I don't want to minimize the ethical challenges posed by halachot such as
those of the eved k'naani. However, it should be pointed out that
unfortunately we have not de facto eradicated slavery even in the 21st
century. It is not entirely clear to me that the people who make our
clothes, toys, etc in sweatshops in developing countries, or the migrant
workers who pick our produce, etc., in a global economy, are so much
better off than an old-fashioned eved k'naani. With globalization, we have
been able to put coerced and abused workers out of sight and out of mind,
but we still benefit heavily from their labour. Are we morally superior
just because we have never met the miserable people who produced many of
the manufactured and agricultural products we enjoy, or because we don't
personally own them?
I generally start a discussion of this topic by pointing out that the
ideals of freedom and equality for all are indeed compatible with (and
derived from) the Torah, but that human society has not yet been able even
to approach achieving them. Is the inequality legislated by the Torah
worse than the actual inequality that exists today in a world that
theoretically embraces "democratic values"?
- Ilana
