במדבר, פרק ל״א, פסוק ט״ו

The return of the Israelite warriors from the battle against Midian is marked by a brilliant military victory. Yet, rather than receiving a festive welcome, the soldiers face a sharp rebuke from their leader. Moses' anger stems from a critical error in the warriors' judgment regarding the prisoners of war. He asks them in utter astonishment how they could have possibly spared the women [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His question carries a tone of profound disbelief that they actively chose to keep them alive [העמק דבר].

The primary approach among commentators is that Moses is shocked they kept even a single woman alive, expressing total disbelief that any were spared [אבן עזרא, חזקוני, אבי עזר]. Conversely, another perspective suggests the warriors had literally kept every single woman alive without exception [אבן עזרא].

The commentators explore the root of this grave mistake. One explanation is that the soldiers simply acted out of habit. In standard conflicts, it is permissible to take women and children as spoils of war [ספורנו], and some soldiers mistakenly believed the specific laws permitting the capture of a beautiful prisoner applied here as well [חתם סופר]. A deeper explanation points to a flawed comparison the warriors made regarding the nations of Ammon and Moab. They knew that while Ammonite and Moabite men were forever forbidden from joining God's congregation, the women were permitted. This distinction was based on the assumption that the men initiated the historical hostility against the Israelites, while the women were merely coerced by their husbands and fathers. The soldiers assumed the Midianite women had similarly been forced to act against their will and therefore did not deserve a death sentence [כלי יקר].

Moses quickly dismantles these justifications, clarifying the severe reality of the situation. He reminds them that this is no ordinary war. The soldiers are intimately familiar with these specific captives, knowing them to be the direct cause of the deadly plague that recently devastated God's congregation following Balaam's advice [ספורנו, שפתי כהן]. Moses emphasizes a fundamental difference between the sins involving Moab and Midian. In the incident with Moab, the Israelite men wandered off and were lured by the local women. In stark contrast, the Midianite women were the initiators. They deliberately entered the Israelite camp and actively caused the people to sin. Because they served as the direct stumbling block, their judgment must be significantly harsher. Their fate is compared to the law requiring the death of an animal involved in a human sin, ensuring the complete removal of the spiritual hazard [כלי יקר].

In light of this, Moses is deeply appalled that the warriors spared the very individuals responsible for the tragedy. He stresses that it would have been proper to wipe out every trace and memory of the nation that brought such a devastating disaster upon the Israelites [שפתי כהן].