Commentaire sur Le Deutéronome 24:14

לא תעשק שכיר THOU SHALT NOT WRONG ANY HIRED SERVANT — But has not this already been stated in Leviticus 19:13? But it is repeated here to make one transgress in respect of the hired, servant who is poor (i.e., if he wrongs such a person) two negative commands, for the meaning of the text here is: thou shalt not suppress the wages of an hired servant who is poor and needy. (The meaning is not: thou shalt not wrong a hired servant, the poor and the needy). As to the well-to-do hired servant one has already been prohibited to wrong him (Leviticus 19:13): “thou shalt not wrong thy neighbour” (Bava Metzia 61a).

THOU SHALT NOT WRONG A HIRED SERVANT THAT IS POOR AND NEEDY. Scripture is speaking of the common occurrence, for the poor, the needy, and strangers hire themselves out [for wages, but the law applies to all workers]. Similarly, If thou lend money to any of My people that is poor by thee³⁵⁷Exodus 22:4. and so also, it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow,³⁵⁸Further, Verse 19. because they are generally poor. Likewise in many places Scripture speaks of common occurrence, such as, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn³⁵⁹Ibid., 25:4. [which applies equally to all domestic and wild animals as well as birds]; Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together³⁶⁰Above, 22:10. [which also applies to any two different species]. And in the Sifre the Rabbis have said:³⁶¹Sifre, Ki Theitzei 278. “If so, why is it stated here poor and needy [when the law applies to all workers]? It is because I hasten to punish when the poor and needy are involved more than any other people.” They also interpreted: “Whether he be of thy strangers [in Verse 14 before us] — this refers to a righteous proselyte, so that he who wrongs him [in his hire] transgresses two prohibitions” [since he is also of thy brethren].

לא תעשוק שכר עני ואביון, “You must not oppress a poor or destitute hired hand by withholding his wages unduly;” the legislation, of course, also applies to labourers who are comfortably off, but the Torah chooses as its examples the ones most likely as being the victims of such practices. Poor men and proselytes are the ones most likely hiring themselves out. Rashi explains that when advantage is taken of a poor man, then the employer has transgressed two prohibitions, hence the words עני as well as אביון, different degrees of poverty and need.