Friday, January 28, 2011
Mishpatim: Hebrew Slaves and their Masters
Exodus 21:1–24:18
By Moshe Sokolow
"Should you purchase a Hebrew slave [eved ivri], he shall labor for six years and go free, gratis, in the seventh." This week's portion commences with a topic that is of poignant and almost eerie pertinence in this period of upheaval caused by economic straits, when many Jews have increasingly been compelled to depend on communal and philanthropic welfare. How does a Jew become a slave? And can another Jew become a slave master?
