Cytowanie Komentarza do Przysłów 27:20

She shall not go out as the male slaves go out. Like slaves who go out for a tooth and an eye, rather she works for six years, or until the Jubilee year, or until she brings signs [of puberty]. At first glance, it seems appropriate to give a reason for all these matters of freedom regarding a Hebrew slave, a Hebrew maidservant, or a Canaanite slave, because any Canaanite who has not been illuminated by the light of the Torah has no other purpose except to deal in silver and gold, to amass grain like the sand of the sea, and to acquire wealth. For this reason, he makes himself like a donkey bearing a burden, and he is a slave with a pierced ear to his monetary possessions all his days forever. With that accumulated wealth, he has no other purpose except to feed his teeth and his eyes.
His teeth and body, how so? Through his wealth, he obtains all kinds of food that enter through the mouth and grinders [teeth]. As long as his grinding teeth are strong and healthy, he imagines that just as they are strong now, so they will continue to be, grinding all food without ceasing, until they are worn out from eating and the grinders cease because they become few (Ecclesiastes 12:3). But before this happens, he is forever standing under this yoke of slavery. And when he comes into old age and can no longer taste any food with pleasure, then he ceases and becomes a free man, for why should he labor for the wind? As Barzillai the Gileadite said (Second Samuel 19:36): I am now 80 years old. Can I still taste what I eat?
His eyes, how so? Sometimes, and more often than not, there is a person who gathers for all the camps more than necessary for his food and other needs, and this is in order to feed his eyes, as it is written (Proverbs 27:20): The eyes of man are never satisfied, and it is written: What advantage has the owner except to look at it with his eyes? (Ecclesiastes 5:10). As long as his eyes are in his head, he will never be satisfied and has no freedom at all. But when he grows old and his eyes dim from seeing, and those that look through the windows grow dark, then he will be satisfied from his soul’s toil, for whom is he laboring if his eyes are dim and the grinders have ceased?
And as long as both [eyes and teeth] are at their full strength, he jumps from one food to another and pours from this to that, as explained in our work Ollelot Ephraim in the discourse about Hormiz bar Lilita who would pour from one [vessel] to another. Therefore, the Torah gives freedom to a Canaanite slave when a tooth or eye is knocked out, measure for measure, because this is the freedom that he too would choose from his soul’s toil, for he too only stops chasing after vanity when his tooth and eye cease functioning.

Furthermore, what you need to know is that the evil inclination is compared to a fly (Berakhot 61), as I explained above in Parshat Bereishit regarding the verse sin crouches at the door (Genesis 4:7). For typically, a fly does not settle on the intact flesh of a person, as it lacks the strength in its mouth to create a new opening in healthy flesh. Therefore, the fly settles between the lips where it finds a slightly open entrance — there it will settle to widen the wound’s opening. Similarly, the evil inclination does not engage with the completely righteous person who has not at all breached their boundaries nor opened any entrance for sin and impurity. With the person who is perfect in all their deeds, it has no connection or business, as it cannot overcome them at all. However, when a person themselves opens even a small entrance and breaches their boundaries even with a minor transgression, then immediately the evil inclination engages with them saying “surely you are my flesh and bone,” and then it will escalate from minor transgressions to severe ones, striving to widen the breach until violence rises beyond remedy, breaking down their fence leaving them trampled (Isaiah 5:5). Similarly, this angel Samael, the guardian angel of Esau, upon seeing Jacob’s dealings with Esau which depend on Torah observance as it is written and it shall be when you break free…. Now, as long as no iniquity was seen in Jacob at all, it did not engage with him to completely blind his intellectual eyes. But when it saw that Jacob slightly breached his boundaries with this departure — for God had blessed him and given him everything including great wealth, possessions, and honor — and Jacob stepped slightly beyond the boundary of contentment, and Jacob remained alone [some say “for his jug”], in a dangerous place, for night is the time when all harmful forces gather, and he remained alone at night for small jars, forsaking lofty and elevated matters, and for something insignificant held in contempt he remained alone in a dangerous place. Then Samael said “Aha! I have found my iniquity!” Since Jacob began with corruption and made himself somewhat blind to his situation — for who is as blind as those who love money, about whom it is said the eyes of man are never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20). Then Samael said “Now is the time to draw near and embrace him, and I will add impurity to fill his eyes with dust and dirt so that he will be completely blind, even with his intellectual eye.” This is what is meant by and Jacob remained alone — when he crossed the boundary of contentment and remained alone/for his jug, he was truly alone because his reasoning was negated by that of all others. For who would be foolish enough to endanger themselves for such an insignificant matter? This can only be a deluded heart that has turned from the path of the upright to so cherish money which causes one to forget God above, as it is written and when your silver and gold multiply… your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:13).