Kiddushin, Daf Tet Zayin, Part 6

 

Introduction

Today s sugya clarifies more which type of slave receives a gift upon going free.

 

גופא אלו מעניקים להם היוצא בשנים וביובל ובמיתת אדון ואמה העבריה בסימנין אבל בורח ויוצא בגרעון כסף אין מעניקים לו

ר"מ אומר בורח אין מעניקין לו ויוצא בגרעון כסף מעניקים לו

ר"ש אומר ארבעה מעניקים להם שלשה באיש וג’ באשה ואי אתה יכול לומר ארבעה באחד מהן לפי שאין סימנין באיש ורציעה באשה

 

[To return to] main text [above:] These are the ones to whom the master must give a gift: He who is freed by years, by the Jubilee, by his master’s death, and a Hebrew maidservant [freed] by signs.

But not to a runaway, or to one who is freed by a deduction from his purchase price.

R. Meir said: They do not provide a gift to a runaway; but to one who is freed by a deduction they do provide a gift.

R. Shimon said: Four are presented with gifts, three in the case of a man, and three in the case of a woman. And you cannot say four in the case of either, because "signs" do not apply to a man, nor boring to a woman.

 

Some of this material we saw above. The new material is basically the issue of the runaway and the one who buys back his own freedom. All tannaim agree that the runaway does not receive the gift. But they disagree about the one who buys back his freedom.

 

מנה"מ דת"ר יכול לא יהו מעניקים אלא ליוצא בשש מנין לרבות יוצא ביובל ובמיתת האדון ואמה העבריה בסימנין ת"ל (דברים טו, יב) תשלחנו וכי תשלחנו

יכול שאני מרבה בורח ויוצא בגרעון כסף ת"ל וכי תשלחנו חפשי מעמך מי ששילוחו מעמך יצא בורח ויוצא בגרעון כסף שאין שילוחו מעמך

 

How do we know this? For our rabbis taught: I might think that only he who is freed by six [years] is furnished with a gift; how do I know to include one who is freed by the Jubilee or by his master’s death, and a Hebrew maidservant [freed] by signs? From the verses, You shall send him free and when you send him free (Deuteronomy 15:12). I might think that I include a runaway and one who goes out through a deduction from the purchase price Scripture says: and when you send him free from you, only he who is sent from you, excluding a runaway and one who is freed by deduction from the purchase price, whose dismissal is not from you.

 

The Torah directly states that one who goes free at the end of six years receives the gift. Through the repetition of the verse, the baraita adds the three other circumstances that according to the first opinion entail a gift from the master Jubilee, master s death and signs for a female slave.

This baraita excludes the runaway and one who buys his freedom. They are not sent away they leave on their own.

 

רמ"א בורח אין מעניקין לו דאין שילוחו מעמך אבל יוצא בגרעון כסף ששילוחו מעמך

 

R. Meir said: A runaway is not provided with a gift, since his dismissal is not from you: but one who is freed by deduction from the purchase price, whose dismissal is from you, [is given a gift].

 

To R. Meir, a runaway is not sent away and therefore does not receive a gift. But one who buys his own freedom is sent away, even though he can force this to occur. Therefore, he too receives a gift.

 

בורח השלמה בעי דתניא מנין לבורח שחייב להשלים ת"ל (שמות כא, ב) שש שנים יעבד יכול אפילו חלה ת"ל (שמות כא, ב) ובשביעית יצא

 

A runaway? But he must complete [his term]? For it was taught: How do we know that a runaway is bound to complete [his term]? Scripture says, Six years he shall serve (Exodus 21:2). I might think, even if he fell sick, Scripture says, And in the seventh he shall go out !

 

Why would we even think that a runaway receives a gift? On the contrary, he needs to complete his term of servitude. A slave must be present to work for six years. If he is sick, he still goes out in the seventh year. But not if he runs away.

 

אמר רב ששת הכא במאי עסקינן כגון שברח ופגע בו יובל מהו דתימא הואיל ואפיק ליה יובל שילוחו מעמך קרינן ביה ולא ניקנסיה ונעניק ליה קמ"ל

 

R. Sheshet said: What are we dealing with here? With one who escaped, and then the Jubilee arrived: What might I have thought, since the Jubilee sends him free, we apply to him his dismissal from you, and do not punish but furnish him with a gift. Therefore we are informed [that he does not receive a gift].

 

We might have thought that in the case where a slave runs away and then the Jubilee arrives he does get a gift, since the Jubilee would have set him free under all circumstances, and indeed, means that he does not need to complete his term of servitude. Therefore, the baraita comes to teach us that he does not receive a gift since he ran away and was not sent away by the Jubilee.