135 Torah Book & Portion, Book of Genesis, Vayeishev (Genesis 37:1–40:23), Source Book Keys, JHRHV GENESIS | 38:8 duty — GEN1472 In the Torah, the levirate law imputes ri... GEN1472 In the Torah, the levirate law imputes right to a widow. She has a right to marriage with her husband’s surviving brother. We can see that the right is hers, because the shift in priorities that brings the law into disuse is already underway when the biblical legislation is recorded: When marriage to her brother-in-law is not feasible, she is called upon to waive her right, with suitable symbolic acknowledgement of her entitlements Deuteronomy 25:4-10; cf [this verse]. Again, the Torah gives a female war captive the right to mourn her parents for a month before she may be married and insists that she if is espoused, it can only be as a wife, not as mere concubine. She may be divorced but not sold, “because thou has humbled her” Deuteronomy 21:10-14; Exodus 21:8. This is not the Geneva Convention, but the law of the “fair captive” is a far cry from Homeric values. The captive has rights, and shed has them by virtue of her personhood. JHRHV 60 Share Print Source KeyJHRHVVerse38:8Keyword(s)dutySource Page(s)(See end of excerpt) Switch article GENESIS | 38:1 left — GEN1471 R. Elazar said: If someone does a mitz... Previous Article GENESIS | 38:9 waste — GEN1477 Jewish tradition recognizes the right of ... Next Article