[ח] מותר לעבוד בעבד כנעני בפרך. ואף על פי שהדין כך, מידת חסידות ודרכי החכמה שיהיה אדם רחמן ורודף צדק, ולא יכביד עולו על עבדו ולא יצר לו, ויאכילהו וישקהו מכל מאכלו ומכל משקהו. חכמים הראשונים היו נותנין לעבד מכל תבשיל ותבשיל שהיו אוכלין, ומקדימין מזון הבהמות והעבדים על סעודת עצמן. הרי הוא אומר "כעיני עבדים, אל יד אדוניהם--כעיני שפחה, אל יד גברתה" (תהילים קכג,ב). וכן לא יבזהו, לא ביד ולא בדברים: לעבדות מסרן הכתוב, לא לבושה. ולא ירבה עליו צעקה וכעס, אלא ידבר עימו בנחת, וישמע טענותיו. וכן מפורש בדרכי איוב הטובים שהשתבח בהן "אם אמאס--משפט עבדי, ואמתי: בריבם, עימדי. . . . הלוא בבטן, עושני עשהו; ויכוננו, ברחם אחד" (איוב לא,יג-טו).
יג ואין האכזרייות והעזות מצויה אלא בגויים הערלים. אבל זרעו של אברהם אבינו, והם ישראל שהשפיע להם הקדוש ברוך הוא טובת התורה וציוום בחוקים ומשפטים צדיקים--רחמנים הם על הכול. וכן במידותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא שציוונו להידמות בהם, הוא אומר "ורחמיו, על כל מעשיו" (תהילים קמה,ט). וכל המרחם--מרחמין עליו, שנאמר "ונתן לך רחמים וריחמך והרבך" (דברים יג,יח).
(Rambam in Hilchos Avadim 9:12-13.)
Paraphrasing: Although the Torah permits to work a slave hard, it is not proper nor is it wise to do so. A wise man is merciful and just, does not overwork his slave nor does he make him suffer. He feeds him first from every food he eats and does the same with his animals. He should also not shame him, in deeds or in words; they are servants only not to be shamed. He should not yell at him nor get too angry but treat him with respect and pay attention to his complaints. Cruelty is not a trait of the children of Avraham, but they, the Jewish people who have received the Torah and Mitzvos are merciful – they have pity on all creatures. God is such too and we have to emulate Him.
As I said I have paraphrased and I am sure the good reader will pick up all the nuances here.
When I hear people referring to their housekeepers or the ones attending on older people as “Die Shikse” or “Der Goy” "der Urel"" Die Goyte""Der Shaigetz", I cringe. Talk to some of these people employed by frum Jews, and you will hear the horror stories about how they are mistreated. They are worked to the bone, taken advantage of because they are illegal, underpaid and overworked. The Chilul Hashem that results is unforgivable. Those doing this abomination are the same who are worried about the bugs in the water and vegetables, the ones who look askance at anybody that deviates from their supposed Mesora. We are only one generation away from the horrors perpetrated to our people by the Germans and we have already become like our tormentors.
But you know Rambam was a rationalist. What did he know? He considers all men equally able to get close to God! No wonder he wants us to treat them as equals! But we do not hold like the Rambam! Anybody that is not just like us, medakdek in every Chumra, is not really human. They are less than animals! Never mind goyim, anybody that deviates and thinks differently is a Shaigetz, a Kofer and Rambam himself says we can kill them.
What has become of us?
David,
ReplyDeleteNow you sound rational;-)
.
How's this - If only some alleged segula came about from not acting with indiscriminate disdain towards goyim or if some mekubel denounced it then people would stop. The fact that its common sense or even explicit in the good book is insufficient
You see fragger - I have influenced you! You see Kabbalah in every corner! :-)
ReplyDeleteROTFL (Acronym for Roll On The Floor Laughing)
ReplyDelete.
This is a very hot subject with me. Aside from the blatant nconsistancies I just can't comprehend how children and granchildren of Holocaust survivors could be so inhumane to human dignity of indigenous peoples.
>and Rambam himself says we can kill them.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/e508.htm
יג וכן ציווה משה רבנו מפי הגבורה, לכוף את כל באי העולם לקבל כל מצוות שנצטווה נוח, וכל מי שלא קיבל, ייהרג.
DG: That's some tough talk. Good for you!
ReplyDeleteFragger -- That is exactly the reason. Most cleaning help is Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, etc., precisely the people who mistreated us in the old country. Now it is coming back to them.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if what you quoted from the Rambam applies also to avadim that were ovdei a.z.?
ReplyDeleteBTW,what is the halachah,can one have an 'eved',well lets call him nowadays,a 'servant'who is oved a.z.?
Here in Israel it's halacha lema'aseh. There are many Thais here who are ovdei a.z.
I havn't had the chance to ask the Charedim or dati'im what heter they have to employ them...
Js,
ReplyDeleteI am not an expert in Hilchos Avadim. The Thais are definitely not Avadim just employees and paid workers. Here Rambma talks about real slaves who were considered semi Jewish. Look through Hilchos avadim and you will get a picture. I don't think there are avadim nowadays although we still find teshuvot regarding in medieval times.
David,
ReplyDelete>don't think there are avadim nowadays
Mat I quote "Mi shekoneh Isha Koneh Baal Latzmo. :)
"When I hear people referring to their housekeepers or the ones attending on older people as “Die Shikse” or “Der Goy” "der Urel"" Die Goyte""Der Shaigetz", I cringe."
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. However, I do feel contrained to point out that the rambam himself refers to the goyim haareylim in this very passage as the good readers picking up nuance notice (not that he is calling them this to their face, but still, the objection is a bit odd).
"Those doing this abomination are the same who are worried about the bugs in the water and vegetables, the ones who look askance at anybody that deviates from their supposed Mesora."
My experience is that the worst treatment is not going on at the hands of this crowd by any means (many of them can't afford help!) but more by people who are loosely "heimish," or is the term "charedi lite". These are people who if they are checking and filtering, do so when it's the path of least resistance, i.e. when it becomes socially unacceptable to do otherwise and/or so prevalent in the shops in their neighborhood that it's no big deal. Not quite fair to tar the more earnest crowd with this (though I daresay a bit of mussar will do no harm).
"Fragger -- That is exactly the reason. Most cleaning help is Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, etc., precisely the people who mistreated us in the old country. Now it is coming back to them."
ReplyDeleteWhat I object to is that the same people who yell and crowd about "secular influence" seem OK with having Poles and Ukranians etc. around their houses all the time, as babysitters, nannies, etc!
"the same people"
ReplyDeletewell, some of them, though it seems pretty common.
>goyim haareylim
ReplyDeleteGood point. Do you think he was excluding the Muslims? Did he consider them more Ba'alei rachamim? I doubt it. Tzarich Iyun.