Shemot 21:7-11 שמות כ״א:ז׳-י״א

וכי ימכר איש את בתו לאמה. בקטנה הכתוב מדבר (מכילתא פ"ג), יכול אפילו הביאה סימנים, אמרת קל וחומר, ומה מכורה קודם לכן יוצאה בסימנין, כמו שכתוב ויצאה חנם אין כסף, שאנו דורשים אותו לסימני נערות, שאינה מכורה אינו דין שלא תמכר (ערכין כט:):

If a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant. This verse speaks of a minor [daughter]. One might think [that the verse applies] even if she shows signs [of puberty]. You must say [that this is not so] a fortiori: Just as one who is sold beforehand (as a minor) goes free upon showing signs [of puberty], as is written: “She goes out free, with no repayment of money,” which we expound as referring to one who shows signs of adolescence, then one who has not yet been been sold [at this age] does logic not dictate that she not be sold at all?

לא תצא כצאת העבדים. כיציאת עבדים כנענים שיוצאים בשן ועין, אבל זו לא תצא בשן ועין, אלא עובדת שש, או עד היובל, או עד שתביא סימנין, וכל הקודם קודם לחירותה, ונותן לה דמי עינה או דמי שינה, או אינו אלא לא תצא כצאת העבדים בשש וביובל, תלמוד לומר כי ימכר לך אחיך העברי או העבריה, מקיש עבריה לעברי לכל יציאותיו, מה עברי יוצא בשש וביובל, אף עבריה יוצאה בשש וביובל, ומהו לא תצא כצאת העבדים, לא תצא בראשי איברים כעבדים כנענים, יכול העברי יוצא בראשי איברים, תלמוד לומר העברי או העבריה, מקיש עברי לעבריה, מה העבריה אינה יוצאה בראשי איברים, אף הוא אינו יוצא בראשי איברים:

She shall not go out [free] in the manner of male slaves. [I.e.,] in the manner that gentile slaves go free, for they go free [for the loss] of a “tooth and an eye.” But this woman does not go free for the loss of “tooth and eye” but rather she serves for six years or until the Jubilee, or until she shows signs of puberty. Whichever [of these] comes first brings her freedom first. However, he (the master) must reimburse her for the value of her eye or the value of her tooth. Or perhaps this is not so, but rather “she shall not go free in the manner of the slaves” [means in the manner of Hebrew slaves who go free] after six years or the Jubilee year? The Torah therefore says: “If there should be sold to you your Hebrew brother or your Hebrew sister,” thereby comparing the Hebrew woman to the Hebrew man in regard to all manners of their attaining their freedom: Just as the Hebrew man goes free after six years and the Jubilee year so too the Hebrew woman goes free after six years and the Jubilee year. Then what is the meaning of לֹא תֵצֵא כְצֵאת הָעֲבָדִים? [It means:] she shall not go free [for the loss] of the ends of the limbs as do the gentile slaves. One might think that the Hebrew slave does go free for the loss of the ends of the limbs, Therefore the Torah says: “The Hebrew slave or the Hebrew maidservant,” thereby comparing the Hebrew man to the Hebrew woman: just as the Hebrew woman does not go out free for the loss of the ends of the limbs so too does he (the Hebrew man) not go free for the loss of the ends of the limbs.

אם רעה בעיני אדניה. שלא נשאה חן בעיניו לכנסה (מכילתא פ"ג):

If she is displeasing to her master. [Meaning:] she has not found favor in his eyes so that he might marry her.

אשר לא יעדה. שהיה לו ליעדה ולהכניסה לו לאשה, וכסף קנייתה הוא כסף קדושיה. וכאן רמז לך הכתוב שמצוה ביעוד, ורמז לך שאינה צריכה קדושין אחרים:

Who had not designated her as his wife. [Meaning:] that he should have designated her and should have married her. The money used for her purchase serves as the “money” for executing the marriage. Here the Torah implies that it is a mitzvah for him to marry her. It [also] indicates to you that she requires no other marriage ritual.

והפדה. יתן לה מקום להפדות ולצאת, שאף הוא מסייע בפדיונה, ומה הוא מקום שנותן לה, שמגרע מפדיונה במספר השנים שעשתה אצלו כאילו היא שכורה אצלו, כיצד, הרי שקנאה במנה ועשתה אצלו ב' שנים, אומרים לו, יודע היית שעתידה לצאת לסוף שש שנה, נמצא שקנית עבודת כל שנה ושנה בששית המנה, ועשתה אצלך ב' שנים, הרי שלישית המנה, טול שני שלישיות המנה ותצא מאצלך:

He must allow her to be redeemed. [וְהֶפְדָּהּ means:] he must give her the opportunity to be redeemed and to go free, for he, too, must aid in her redemption. And what is this opportunity that he gives to her? He deducts from her redemption price according to the number of years that she has served him, as if she had been hired by him. How is this [calculated]? If [for example] he bought her for a maneh and she has worked for him for two years, they say to him: “You were aware that she was destined to go free at the end of six years. Consequently you have bought each year’s work for one-sixth of a maneh. Now she has served you for two years. Thereby [giving you] one-third of a maneh’s [worth of service]. Take therefore two-thirds of a maneh and let her go free from your possession.”

לעם נכרי לא ימשל למכרה. שאינו רשאי למכרה לאחר, לא האדון ולא האב (קידושין יח:):

He has no power to sell her to an alien people. [Meaning:] that he may not sell her to another man — neither the master nor the father [may do so].

בבגדו בה. אם בא לבגוד בה, שלא לקיים בה מצות יעוד, וכן אביה, מאחר שבגד בה ומכרה לזה:

For he has dealt deceitfully with her. [Meaning:] if he (the master) intends to deal deceitfully with her by not fulfilling with her the mitzvah of designating her as his wife. So too the father [may not sell her again], since he has dealt deceitfully with her by selling her to this one.

ואם לבנו ייעדנה. האדון, מלמד שאף בנו קם תחתיו ליעדה אם ירצה אביו, ואינו צריך לקדושין אחרים, אלא אומר לה, הרי את מיועדת לי בכסף שקיבל אביך בדמיך:

If he has designated her as a wife for his son. [“He” refers to] the master. This teaches that the son, too, may stand in his (the master’s) place for the purpose of designating her as his wife, if his father consents, and he will not require another marriage ritual, but rather just says to her: “You are hereby designated to me as a wife for the money that your father accepted as your price.”

כמשפט הבנות. שאר כסות ועונה:

The same rights as daughters. [The rights to] food, clothing, and marital relations.

אם אחרת יקח לו. עליה:

If he takes himself another [wife] — besides her.

שארה כסותה ועונתה לא יגרע. מן האמה שייעד לו כבר:

Her sustenance, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he must not diminish — from the maidservant whom he had already designated as his wife.

שארה. מזונות (כתובות מז:):

Her sustenance. [שְׁאֵרָהּ means:] food.

כסותה. כמשמעו:

Her clothing. [כְּסוּתָהּ is translated in] its literal sense.

ענתה. תשמיש:

Her conjugal rights. [עֹנָתָהּ refers to] marital relations.

ואם שלש אלה לא יעשה לה. אם אחת משלש אלה לא יעשה לה, ומה הן השלש, ייעדנה לו, או לבנו, או יגרע מפדיונה ותצא, וזה לא יעדה לא לו, ולא לבנו, והיא לא היה בידה לפדות את עצמה:

If he does not do these three things to her If he does none of these three things to her — what are the three things [referred to here]? [they are:] 1. He should designate her as his wife, or, 2. [as the wife] of his son or, 3. he shall deduct from her redemption price and she would go out free. But this man has not designated her as a wife, neither for himself, nor for his son nor did she have the means to redeem herself, [then —]

ויצאה חנם. ריבה לה יציאה לזו יותר ממה שריבה לעבדים, ומה היא היציאה, ללמדך שתצא בסימנין, ותשהה עמו עוד עד שתביא סימנין, ואם הגיעו שש שנים קודם סימנין, כבר למדנו שתצא, שנאמר הָעִבְרִי אֹו הָעִבְרִיָּה וַעֲבָדְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים (דברים טו, יב), ומהו האמור כאן ויצאה חנם, שאם קדמו סימנים לשש שנים תצא בהן (מכילתא פ"ג), או אינו אומר שתצא אלא בבגרות (קידושין ד.), תלמוד לומר אין כסף, לרבות יציאת בגרות, ואם לא נאמרו שניהם, הייתי אומר ויצאה חנם זו בגרות, לכך נאמרו שניהם שלא ליתן פתחון פה לבעל הדין לחלוק:

she goes out free. The Torah adds a way of going free for this woman in addition to the ways provided for male slaves. And what is this [additional] way of going free? [The verse intends] to teach you that she gains her freedom by showing signs [of puberty] but she must stay with him until she demonstrates signs [of puberty]. Should the six years [of her service] arrive before her signs [of puberty] then we have already learned the she goes free, as it is said: “[If a] Hebrew man or woman [be sold to you] they shall serve you for six years, [and in the seventh year you shall set him free].” Then what is meant by what is said here: “She goes out for nothing?” That if her signs [of puberty] appear before [she completes] the six years [of service], she goes free as a result of them. Or perhaps the Torah means to say [here] that she goes free only upon reaching adulthood? The Torah therefore states: “With no repayment of money” — to add her being freed as a result of reaching adulthood. But if they were not both said I would have assumed that וְיָצְאָה חִנָּם refers to the reaching of adulthood. Therefore they are both said so as not to give an opening to one who may want to oppose [the said conclusion] to dispute it.