פּירוש אויף שמות 21:32

אם עבד או אמה IF [AN OX SHALL THRUST] A MANSERVANT OR A MAIDSERVANT — Canaanitish servants (Mekhilta).

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, “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.

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.