‘If he enters by himself, he shall leave by himself’. This verse refers to a ‘Hebrew slave’ a legal category in the Torah that refers to a situation analogous to an indentured servant. A Hebrew slave is either someone who was sold by the court to pay for theft or a fine, or someone who sold himself because of dire poverty. If he had a wife or children, his master is responsible for their upkeep, though they are not slaves. His master can also give him a non-Jewish maidservant, in order to produce children who belong to the master. It is to this practice that this verse traditionally refers. Rashi, quoting the Talmud, states that this verse means that if he didn’t have a wife when he became a slave, his master is not allowed to give him a non-Jewish maidservant. Only if he is already married is the slave permitted to engage in such a sexual liaison. This may seem to us quite an extraordinary statement, and the complete opposite of what we would expect. Surely a single man does less harm in engaging in such activities than one who is married! Yet the Torah has a different perspective. While a Hebrew slave must be freed after six years, he has the option of saying that he loves his ‘master, his wife and children’, and signing on for more. The Torah, while allowing such a situation, strongly discourages it. Such a slave is pierced in his ear as: ‘the ear that heard on Mt Sinai “the Children of Israel are My slaves” went and acquired himself another master’. The Torah is also aware, however, of the seductiveness of slavery. Witness the Jewish people’s constant hankering to return to Egypt, almost as soon as they had left. For an unattached male, the charms of a non-Jewish maidservant and his attachment to their children provide a powerful incentive to remain a slave. Only, someone that has the emotional attachment of a wife beyond the cocoon of slavery, will have the incentive to return to the risky world of freedom. This deep psychological understanding of the Torah, has much to teach us today. Most people believe our criminal justice system is failing, partly because our prisons are failing. Re-offending rates are appallingly high. Largely this is because, like the single Hebrew slave, prisoners have nothing waiting for them on the outside, except a life of crime. They have no incentive, and often little encouragement, to take the difficult road of going straight. We need to listen to the Torah and give our modern day slaves a reason to be free.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Sidra Statistics

Parshat Mishpatim

·         has 116 verses ;

·         is the 6th in Exodus, 18th in the Torah

·         5th longest in Exodus, 21st longest in the Torah

·         has 23 pos + 30 neg = 53 mitzvot.