Commentaire de citation sur Isaïe 21:16

Some say that this is why it states “Hebrew slave, [eved Ivri, literally a slave that is Hebrew],” to indicate that he is already a slave before you acquired him, because the decree of the Holy One, Blessed be He, comes first, as it is stated: For they are My servants (Leviticus 25:42). And regarding what it says, And if the slave says… — because he repeated his folly, it does not mention him with the name “Hebrew.” And the reason for six years he shall serve — some say that the standard term for a hired worker is three years, as it is said: And the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, within three years, as the years of a hired worker (Isaiah 16:14). And a double hired worker’s wage was imposed upon him because of the penalty of the double payment [for theft]. But others say this is not so, for it is said in another place: Within a year, according to the years of a hired worker (Isaiah 21:16), and its interpretation is a precise year, and this is how Rashi and the Radak interpreted the verse And the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt. And perhaps the reason is corresponding to the three thefts he committed: his master’s money, his master’s trust, and the Divine will. Corresponding to these, he works for three years, and because of the double payment penalty, another three years. And some say that this is like all the sevenths that were chosen for rest, to commemorate the creation of the world, like the Sabbath, the Sabbatical year, and the Jubilee, for every seventh is chosen for rest. And this [explanation] is more correct and reasonable to accept.

לא יקשה בעיניך, when you dismiss her from your service having given him money, etc. משנה, double שכר שכיר, the wages paid to a hired hand, (the Torah knows that you paid him 6 years’ wages in advance, and with what you are giving when he leaves he has in effect received twice what a hired hand would have received.) In recognition of how you have treated him, G’d will bless you in all your undertakings. The meaning of this paragraph is similar to the admonition of the Torah in verse 10 and the use of the term רע בעיניך occurs also in such a sense in Deut. 28,56 when the reaction of even a mother and wife to the pressures of famine are described. רועת עין, describes envy and jealousy in matters financial. The same is true of the expression קשיות הלב, being hard-hearted. Both expressions refer to the feelings of a person when he has to give of his money to others who he does not feel have a claim on his money, on his generosity. Those commentators who understand our verse as speaking of the employer feeling put out at having to release their worker and the Torah telling the employer that he had no cause for the worker had worked diligently for six years are in error. The master knew in advance that after six years the contract was complete and the worker would be free to go. What possible reason could the employer have of being jealous of that arrangement?
Furthermore, the Torah should not have written משנה שכר שכיר, but merely משנה שכיר. Some commentators take the view that the words משנה שכיר refer to the six years, seeing that the average period for which a labourer was hired used to be 3 years, so that the word משנה would refer to the fact that this labourer worked for twice that period. The idea that the standard period was three years is reflected in Isaiah 16,14 This is also senseless, seeing that in Isaiah 21,16 we are told that the average period of hire was precisely a year, no longer. It follows that the words כשני שכיר (as the years of a hired hand) mean precisely 3 years just as when he is hired for a year it means precisely a year.

And some explain "double ... the hired laborer" as six years, because the normal hired laborer works for three years, as it is written (Isa. 16:14), "In three years, fixed like the years of a hired laborer, Moab’s population will shrink." This is also nonsense, for elsewhere (Isa. 21:16), it is written, "In another year, fixed like the years of a hired laborer." And the meaning of "like the years of a hired laborer" is "three years exactly, like the years of a hired laborer, where the year is calculated exactly."