Even The Jewish Slave Must Maintain His Self-Esteem

I’d like to share with you an idea that I read in a collection of shiurim from Rabbi Zvi Dov Kanatopsky.

The first Mitzvah discussed in Parshat Mishpatim is that of the Eved Ivri, a Jew who “sells” himself into “slavery.” (I use quotation marks because, as I learned with my Chumash class this week, the situation is more like this Eved Ivri signs a long term employment contract, without an exit clause.) The Torah states that if this Eved Ivri entered into service “B’Gapo” then he leaves “B’Gapo”. This is the only place in Tanach that this word “Gapo” is used. Rashi accepts the interpretation of Targum Onkelos that “B’Gapo” means alone. In other words, if the Eved Ivri came into the situation unmarried then the expectation is that he leaves unmarried as well. (He cannot marry a Jewish woman while an Eved Ivri- because husbands must be able to support their families.) Rashi suggests that the word “Gapo” is related to word “Kenaf” which means clothing. If the Eved Ivri enters service which just the coat on his back, ie alone, then he leaves that way. The other support to Rashi’s interpretation is contextual: the next verse discusses what happens should the Eved Ivri enter into service with a wife and family.

                

Rabbi Kanatposky suggests that “B’Gapo” cannot merely mean “alone, without family”; for the prefix of the letter “bet” means “with”. There is something that the Eved Ivri takes with him into service that cannot, must not be taken away.  Basing himself on the similarity to the word “Guf” (body), Rabbi Kanatopsky suggests that here “B’Gapo” means human dignity and self-worth. Even as he enters a period of service, every person is entitled to human dignity- and the Torah demands that this self-worth be protected throughout the Eved Ivri’s stay in his master’s house. This can explain a number of the specifics of the rules of a Jewish slave: that he is allowed to bring his family with him, that according to the Talmud he cannot be mistreated and must be treated well. It may also explain why the eved Ivri leaves behind his non-Jewish wife and children if he gained them while a slave. For these family members would be constant reminders of his degraded status as an Eved Ivri, and the goal of Jewish servitude is to raise a person up, not to bring him down to a permanent state of low self esteem.

                

This is an incredibly important lesson for us today. The Torah wants us to appreciate the value of each of us- and of ourselves. It is only then that we can stand proudly as servants- of Hashem, a status that we all hope to achieve.