REDEEMING CAPTIVES
Bava Batra 8b - :‫בבא בתרא ח‬
1
The sword is worse than death... famine is worse than the sword... captivity is the worst of all...
Rambam Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 8:10 – ‫י‬:‫רמב"ם הלכות מתנות עניים ח‬
2
The ransoming of captives takes precedence over the feeding and clothing of the poor. Indeed there is no
greater religious duty than the ransoming of captives, for not only is the captive included in the category of
the hungry, the thirsty and the naked, but his very life is in jeopardy. One who turns his eyes away from
ransoming him transgresses the commandments “Do not harden your heart and shut your hand
(Deuteronomy 15:7)”, “Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbour (Leviticus 19:16)”, and “He shall not
rule
2 ruthlessly over him in your sight (Leviticus 25:53)”. Moreover, he nullifies the *positive+ commandments
“You must open your hand (Deuteronomy 15:8)”, “Let him live by your side as your kinsman (Leviticus
25:36)”, “Love your fellow as yourself (Leviticus 19:18)”, “Rescue those taken off to death (Proverbs 24:11)”,
and many other admonitions like these. [To sum up], there is no religious duty greater than the ransoming of
captives.
3
Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 252:3 – ‫ג‬:‫שולחן ערוך יורה דעה רנב‬
.‫ הוי כאילו שופך דמים‬,‫ היכא דאפשר להקדים‬,‫כל רגע שמאחר לפדות השבויים‬
Every moment of delay when the redemption of captives could be done quicker
is comparable to bloodshed.
4
Gittin 45a – .‫גיתין מה‬
‫ אין פודין את השבויין יתר על כדי דמיהן מפני תיקון העולם ואין מבריחין את השבויין מפני תיקון העולם‬:‫משנה‬
‫ איבעיא להו האי מפני תיקון העולם משום דוחקא דצבורא הוא או דילמא‬:‫רשב"ג אומר מפני תקנת השבויין גמרא‬
‫משום דלא לגרבו ולייתו טפי‬
Mishnah: We do not redeem captives for more than their worth, for the benefit of society. And we
do not help captives to escape, for the benefit of society. *But+ Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: “For
the benefit of captives *who were left behind+.” Gemara: They asked a question: what does “for the
benefit of society” mean? Is it to prevent a [monetary] burden being placed on the community, or is
it so that the kidnappers are not encouraged to do it again?
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Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 252:4 – ‫ד‬:‫שולחן ערוך יורה דעה רנב‬
‫ אבל אדם‬.‫אין פודין השבויים יותר מכדי דמיהם מפני תיקון העולם שלא יהיו האויבים מוסרים עצמם עליהם לשבותם‬
‫יכול לפדות את עצמו בכל מה שירצה וכן לת"ח או אפילו אינו ת"ח אלא שהוא תלמיד חריף ואפשר שיהיה אדם גדול‬
.‫פודים אותו בדמים מרובים‬
Captives may not be ransomed for more than their value for the sake of the social order, so that abductors
will not be encouraged to kidnap additional victims. But one may ransom himself using all the means at his
disposal. One may also offer a large ransom for a Torah sage, or even if he is not a Torah sage but just a
sharp student with the potential for greatness.
6
Tosfot Gittin 52a – .‫תוספות גיטין נב‬
‫כל ממון שפוסקין עליו – כי איכא סכנת‬
‫נפשות פודין שבויין יותר על כדי דמיהן‬
“Whatever price may be demanded” –
when the captive’s life is in danger we
offer more than his value.
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Tosfot Ketuvot 52a – .‫תוספות כתובות נב‬
‫אפילו לטעמא דלא ליגרו וליתו טפי לא תקינו שלו יוכל לפדות אדם‬
‫ והכא אשתו כגופו‬...‫את עצמו יותר מכדי דמיו‬
Even according to the security consideration, the Rabbis did not
prohibit a person from redeeming himself for more than his
worth, and a person’s wife is like himself.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaLevi Kilav, Techumim 4 (1983)
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Furthermore, it seems that nowadays, when terrorists declare their desire to kidnap and murder Jews and, in
fact, act upon these declarations without any compassion for the victims whether me, women or children,
that releasing terrorists is actual danger and is therefore forbidden. This is true even according to those who
maintain that [the prohibition] is based on “the burden imposed on the community”, since the danger [here]
is tangible and arises immediately upon their release. Added to this is the fact that they join the forces that
battle us from their countries with long range weaponry and thus represent a threat even if they don’t
actually penetrate our borders.
It therefore seems that it is forbidden to release terrorists and murderers in exchange for captives, not just an
exchange of many [terrorists for one [Jew], but even one for one, because of the future danger.
Rav Shaul Yisraeli, Chavat Binyamin, siman 16
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If a person would, for example, take out insurance with an insurance company, in exchange for a premium paid by
him, that in the event he is taken captive he will be redeemed for a large sum of money; since an obligation would
then be owed by the insurance company to the insured person, and they are merely his agents in this regard, they
are entitled and even obligated to redeem him at any cost, in accordance with their undertaking to him…
The Rabbis’ restriction against redeeming captives for greater than their value does not prevent this; because [as
we have seen] a person is allowed to redeem himself at any cost. And the State’s obligation to redeem those taken
captive in time of battle, must also be viewed in this light.
Since our soldiers have gone out to fight as servants of the State and on its behalf, in defense of the people who
dwells in Zion, there exists an unwritten (but implicitly understood) undertaking that the State will utilize all means
at its disposal (within reasonable limits which do not detrimentally affect its overall security) to redeem them in the
event that they should fall into captivity.
And because the State’s ability to do all this derives from the obligation it accepted upon itself in exchange for their
IDF service, it as if they were redeeming themselves, concerning which no limitation exists, such that
the rule of ‘not redeeming captives for more than their value’ does not apply.