Commentary for Ketubot 2:9
הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁנֶּחְבְּשָׁה בִידֵי גוֹיִם עַל יְדֵי מָמוֹן, מֻתֶּרֶת לְבַעְלָהּ. עַל יְדֵי נְפָשׁוֹת, אֲסוּרָה לְבַעְלָהּ. עִיר שֶׁכְּבָשָׁהּ כַּרְכּוֹם, כָּל כֹּהֲנוֹת שֶׁנִּמְצְאוּ בְתוֹכָהּ, פְּסוּלוֹת. וְאִם יֵשׁ לָהֶן עֵדִים, אֲפִלּוּ עֶבֶד, אֲפִלּוּ שִׁפְחָה, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נֶאֱמָנִין. וְאֵין נֶאֱמָן אָדָם עַל יְדֵי עַצְמוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי זְכַרְיָה בֶן הַקַּצָּב, הַמָּעוֹן הַזֶּה, לֹא זָזָה יָדָהּ מִתּוֹךְ יָדִי מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ גוֹיִם לִירוּשָׁלַיִם וְעַד שֶׁיָּצָאוּ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אֵין אָדָם מֵעִיד עַל יְדֵי עַצְמוֹ:
If a woman were imprisoned by gentiles — if because of money, she is permitted to her husband, [for out of fear of losing their money, they will not be wanton with her. And this is so only when Israel has the upper hand over the idolators. In that instance she is permitted to her husband, even if he is a Cohein. (This instance is not similar to that of a captive woman; for in this instance they are afraid of losing their money.) But if the idolators have the upper hand, even (if she were imprisoned) because of money, she is forbidden to her husband if he is a Cohein. And if her husband is an Israelite, she is permitted in any event. For the wife of an Israelite who was forced is permitted to her husband]; if (she were imprisoned) because of "life," [having been sentenced to death], she is forbidden to her husband [even if he were an Israelite; for we fear that she may have cohabited voluntarily with one of them (to save her life).] If karkom (besiegers) captured a city, [the targum of "matzor" (siege) is "karkuma"], all women married to Cohanim, who are found therein are unfit [forbidden to the priesthood; for the wife of a Cohein is forbidden when she is forced. And if there is in the city one hiding place, where one woman could hide, each of the women of the city is believed to say: I hid in the hiding place and I was not defiled. And since she is believed to say: I hid, she is also believed to say: I did not hide, but I was not defiled.] And if there are witnesses for them — even a bondsman, even a bondswoman — they are believed. And a man is not believed (to testify) for himself. R. Zechariah b. Hakatzav said: [I swear by] "this abode!" (the Temple), "her hand did not leave my hand from the time the gentiles entered Jerusalem until they left" — whereupon they said to him: "A man does not testify for himself." [and if a man testified about a captive woman that she is clean, he may not marry her if he is a Cohein because of suspicion (of false testimony). And if he redeemed her from captivity with his money, he may testify for her and marry her; for one does not "throw away" his money for nothing. If he did not know that she was clean, he would not have given his money for her.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
Rabbi Zechariah ben Ha-katzav said: “By this temple! Her hand did not move out of my hand from the time that the non-Jews entered Jerusalem until they departed.” When a woman is imprisoned by non-Jewish authorities, there may be a fear that she had relations with one of them. According to our mishnah, if she was taken in order to collect money, the captors assumedly did not have relations with her, because they would fear that if they rape her they will not get the money they want. In this case, she is not prohibited to her husband, even if he is a priest. However, if they took her and intended to execute her, and then she somehow escapes or is let free, she is prohibited to her husband, even if he is an Israelite. The concern is that in order to endear herself to her captors, she willingly had sexual relations with them. Others explain this clause to refer only to the wife of a priest. If she was taken for monetary gain, they did not rape her and she may return to her priestly husband. However, if she was seized for execution, the captors would not hesitate to rape her and she is forbidden to her husband the priest. According to this explanation, there is no concern that she willingly had relations with her captor(s) and therefore, if her husband was an Israelite she is in all cases permitted to him.
Bartenura on Mishnah Ketubot
English Explanation of Mishnah Ketubot
They said to him: “No one may testify concerning himself.” If a city has been captured by foreign soldiers, there is concern that the women of the city were raped. Therefore, all of the women married to priests are forbidden to their husbands. However, if a woman has a witness who can testify that she was not raped, even if that witness is a slave or a female slave, the witness is believed and the woman is not prohibited to her husband. What is not allowed, is for a woman to testify about herself or for a husband to testify about his own wife. This is illustrated by the story of Rabbi Zechariah ben Hakatzav, who swore an oath by the Temple that his wife was with him the entire time that the city was occupied by the foreign troops. The other Sages responded to him that a person cannot testify about himself, and since this testimony effects him personally, he is not believed. The Talmud notes that if in the city there was a hiding place, all of the women are permitted to their priestly husbands, even if the hiding place could only fit one person. This is because each woman could claim that she was in the hiding place. Therefore, even if she says is “I wasn’t raped” she is believed because she could have said, “I hid”.