Kiddushin, Daf Kaf Bet, Part 4
Introduction
Today s section discusses the door on which the slave s ear is bored. Again, we can see just how opposed the rabbis were to the entire institution of Hebrew slavery, and especially permanent Hebrew slavery.
ת"ר אילו נאמר אזנו בדלת הייתי אומר ידקור כנגד אזנו בדלת דלת אין אזנו לא
ואזן לא והכתיב (שמות כא, ו) ורצע אדוניו את אזנו במרצע
אלא הייתי אומר ירצענה לאזן מאבראי ויניחנה על הדלת וידקור כנגד אזנו בדלת תלמוד לומר באזנו ובדלת הא כיצד דוקר והולך עד שמגיע אצל דלת
Our Rabbis taught: His ear to the door, I would think, Let a hole be bored against his ear through the door; through the door, but not through the ear.
But not through the ear! Is it not written: and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl (Exodus 21:6).
Rather, I would have said, the ear is to be bored outside and then placed on the door and a hole bored through the door opposite the ear: Scripture says, Through his ear to the door. How so? He continues boring until he reaches the door.
The Talmud clarifies how the boring is to be done. The master is not to put a hole in the ear and then another one through the door. Rather, he puts the slave s ear up to the door and then he puts a hole in the ear until it gets to the door. Seems like a smart way of doing this!
דלת שומע אני בין עקורה בין שאינה עקורה ת"ל מזוזה מה מזוזה מעומד אף דלת נמי מעומד
The door : I would hear [from this,] whether it is removed [from its hinges] or not: therefore it is stated, the doorpost ; just as the doorpost must be standing, so must the door be standing.
The door must be standing, attached to the ground.
רבן יוחנן בן זכאי היה דורש את המקרא הזה כמין חומר מה נשתנה אזן מכל אברים שבגוף אמר הקב"ה אזן ששמעה קולי על הר סיני בשעה שאמרתי (ויקרא כה, נה) כי לי בני ישראל עבדים ולא עבדים לעבדים והלך זה וקנה אדון לעצמו ירצע
Rabban Yohanan b. Zakkai used to expound this verse as if it were a precious wreath. Why was the ear different from all the other limbs of the body? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: This ear, which heard my voice on Mount Sinai when I proclaimed, For to Me the children of Israel are slaves (Leviticus 25:55), and not slaves to slaves, and yet this [man] went and acquired a master for himself let it be bored!
The ear is singled out for punishment because God does not want people to remain slaves in perpetuity.
ור"ש ב"ר היה דורש את המקרא הזה כמין חומר מה נשתנה דלת ומזוזה מכל כלים שבבית אמר הקב"ה דלת ומזוזה שהיו עדים במצרים בשעה שפסחתי על המשקוף ועל שתי המזוזות ואמרתי כי לי בני ישראל עבדים ולא עבדים לעבדים והוצאתים מעבדות לחירות והלך זה וקנה אדון לעצמו ירצע בפניהם:
R. Shimon b. Rabbi expounded this verse as if it were a precious wreath.
Why are the door and doorpost different from all other parts of the house?
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: The door and the doorpost, which were witnesses in Egypt when I passed over the lintel and the doorposts and proclaimed, For to Me the children of Israel are slaves (Leviticus 25:55), and not slaves to slaves, and yet this [man] went and acquired a master for himself let him be bored in their presence!
The door and the doorpost are singled out as witnesses to the choice of this man to have his ear bored because they were also witnesses to the key moment in the Exodus.