Kommentar zu Schemot 21:32

אם עבד או אמה IF [AN OX SHALL THRUST] A MANSERVANT OR A MAIDSERVANT — Canaanitish servants (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 21:32:1).

כסף שלושים שקלים, equivalent to the monetary value set by the Torah on a woman in her prime (between 20-60) The comparison reflects the part of Torah legislation that must be observed both by Jewish women and gentile male slaves.

אם עבד, a gentile slave יגח השור, the one whose owner had been warned concerning the danger this animal represented (מועד). If the ox did not have any strikes against it but was a תם, its owner is not liable for damages.

אם עבד יגח השור או אמה, “if the ox gores a male or a female slave, etc.,” this again refers to Canaanite slaves;
כסף שלושים שקלים, “thirty silver shekels.” This is a fixed amount irrespective of the market-value of the slave in question, even if he is a pearl-stringer, or even one who is inflicted with a skin disease.

Gentile [slaves]. [Rashi knows this] because it is written, “He must give thirty silver shekalim” — whereas if it was speaking of a Hebrew slave, he would have to pay the atonement fine [see v. 30].

V. 32. Dass bei der Tötung eines Leibeigenen das Sühnegeld fixiert, während es bei Tötung eines Freien durch dessen größern oder geringern Wert bedingt ist, dürfte in tieferm Grunde liegen. Die Höhe des Sühnegeldes für einen durch ein Tier getöteten Freien wird nach dem Werte gefunden, den derselbe als Leibeigener haben würde. Es gibt keinen andern Weg, den Wert einer Menschenpersönlichkeit in einer pekuniären Größe zu fixieren, und dies ist ja auch derselbe Weg, um bei Verstümmelungen die Höhe des Schadenersatzes zu finden. Es liegt darin für den Freien keine Erniedrigung, weil es eben ein Freier ist, und dadurch die Anwendung dieses Maßstabes ihre konkrete Bedeutung verliert. Allein bei einem Leibeigenen würde die Schätzung nach dem Werte sich auf dem Boden konkretester Wirklichkeit bewegen und dürfte somit in geradem Gegensatz zu einer Bestimmung stehen, vermittelst welcher eben die Göttlichkeit der Menschenwürde aufrecht gehalten werden soll. Dafür statuiert das Gesetz lieber ein fixes Sühnegeld und zwar in der Größe der höchsten Summe der Weiheschätzung (ערך) einer weiblichen Persönlichkeit (Wajikra 27, 4), deren Stellung dem jüdischen Gesetzesheiligtume gegenüber, als zu temporären Pflichten, מצות עשה שהזמן גרמה nicht verbunden, ja auch — עבד ואמה teilen.

שלשים שקלים, “thirty shekel.” This is an arbitrary amount determined by the Torah, as clearly the value in terms of ability to perform work varies from person to person. We already have a hint of this on the first occasion when the Torah ever mentions a “slave,” in Genesis 9,25, where the Torah writes, concerning Canaan, son of Cham that he is to be a slave to slaves, and the extra word יהיה, “he will be,” is added there. The numerical value of that word is 30, as if to tell us that this is a fixed amount regardless of the physical strength of that servant.

אם עבד יגח השור, “if the ox had gored a slave, either a male of a female slave, (which had already been legally labeled as an aggressive ox) this latter point is clear without having to be spelled out, otherwise killing a slave would be rated as a more serious offense than killing a free man.

שלשים שקלים יתן HE SHALL GIVE THIRTY SHEKELS — This is the enactment of Scripture (and no reason is given) — the indemnity shall be thirty shekels whether the slave was worth a thousand zuz or was worth no more than one denar. A shekel weighs four gold coins, making half an ounce according to the correct weight of Cologne.

This is a decree of the Torah. . . It seems that Rashi is answering [a question that could arise] about what he said earlier, that “male or female slave” refers to a gentile slave. [For one could ask:] perhaps in truth it is referring to a Hebrew slave? And even though their law is the atonement fine, this verse is [not contradicting this law, but] adding a stringency onto the owner of the goring ox: if the atonement fine is greater than the 30 shekalim, he must pay the atonement fine. And if it is less, he must pay the 30 shekalim. Therefore Rashi explains that the 30 shekalim is a decree of the Torah [and applies absolutely] — so we cannot make the above distinctions regarding the 30 shekalim, [calculating which way the payment is higher], and apply these distinctions to the Hebrew slave.

כסף שלשים שקלים, the compensation payable by the ox’s owner to the owner of the slave is to be 30 shekels. This corresponds to the value of a free woman between the ages of 2060 years of age as stated in Leviticus 27,4.

והשור יסקל, “and the offending ox is to be stoned to death.” This is the only way we can be sure that it will not at some time in the future also gore a free man. Seeing that it is customary for the slaves to be looking after the master’s livestock, feed them, etc., it is not a rarity that sometimes an animal turns on its keeper. This will lead to arguments between the owner of ox and the family of the slave as to how much the dead slave was worth. In order to forestall such arguments, the Torah spelled out a fixed amount for all such situations. Seeing that the chances that a free man becomes the victim of such an ox are statistically quite insignificant, the Torah uses a different yardstick in evaluating the damage.