When waging war against our enemies, the Torah warns that we may be tempted by the lovely non-Jewish female captives. Afraid that our evil inclination will get the better of us, the Torah gives specific instructions for how to make this woman permissible. The assumption is that he will get sick of her, realize his mistake, and send her away.
The Torah tells us, though, that when you send her away, you cannot sell her as a slave. You cannot mistreat her because you have pained her.
What pain are we talking about? One would imagine it’s the pain of being taken from her family, having her hair shorn, forced to wear raggedy clothing, and so on. But no, that’s not it, says R’ Zalman Sorotzkin in Oznaim LaTorah.
He posits that she had something that really hurt. She spent a month in a Jewish home. She experienced the beauty and serenity of a Shabbos, perhaps the joy of a Yom Tov. She saw how the husband and wife conducted themselves and respected each other. She heard the children honoring their parents, and saw how this family lived a life of purpose.
Each day, she grew more and more enamored with how beautiful and pleasurable it is to lead a Jewish life. Soon it would be her lot, too! But no. It is not to be. We tell her, this is not for you. You must leave. THAT is the pain she endures, and it is for this reason we cannot mistreat her.
We who were blessed to be born Jewish, to have these commandments and practices that fill our lives with meaning, should take a lesson from this woman and grow to appreciate what we have. It is something that were it to be taken away should cause us to cry out in suffering. Let’s thank G-d that it was given to us for keeps.
