2,216. A Woman Who Was Taken Captive

Hilchos Issurei Biah 18:17

If a woman is taken captive and ransomed when she’s three years of age or older, she is prohibited to marry a kohein because there’s a doubt as to whether or not she’s a halachic zonah from a non-Jewish captor taking advantage of her. If there’s a witness that no non-Jewish captor was alone with her, she is permitted to marry a kohein; this witness can even be a male servant, a female servant or a relative. If two women were taken captive, they are even accepted to give testimony about one another. Since all the prohibitions regarding these doubts are of rabbinic origin, they ruled leniently when it comes to a captive woman.

Hilchos Issurei Biah 18:18

It is also acceptable testimony if a minor mentions in the course of conversation (that a captive woman was not molested). It once happened that a child was captured together with his mother. In the course of conversation, he mentioned that he and his mother were captured by non-Jews and that he continued to pay attention to his mother even when he went out to draw water or to gather wood. The Sages permitted this woman to marry a kohein because of her son’s words.