Difficult Topics - Eved K'naani
With Eved K'naani, the first thing that needs to be taught is that "avdut"
in the Torah bears absolutely no resemblance to the concept of "slavery"
that we and our students envision in our mind's eye. No whips. No
amputations. No beating.
It is ownership, and there are monetary rules which come into place in the
event of injury on the job, etc, but the concept of horrible conditions
and mistreatment is very foreign to any notion of "avdut" under Jewish
auspices. Because the person is "owned" it is not simply a job (which one
could walk away from if one were to quit), but the tasks are no different
than a live-in butler, driver, maid, etc.
Far be this the forum for raising all the relevant halachot, but the idea
that the person needs to be available for the master's needs, but must be
well-treated with all personal needs met is more inline with the concept
of avdut. And, of course, the master is endowed with the power and the
understanding that he may release the "eved" at any time, and at such
time, the eved becomes a Jew. While we are not a religion that seeks to
proselytize, this is one example where the "geirut" is a direct outcome of
a person's involvement in the community.
I have a real problem with Steve Bailey's comment
<<
I start with the assumption (based on the Rambam's understanding of the
nature of sacrifices) that some social Torah laws were legislated as
temporary edicts, specifically in contrast to the contemporary unjust and
inhumane practices of pagan cultures."
>>
if the phrase "Torah laws" refers to mitzvot.
While there are "Torah laws" which may not be practiced today due to
social norms and constraints, they can never be viewed as "temporary" and
can never be taught as "temporary." Once you open that Pandora's box to
kids, they can start thinking other "laws" are temporary and are not
binding.
Finally, once we're on the subject of difficult topics, what about :
destroying Amalek and all seven nations, why is shiluach hakein mercy when
you're taking the mother's babies, blood rituals (beyond just "offering
animals"), "peter rechem" - killing an animal just because it is a first
born, any form of capital punishment, homosexuality, tum'ah and taharah
(especially of a woman after childbirth), "lo tisna et achikha bilvavekha"
- how are you going to command my thoughts, the laws regarding whom a
kohen can't marry, modern day agunah with recalcitrant husbands, why a
kohen with a mum is exempt from working in the mishkan (this has been
dealt with extensively in this phorum), and why an animal with a mum is
unfit to be a korban, nazir (what it's for and why he/she brings a korban
chatat after the fact - huh?), why a man controls his wife's or daughter's
vows, concept of go'eil hadam after an accidental murder (imagine if the
go'eil hadam operated today, in a world in which car accidents claim so
many lives), mamzer, y'fat to'ar, ben sorer u'moreh (don't say "it never
happened and the Torah just gives it to us to learn about it..."), zaken
mamre, Deut 22:20-21 - seems these days we'd have lots of marriages
snuffed out in their early days, Deut 23:2 - unfair to eunuchs, Deut
25:11-12 - seems a very "unJewish concept", and a halachic note: why does
yom tov cancel shiva - even for people who need the cathartic time of
shiva to help cope?
Obviously, the list goes on...
I once wrote to Lookjed:
<<
It's very easy to nit-pick our way through Judaism and say it
discriminates against minors, women, men, the elderly, the deformed, the
sterile, the sexually-obscure, the homosexual, the non-Jew, the convert,
the Jew and everyone else you want to throw in the mix. God made a
religion, gave it to us, and asked we just follow the rules. We don't
like the rules? Maybe we just don't understand them because we can't
think on the level God thinks.
>>
ps. I know Rav Moshe Feinstein was once asked what to do about two fine
young yeshiva bochurs, who as it turned out, were true "mamzerim" - their
mother(s?) had been unfaithful. What should they do? They found two fine
young ladies who were looking to convert, and convinced them to become
"shifcha k'naanit" instead. The two men married the two women (they
weren't "Jewish"), and through a very nice halakhic loophole, they were
able to produce children who could convert easily and be raised in a
Jewish home. (The women were "freed" and "became Jews" post-facto.)
Avi Billet
