Kiddushin, Daf Yod Zayin, Part 5

Introduction

This section continues to explicate the baraita about inheriting a slave.

אמה העבריה אינה עובדת לא את הבן ולא את הבת :

מנהני מילי אמר רבי פדא דאמר קרא (דברים טו, יז) ואף לאמתך תעשה כן הקישה הכתוב לנרצע מה נרצע אינו עובד לא את הבן ולא את הבת אף אמה העבריה אינה עובדת לא את הבן ולא את הבת

A Hebrew female slave serves neither son nor daughter. From where do we know this? R. Papa said: Because the verse says, [You shall take an awl and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall become your slave in perpetuity.] Do the same with your female slave (Deuteronomy 15:17) the verse compared her to one who is bored. Just as one who is bored serves neither son nor daughter, so a Hebrew female slave serves neither son nor daughter.

Deuteronomy 15:17 compares a slave who had his ear bored (meaning he wanted to continue to serve his master) with a female slave. Just as the former does not work for the son or daughter (we will learn this below) so too a female slave does not.

והאי לאמתך תעשה כן להכי הוא דאתא הא מיבעי ליה לכדתניא ואף לאמתך תעשה כן להעניק אתה אומר להעניק או אינו אלא לרציעה כשהוא אומר (שמות כא, ה) ואם אמר יאמר העבד ולא אמה העבריה הרי רציעה אמור הא מה אני מקיים ואף לאמתך תעשה כן להעניק

Now this [verse,] Do the same with your female slave does it come to teach this? Is it not necessary for what was taught: Do the same with your female slave, grant [her] a gift. You say, grant her a gift or perhaps is it said in respect to boring? When it is stated: But if the slave says and not the female slave this refers to boring. How then do I fulfill Do the same with your female slave this refers to granting a gift?

The verse in Deuteronomy teaches that a male and female slave are treated the same, whereas the verse in Exodus is read as distinguishing between the two. So in what way are they the same and how are they different?

Both types of slaves are granted a gift when going free. But only a male slave can extend his servitude by having his ear bored. A female slave has no such option.

The problem the Talmud has is that this verse, Do the same with your female slave is used twice, once to teach that she receives a gift and once to teach that she does not serve the master s son.

א"כ נכתוב קרא לאמתך כן מאי תעשה שמעת מינה תרתי :

If so, the verse should write, and to your female slave why state, Do ? Learn from this both.

The word do is extra, thus allowing us to read both halakhot into the verse.