(10) The redemption of captives receives priority over sustaining the poor and providing them with clothing. [Indeed,] there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives. For a captive is among those who are hungry, thirsty, and unclothed and he is in mortal peril. If one neglects his obligation of redemption, he violates the negative commandments: "Do not harden your heart or close your hand" (Deuteronomy 15:7) , "Do not stand by when the blood of your neighbor is in danger" (Leviticus 19:16) , and "He shall not oppress him with exhausting work in your presence" (ibid. 25:53). And he has negated the observance of the positive commandments: "You shall certainly open up your hand to him" (Deuteronomy 15:8) , "And your brother shall live with you" (ibid. 19:18), "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) , "Save those who are taken for death" (Proverbs 24:11) , and many other decrees of this nature. There is no mitzvah as great as the redemption of captives.

MISHNA: Captives can not be redeemed for more than their actual monetary value, for the betterment of the world.

GEMARA: A dilemma was raised before the Sages: With regard to this expression: For the betterment of the world, is it due to the financial pressure of the community? Or perhaps so that they will not seize and bring additional captives (As in, to avoid encouraging them to specifically go after Jewish captives).

The Sages taught relating to the fate of the Jewish children after the destruction of the temple: There was an incident involving Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya who once went to the great city of Rome, where they said to him: There is a child in prison with beautiful eyes and an attractive appearance, and his curly hair is arranged in locks. Rabbi Yehoshua went and stood by the entrance to the prison. He said, as if speaking to himself: “Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers?” (Isaiah 42:24). That child answered by reciting the continuation of the verse: “Did not the Lord, He against Whom we have sinned, and in Whose ways they would not walk, neither were they obedient to His law?” Rabbi Yehoshua said: I am certain that, if given the opportunity, this child will issue halakhic rulings in Israel. He said: I take an oath by the Temple service that I will not move from here until I ransom him for whatever sum of money they set for him. They said that he did not move from there until he ransomed him for a great sum of money, and not even a few days had passed when this child then issued halakhic rulings in Israel.

[Tosfot quotes the Gemara:] "for whatever [amount of] money that they demand." [He was legally allowed to do this because where] there is a threat to life, we redeem the captives for more than their value...

When there is a threat to life we redeem captives for even more than their value...

... And there are those that ask based one the Gemara where (Rebbi Yehoshua) said I won't move from here until I redeem him for all money that is asked for him. They say he didn't move from there until he redeemed him for a large sum of money?

There are those that answer that in any case where there is life risk we redeem for any money that is able to redeem them. But this is not reasonable. For this is true of all captives. Furthermore, by a woman there is concern for illicit relations yet still we don't redeem. And even though she is like "ground of the earth," still they should be concerned.