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A Jewish slave (Eved Ivri) is allowed to marry a non-jewish slave (Eved Kenani).

If a Jew is married to a non-jew (lets say they have children), rather than demanding that they split up or the other partner converts, may I stop the Jew's accrual of aveirot by buying the couple as my slaves?

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    Really bad idea. Among other reasons, at the moment she's doing nothing wrong by eating non-kosher, driving on shabbat, or not keeping taharat hamishpacha. All that changes if she's quasi-Jewish. And the biblical prohibition of nidda will kick in for him as well, which it currently isn't. There's a net gain, not loss, of sinning, if you do this.
    – Shalom
    Commented Dec 19, 2014 at 13:39
  • Make sure to ask your Rav before trying this.
    – DonielF
    Commented Jan 19, 2018 at 4:32

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Besides the multiple practical problems with this approach (including the fact that the woman has to agree to accept the Mitzvos or you have to sell away her within a year, at which point, why won't she just convert?), the Rambam writes (Hilchos Havadim 3:6[4]):

אין עבד עברי מותר בשפחה כנענית, עד שתהיה לו אישה ישראלית ובנים, אבל אם אין לו אישה ובנים, אין רבו מוסר לו שפחה כנענית

An Eved Ivri is only allowed a Shifcha Kenanis once he has his own Jewish wife and children. But if he doesn't have his own wife and children, his master cannot give him a Shifcha Kenanis.

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  • Selling the woman at the end of the year isn't a problem. Is the Rambams position disputed? Are there other opinions to rely on?
    – Clint Eastwood
    Commented Dec 19, 2014 at 15:52
  • @ClintEastwood, there is a Tosfos HaRosh that holds you only need one of the two and it is arguably a dispute in the Talmud, but even the Tosfos HaRosh's opinion is very minority (the Mishna LeMelech says "All the Psokim agree that children are also required"). The Mishna LeMelech himself toys with the idea that the requirement is only if the Master is forcing this slave to marry, not if the slave wants to do it (and suggests the Ritva may hold that way), but he finds the idea contradicts another passage in the Talmud.
    – Yishai
    Commented Dec 19, 2014 at 16:10
  • @ClintEastwood, By the way, I don't know where the question is addressed explicitly, but it is not at all obvious that until she accepts the Mitzvos he is allowed to give her to an Eved Ivri.
    – Yishai
    Commented Dec 19, 2014 at 16:11

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