דברים, פרק כ״ג, פסוק י״ח

The Torah demands a standard of moral purity that stands in stark contrast to the cultures of neighboring nations, completely rejecting institutions of sexual promiscuity. In the ancient world, pagan worshippers frequently dedicated their bodies to ritual prostitution to honor their idols. To prevent such practices from infiltrating the Israelite faith, the Torah uproots them entirely [שד״ל, שטיינזלץ]. The Hebrew terms used for these individuals stem from a root meaning preparation, invitation, and absolute devotion to a specific purpose [רש״י, רמב״ן]. Commentators note a profound irony in this terminology. While the concept of holiness typically represents a separation from immorality and a dedication to moral good, the same root is used here to describe an absolute devotion to moral evil, impurity, and the desecration of the Israelite character [רמב״ן, רש״ר הירש, ברכת אשר].

The primary approach among commentators is that the female figure mentioned is a promiscuous woman who makes herself available to any passerby. Regarding the male counterpart, there are two distinct perspectives. One view maintains that this refers to a man available for homosexual acts [רש״י, אבן עזרא, הטור הארוך, תורה תמימה]. This is explained by the physical reality that while a man cannot be physically prepared at all times for a woman, he can always be passively available to another man [גור אריה]. Conversely, another approach understands this as a man who abandons himself to promiscuity by constantly pursuing unmarried women outside the bounds of formal marriage [רשב״ם, רלב״ג, בכור שור].

While private acts of immorality are addressed elsewhere, this specific injunction serves as a directive for public leadership and the courts. The mandate requires them to actively prevent the establishment of public institutions of prostitution. They must not allow women to sit at crossroads to seduce travelers, nor permit men to stand in the streets with covered faces for abominable purposes, as was the custom in foreign lands like Egypt [רמב״ן, שד״ל, הטור הארוך, ביאור יש״ר]. The emphasis on eradicating this from among the men and women of Israel places the responsibility squarely on the courts to cleanse their society from within [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם].

Another layer of interpretation broadens this prohibition to include marriages between Israelites and slaves or maidservants. According to this approach, an Israelite woman is forbidden to marry a slave, and an Israelite man cannot marry a maidservant [רש״י, העמק דבר, מזרחי]. Because there is no legal validity to a marriage with them, living together is considered a permanent state of promiscuity. The placement of this law immediately following the laws of slaves serves as a deliberate hint to this connection [אבן עזרא, קיצור בעל הטורים, חזקוני].

Beyond the societal impact, these actions carry deep spiritual consequences. Intimacy between a husband and wife in a state of holiness draws abundance and blessing into the world. In contrast, connecting with a prostitute diverts that spiritual abundance toward forces of impurity [שפתי כהן]. This impurity is so tangible that it leaves a lasting mark even on the physical objects involved. This explains the immediate prohibition against bringing a prostitute's wages into the House of God; the act of the sin stamps its impurity onto the money itself, demonstrating how one sin inevitably leads to another [אלשיך].