Questions tagged [slave-serve-eved-avadim]
Use for questions about the practice of slavery in Judaism, including when a person is considered a slave, the obligations of slaves and slave owners, and laws regarding the practice or regulation of slavery.
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why is a half `Eved` not freed automatically
The Mishnah in Gittin debates a situation of a slave (Eved Cna'ani) of two masters that one of the masters frees him, this turns him into a half freed man (and Jewish) and half slave (and not Jewish?!...
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Who fasted with Ester?
The Bavli, M'gila, says that the seven servants that Ester had while in Hegay's harem were שהיתה מונה בהן ימי שבת, used by Ester to count the days of the week. Rashi explains שהיתה משרתת לה אחת באחד ...
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Why an עבד עברי's ear is awled
Rashi comments on שמות כא,ו, quoting the מכילתא and קידושין דף כב עמוד ב, that an עבד עברי who was sold into slavery due to stealing has a hole put in his ear for not listening to לא תגנוב and one in ...
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Backlash from ownership of all the land/people?
The simple reading of the Torah text implies that, through Joseph's leadership, in exchange for the grain, Egypt/Pharoah came to own all the land all over the world and the people were indentured to ...
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Can a non-Jewish slave convert and exit slavery this way?
Once entered into slavery, they have a semi-conversion whereupon they must keep a certain set of limited rules. Can they choose to fully convert and then be freed at the appropriate time of Shmita and ...
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Do convert slaves and Jewish slaves get released at the same time?
If a slave had converted prior to being acquired, do they also get released on Shmita and the Jubilee year?
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What's the essence of the root עבד
The root עבד is often used as a verb in context of doing work, of service (doing work for someone), worship (doing work for a god). The noun (avodah) is used likewise. The related word עבד (eved) is ...
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Is a maidservant required to be 'moseret nefesh' for her master?
In Sefer Bereshit, 30:3-13 the maidservants of both Rochel and Leah are given to Yaacov in their stead to build Yaacov's house through bearing additional children. Since the text states that any ...
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Eved: why does it refer to both a slave and a servant?
What's the different between a slave and a servant, and why are both being refered to in the Tenach as 'eved' (both are being used to translate 'eved').
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Does an eved canaani who is freed due to physical injury become a full fledged Jew?
If an eved canaani is freed due to physical injury inflicted by his owner, does he become a full fledged Jew as he would if he were freed by his owner for another reason?
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Are we children or servants of HaShem?
HaShem teaches us to serve Him (Shemot 23:25), because we're His servants (Vayikra 25:42, 25:55), HaShem also teaches that we're His children (Devarim 14:1).
There is a long explanation about these ...
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Why does the torah on injured slaves call out eyes and teeth but not other damages?
In Parshat Mishpatim (Sh'mot 21:24-25) the torah tells us that if a man injuries another person he owes compensation: eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, and so on (listing ...
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When does an Eved Knani become bar mitzvah?
When does an Eved Knani become bar mitzvah, at age 12 like a woman or 13 like a man?
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Ear Piercing of Jewish slave that wants to stay a slave a mum?
I heard in a daf yomi shiur (on kedushin 21b) that a koen can not want to stay a slave (one opinion says it is because he the Ear Piercing will make him have a mum
What Ear Piercing makes a mum?
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How did Israel's slavery in Mitzrayim begin?
When Yosef is about to die he tells his brothers that God will surely remember them and bring them up out of Mitzrayim (Bereishit 50:24-25). This suggests that they were already not free to leave (...
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What would a slave say in the birchot hashachar?
Given that women replace shelo asani isha with she'asani kirtzono, is there any halacha on what a Jewish slave would say for shelo asani eved? Also, would a slave need to be need to be acquired & ...
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Yosef sold into prostitution
I remember hearing of a source that states that Yosef was sold into prostitution, or some other form of sexual slavery, by his brothers, and not just plain slavery as is commonly assumed. Does such a ...
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In the story about Eliezer searching for a wife for Yitzchak, why does the Torah alternate terminology about him between "slave" and "man"?
In viewing the story in Breishit 24, regarding Eliezer searching for a wife for Yitzchak, we see that the Torah first calls him עבד - slave (starting from the point that Eliezer leaves Avraham's home) ...
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Is a pilegesh the same as a handmaiden?
I'm confused as to whether what the actual relationship to a man a pilegesh actually has in Jewish Law. I've seen conflicting sources: (1) Hebrew school taught a pilegesh is a secondary wife (...
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Does a husband have to maintain his wife's bondwomen?
A mishna on Ketubot 59b lists the household tasks a husband may demand of his wife (grinding corn, baking bread, washing his clothes, etc). It then goes on to say that if she brought a bondwoman (...
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Why does the Hagadda talk about our being slaves now and free next year in Israel?
Why does the paragraph that introduces the pesach hagada ("This is the bread of affliction") talk about our being slaves now and free next year, in Israel? If it is speaking literally, what location ...
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Is Esther's comment in Esther 7:4 a reference to one of the curses in Devarim 28:68?
In Esther 7:4, Esther says that had the Jews been sold for slaves and maidservants, she would have been silent.
Devarim 28:68 says that we would be shipped to Egypt, and we would try to sell ...
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Does a maidservant have the right to refuse marriage to her master or his son when the time for it comes?
We learn from Mishpatim that a father can sell his daughter into the service of a master. This master then designates her as a future bride for himself or his son.
At what age is the maidservant ...
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The Ear That Heard "Don't Steal"
Rashi to Exodus 21:6 quotes the Mechilta which connects the drilling of the ear of the slave to hearing "don't steal" at Sinai. The obvious question asked by the Moshav Z'keinim (there) is that Rashi ...
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Why didn't the Israelites fight against being enslaved?
In Parashat Shemot, the pasuk says
וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶל-עַמּוֹ: הִנֵּה, עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--רַב וְעָצוּם, מִמֶּנּוּ
Pharaoh was, for whatever reason, worried that the Israelites had become more ...
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Objective reasoning beyond feelings [closed]
I was learning recently Tosefos in Avodah Zarah and I came to the statement from Kidushin (20a)
ניזבין אינש ברתיה ולא ניזיף בריביתא. מאי טעמא? ברתיה מגרעא ונפקא, והא מוספא ואזלא
A person should ...
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Enslavement to mekarev the intermarried
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 ...
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Can one buy a slave nowadays?
Assuming that there's no legal issues (like the slave doesn't mind, or doesn't know that he can run away), can one buy a slave nowadays in America to have the laws of an Eved Kenaani?
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May I temporarily enslave myself, to avoid missing a positive time-bound commandment?
If I know I will be unable to do a positive time-bound commandment, may I sell myself to another Jew until the obligation passes?
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How can an 'Eved own an 'Eved?
Yevamoth 66a discusses certain rules pertaining to ownership and legal rights that can be passed down or up the chain of ownership (eg., whether an 'Eved - slave - owned by the wife of a Kohen may eat ...
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Why is Yaakov calling Esau "Master"?
It is stated in this weeks Parsha, Parshas Vayishlach 32:5:
That he commanded them, saying, "This is what you should say to my
master to Esau, 'this is what is what your servant Yaakov said, "I
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Why is the name of Eliezer often missing?
Very often in the Torah Eliezer's proper name is omitted when he is discussed. Examples include the story of finding a wife for Yitzhak where he is referred to as eved or ish, his accompanying Avraham ...
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Were Jews enslaved by Egypt or instead corvee labor?
Richard A. Gabriel has a military interpretation of the Exodus.
A key part of his analysis is that
Avadeem is not the word for slave, it is the word for “worker” or even servant.
If this is true,...
user6800
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Rav Hirsch and Black Slavery
I once saw Rav Hirsch make a passing reference to black slavery in America in his Collected Writings, but no longer remember where. Does anyone know where this might be?
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Eved Knani versus a Woman
In terms of obligation in mitzvos, what is the difference between an Eved Knani and a woman? And if they are the same, why do we have two separate brachos for each in the morning prayers?
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Haman servant of Mordechai: text of document
The gemara in Megillah 15 writes that Mordechai acquired Haman for a piece of bread. Rashi writes:
וזה בא בפרוזבולי - מרדכי בא אליו בטענת עושר המן בא בטענת עוני שמכר המן את עצמו למרדכי קודם לכן ...
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In Moses' time, would freeing a slave be harmful to the slave?
Exodus 21:26 is about letting a (Canaanite - Rashi) slave go free if they are injured by their owner. This appears to be a good thing, but I'm also wondering if it would be detrimental to a slave to ...
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Second and third person at beginning of Mishpatim
The start of Mishpatim (Exodus 21:2-6) discusses the Hebrew slave. It starts with "Ki sikneh eved ivri" - "When you will buy a Hebrew slave", referring to the master in the second person. The ...
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Slavery, the Beautiful Captive, and Conversion [closed]
If I have a non-Jewish girlfriend and she has no interest in running through the hoops of an orthodox conversion, may I buy her as a slave and then free her, rendering her Jewish? Obviously, the ...
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The status of Eliezer as a slave
I am going to piece together a variety of bits of information, so please bear with me.
Eliezer was in charge of Avraham's house already before Avraham had his name changed (Bereishit 15:2)
Eliezer ...
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How is it permissible for a Jewish slave to marry a Canaanite slavewoman?
In Shemot, chapter 21 verse 4, we learn that a master can give his Jewish slave a Canaanite slavewoman to bear the master slave children:
If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or ...
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Why is a Jewish slave called an Eved Ivri and not Eved Israeli? [closed]
Why throughout Judaism (starting from Parashat Mishpotim - Shemos 21:2 a Jewish slave is called Eved Ivri כִּי תִקְנֶה עֶבֶד עִבְרִי?
Why does it not call him an Eved Yisroeli, instead? The last ...
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Understanding the servants' hard/soft hearts
In Parshas Bo (10:1) we read that God hardened the hearts of Pharaoh's servants:
כִּי אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת לִבּוֹ וְאֶת לֵב עֲבָדָיו.
The Ohr HaChaim explains that this is so that the servants ...
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Didn’t the Ishmaelites know they were buying their second cousin?
In studying bereishis I have come up with questions about Joseph and his brothers that have long bothered me. One question is in parsha vayeshev, where we read how Joseph was sold by his brothers to ...
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Mamzeirim and Slaves
If Reuben's sister, Hanna, is a slave and she and Reuben have sexual intercourse, are their children slaves or mamzeirim?
Acc. to the Mishna in Yevamot 4:12-13, the offspring of a forbidden
union,...
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Was Tevi a slave at death or not?
The gemarah (bava kama 74b) indicates that Rebbi Gamliel's slave, Tevi was given his freedom after his master blinded him in one eye. However, the gemarah elsewhere (Brachos 16b) indicates that Rebbi ...
user1668
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Are non-Jews/gentiles permanent slaves to Jews in Olam Habah?
Are non-Jews permanent slaves to Jews in the world to come? I'll post the source text once I find it, or if someone can edit this and post the source for me. I believe it's in the Talmud, but not sure ...
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Would Esther really have kept silent?
In Esther 7:4 we read
וְאִלּוּ לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת נִמְכַּרְנוּ, הֶחֱרַשְׁתִּי--כִּי אֵין הַצָּר שֹׁוֶה, בְּנֵזֶק הַמֶּלֶךְ ...
... But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held ...
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Slavery in halacha today
Are all/any the halachos of slavery still in effect today? For example:
If a destitute Jewish person stole and did not have the money to repay, could a modern beis did sell him/her as a slave?
If a ...
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