Hebrew Slave

Found 16 Search results

1. "Two Hebrew Servants"

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   There is a variety of differences between the slave in Mishpatim and the slave in Behar; are the two discussing the same slave? If they are, what is the significance of the differences?

2. Slavery

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   Yirmiyahu does not dwell on the damning social issues of his generation; instead he focuses on idolatry and battles against those who leave God. What, then, is the reason behind the prophecy relating to slavery? This haftara demonstrates how the social issue of slavery is a sin against God: taking slaves is a flagrant violation of the unique covenant relating to slavery, and this is the reason behind the severe punishment.

3. Eved Ivri: Two Approaches

   Prof. Jonathan Grossman | 12 minutes

   This shiur compares and contrasts the presentation of the rules of the Hebrew slave (eved ivri) here and elsewhere in the Torah. What accounts for the differences, and why are they placed where they are? One appears to be from the vantage point of the employer, and one focuses more on the perspective of the slave.

4. The Freeing of Slaves

   Rabbi David Sabato

   During the time of the Babylonian siege, the king and princes of Jerusalem decided to free all the slaves in a sweeping manner in order to alleviate the situation of the city under siege. However, as soon as the Babylonian army left Jerusalem and the siege was lifted, the motive for liberating the slaves was canceled, and the people therefore restored the slaves to their previous status.

   As opposed to the breach of the covenant in chapter 11 in which Yirmiyahu describes the violation of many many mitzvot, here only one mitzva is violated. Why were the people punished so severely for the violation of a single commandment?

5. Ending Liberty and Breaking the Covenant

   Rabbi David Sabato

6. Duplication and Contradiction

   Part 5 - Breuer's Aspects Theory

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   Rav Breuer’s fundamental insight should be seen as highlighting the Torah's tendency to express the complexity of various concepts and narratives through repetition, ambiguity, and contradiction. 

   In light of this, there is no need to appeal to the "aspects approach" when discussing the contradictions between Devarim and other parts of the Torah, for it would be unwarranted to expect that a story told from an objective standpoint would be identical to a subjective account offered by someone who was part of that story.

7. Peshat and Midrash Halakha

   Part 6 - Contradictions between Different Parshiot

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   Chazal interpret even the verses in Shemot and in Devarim, which speak of the Hebrew slave serving "forever," as meaning "until the Jubilee." This is not meant as an interpretation of the word "forever" (olam), but rather as an interpretation of the parshiot in the Torah as a whole which deal with the topic, each of which expresses an independent value or ideal, and which together must be synthesized into a single coherent instruction on the practical halakhic level. This can be viewed as a model for many instances of contradiction between peshat and midrash halakha.

8. The Casuistic Unit in Parshat Mishpatim

   Rabbi Meir Lichtenstein | Hour and 7 minutes

   Parshat Mishpatim is comprised of casuistic laws – cases which are described as though they have already occurred and laws presented accordingly. When closely examining these laws, one can notice that there is a direct link between these laws and actual occurrences in Sefer Bereishit. Through a close comparison of Shemot and Bereishit, we learn about the relationship between our moral compass and legal discourse and how it sheds light on the stories of Bereishit and our own lives.  

9. God’s Nudge

   Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

   In Parshat Yitro there were the Aseret Hadibrot, the “ten utterances” or general principles. Now in Parshat Mishpatim come the details. They begin by outlining the laws of Hebrew servant.

   Why begin here? There are 613 commandments in the Torah. Why does Mishpatim, the first law code, begin where it does?

   The Israelites have just endured slavery in Egypt. It seems that this was the necessary first experience of the Israelites as a nation. From the very start of the human story, the God of freedom sought the free worship of free human beings. It took the collective experience of the Israelites, their deep, intimate, personal, backbreaking, bitter experience of slavery – a memory they were commanded never to forget – to turn them into a people who would no longer turn their brothers and sisters into slaves, a people capable of constructing a free society, the hardest of all achievements in the human realm. 

    

   This lecture is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

   To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

10. God’s Nudge (Audio)

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | 7 minutes

    In Parshat Yitro there were the Aseret Hadibrot, the “ten utterances” or general principles. Now in Parshat Mishpatim come the details. They begin by outlining the laws of Hebrew servant.

    Why begin here? There are 613 commandments in the Torah. Why does Mishpatim, the first law code, begin where it does?

    The Israelites have just endured slavery in Egypt. It seems that this was the necessary first experience of the Israelites as a nation. From the very start of the human story, the God of freedom sought the free worship of free human beings. It took the collective experience of the Israelites, their deep, intimate, personal, backbreaking, bitter experience of slavery – a memory they were commanded never to forget – to turn them into a people who would no longer turn their brothers and sisters into slaves, a people capable of constructing a free society, the hardest of all achievements in the human realm. 

     

    This lecture is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

11. “For Judgment Belongs to God”

    Rabbi Gad Eldad

    We find a number of variable terms in the legal presentation of the laws of the Torah. Sometimes the command is addressed in the second person; at other times it is formulated in the third person. In addition, sometimes the term elohim refers to the judges, while in other instances it refers to God or to a spiritual entity. What is the nature of these differences? Through an exploration of the text we can reach a deep understanding of the laws based on these linguistic inconsistencies, and about the meaning of the term elohim as it relates to judgement. 

12. Rashbam

    Part 2

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    Foreshadowing

    One of the most important ideas that the Rashbam develops is the principle of foreshadowing. According to this principle, when the Torah notes details that appear to be disconnected, extraneous, or anachronistic, it actually provides them in order to explain an event that comes afterwards.

    It is possible to apply the principle of foreshadowing, not only to verses or fragments, but even to larger segments. For example, in the Rashbam’s introduction to Bereishit, he declares that the story of Creation interests us solely because it helps us understand the Ten Commandments.

    From explanations similar to this, it arises that the essence of the Torah is the mitzvot, while the narratives are secondary; the stories appear in order to explain the mitzvot.

    Peshat and Halakha

    In his explanations of the halakhic portion of the Torah, the Rashbam employs the same method which he applies to the narrative portion of the Torah: the explanation of the verses without any reliance on Midrashic literature. This approach is difficult to apply to mitzvot because the binding halakha is not the simple meaning of the verse, but the interpretation of the verses as the Sages explain it. The Rashbam believes that one should adopt the views of the Sages for everything that relates to practical Halakha; however, the interpretation of the peshat and the halakhic midrashim can live under the same roof. What worth does peshat have when it does not fit with Halakha? One possibility is that the peshat reflects the ideal, while the derash deals with the real.

13. Re'eh: The Strange Laws Of Jewish Slavery

    Rabbi David Fohrman |

    In this week's parsha, we are given the commandments relating to a Jew having a Jewish slave. The laws here seem strange: we give gifts to the slave? If he wants to stay, we must pierce his ear? Rabbi Fohrman goes through these oddities to show us that the Torah is reminding us of our own national slavery in Egypt.

     

    If you enjoyed this video, please visit AlephBeta.org to watch more.

14. Vayetze: Yaakov - Lavan's Hebrew Slave?

    Elisheva Brauner

15. The Parable of the Pierced Slave

    Rabbanit Dr. Michal Tikochinsky

16. Structure

    Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

    At first glance, Parashat Mishpatim appears to be a jumble of laws. In this shiur, we will attempt to uncover its underlying structure.