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#*#*# (C) RashiYomi Inc. 2007, Dr. Hendel, President #*#*#
    8. RASHI METHOD: DATABASES
    BRIEF EXPLANATION:Rashi makes inferences from Database queries. The precise definition of database query has been identified in modern times with the 8 operations of Sequential Query Language (SQL).
    This examples applies to Rashis Ex21-02b
    URL Reference: (c) http://www.Rashiyomi.com/ex21-02b.htm

Today we ask the query How many Biblical chapters discuss slavery? The query uncovers 3 Biblical chapters with the indicated reasons for slavery.

  • Ex21-01:06 discusses acquiring slaves If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
  • Lv25-39:43 discusses slavery arising from poverty: And if thy brother be waxen poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee, thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant.
  • Dt15-12:18 discusses a slave sold on the open market If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years; and in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

From these verses Rashi identifies two types of slaves

  • Ex22-02 identifies the possibility of selling people into slavery if they have insufficient funds to pay off a theft If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him--he shall make restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
  • Lv25-39 identifies the possibility of a person selling himself when in poverty And if thy brother be waxen poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee, thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant.

      Rashi links these two reasons for slavery with the three chapters
    • Poverty slavery is discussed in Lv25-39:43
    • Theft slavery is discussed in Ex21-01:06 and Dt15-12:18

    Sermonic points Many Americans find the Biblical passages on slavery distasteful. They ignore the fact that Biblical slavery a22resses slavery or lack of sufficient funds on the part of a thief. America has done an outstanding job in eliminating most forms of poverty. Thru an ingenious set of bankruptcy laws, loans, jobs and reallocations, most forms of poverty have been eliminated. Hence the reasons for slavery are gone and slavery would not be implemented in America. Anyone however, familiar with the way poor people are treated in countries where poverty exists would understand how slavery is paradoxically a means of redeeming a poor person from poverty. The most biting statement about the harshness of poverty is the Talmudic observation that Job was never poor for poverty outweighs all the sufferings of Job.

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