wars, and the recent Arab uprisings, rape has often been regarded as a weapon of war and a legitimate incentive to soldiers risking their lives. Recently even non-combatants such as UN aid workers have been implicated for sexual abuse in lawless war zones.
The question that must be posed is that, if all of the armies partaking in the horrific history of human warfare had adopted the laws and teachings of yefat to’ar, would there have been a considerable reduction in the amount of war crimes relating to mass rape and sexual abuse. Note that the Torah does not encourage or condone the yefat to'ar. It is a framework to guide and coax the soldier caught up in the heat of battle, surviving on his primal instincts, away from immorality and abuse by 'putting off' the captive woman until after the battle when, hopefully, his passions will have subsided, and the morality of real life resumed. Midrashim, quoted by Rashi on the passage of yefat to’ar make it clear that, even when the soldier takes a yefat toarin a permitted manner, this is very much frowned upon by the Torah. In fact, these midrashim teach that the laws of yefat to’ar are deliberately placed adjacent to those of the ‘hated wife’ and ‘wayward and rebellious son’ in order to show the likely effect that taking a yefat to’ar will have on the family life of this weak-moralled person.”
First posted to Facebook 30 August 2020, here.
