Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Deuteronomio 15:18

חנם, “by himself.” If the servant took sick during the period of his (forced) employment the employer cannot demand to be reimbursed for working hours lost, nor can he demand to be reimbursed for medical treatment for which the employer laid out the money. In short, the word חנם means that no money will change hands at the time this servant leaves the employ of his master (Mechilta). This rule applies provided that the servant was not sick for more than three years out of the six. If he was sick for three years or more, he has to make up time lost by working it off. This is based on Isaiah 16,14: “in three years, fixed like the years of a hired hand.” Seeing that this servant has been compared to a “hired hand” in Leviticus 25,40 it follows that the minimum amount of service he must render is three years (compare also Tosafot Kidushin 17A.).

ויצאה אשתו עמו, “his wife will leave that master’s employment with him (at the same time). Rashi asks correctly, granted that we have been told that his wife leaves with him, but where did we hear that this applies to his children? As an answer he cites the Talmud, tractate Kiddushin folio 22, that we learn from this verse that the master of the servant of which the Torah speaks here is obligated to look after the servant’s wife’s and family’s needs, if he had such when he was sold to him. Whereas it is clear that the master has to look after such a servants’ wife, it does not appear clear from the text that he is also obligated to look after the children of such a servant. We need to find a nuance in the text that would support this contention. Our author therefore suggests that this can be found in Leviticus 25,41, where the subject is someone who was forced to sell his labour as he had fallen on hard times, debts, etc; the Torah there states that the “master” must release both him and his family in the Jubilee year, showing that there is an unnecessary word. The word שכיר appears both in Leviticus and that same word appears again in Deut. 15,18. The scholars that do not accept this g’zeyrah shaveh as something that is traditional, but simply consider (Talmud Kiddushin there) the phrasing of the verse as sufficient.

אל האלהים means to court. The view holding that even the ear of a self-sold slave may be pierced would still agree that this verse of “bring him next to the door. . .” speaks of a slave sold by the court for his theft — since all agree that the verse “If you buy a Hebrew slave” speaks of a slave sold by the court for theft. Piercing a self-sold slave’s ear is learned from a gezeirah shavah between the word שכיר , “hireling” (Devarim 15:18), and שכיר (Vayikra 25:50). The reason a self-sold slave’s ear is pierced is because [his ear heard Hashem say,] “For to Me are the B’nei Yisrael servants.” (Re’m)

and with them were Elishama and Jehoram, the priests because it is incumbent upon the priests and the Levites to teach and to instruct, as it is written (Deut. 24:8): “in accordance with everything the priests, the Levites teach you.” The officers went with them because they [the people] would not disobey their orders, and [the officers went] to coerce them [the people] to heed them [the priests] and to observe [and] to do in accordance with the order of the judges. An example (ibid. 15:18): “Judges and law-enforcing officials shall you appoint for yourself”: Judges to judge the people, and law-enforcing officials to coerce them to comply with the orders of the judges.

though you have it with you what to give to him. But our Sages explained: “Go and return” regarding the wages of a hireling.