ואלה המשפטים. כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֵלֶּה" פָּסַל אֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, "וְאֵלֶּה" מוֹסִיף עַל הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, מָה הָרִאשׁוֹנִים מִסִּינַי, אַף אֵלּוּ מִסִּינַי;
ואלה המשפטים NOW THESE ARE THE JUDGMENTS — Wherever אלה, “these are”, is used it cuts off (פוסל) the preceding section from that which it introduces; where, however, ואלה “and these” is used it adds something to the former subject (i. e. forms a continuation of it). So also here: “And these are the judgments (i. e. these, also)”: What is the case with the former commandments (the עשרת הדברות)? They were given at Sinai! So these, too, were given at Sinai! (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 21:1:1; Shemot Rabbah 30:3; cf. also Midrash Tanchuma, Mishpatim 3)
What is implied? When a person steals and does not have the resources to repay the principal, the court sells him, as we have explained in Hilchot Geneivah.
No other Jewish person is sold by the court, except a thief. Concerning such a thief sold by the court Exodus 21:2 states: "When you acquire a Hebrew servant." And concerning this person, Deuteronomy 15:12 states: "When your Jewish brother will be sold to you."
To what does the term "a person who sells himself" refer? When a Jew becomes sorely impoverished, the Torah gives him permission to sell himself as a servant, as Leviticus 25:39 states: "When your brother will become impoverished and be sold to you."
A person is not allowed to sell himself as a servant and stash away the money, use it to buy merchandise or utensils, or give it to his creditor. He may sell himself only when he needs the money for his very livelihood. A person is not permitted to sell himself unless he has no property remaining at all - i.e., even his clothing no longer remains. Only in such a situation may he sell himself.
I was born in chains but I was taken out of Egypt
I was bound to a burden, but the burden it was raised
Oh Lord I can no longer keep this secret
Blessed is the name, the name be praised.
I fled to the edge of a mighty sea of sorrow
Pursued by the armies of a cruel and dark regime
But the waters parted and my soul crossed over
Out of Egypt, out of Pharaoh’s dream.
("Born in Chains")
And if a man refuses to go forth to freedom, he impairs that place [from which freedom flows down to this world], since he leaves the yoke of the kingdom of heaven and accepts the yoke of a master. Therefore, ‘his master shall bring him ... to the door or the mezuzah-doorpost, since this place is the gateway to the higher world.
בּוֹא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה מְשֻׁבַּחַת פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ, כַּמָּה פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת בָּהּ וְכַמָּה אַזְהָרוֹת הִזְהִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ (שמות כא, ב): כִּי תִקְנֶה עֶבֶד עִבְרִי, (שמות כ ז): אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי קָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּעֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת שֶׁהֶרְאֵיתִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קלט, יד): נִפְלָאִים מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְנַפְשִׁי יֹדַעַת מְאֹד, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאַתֶּם מְצֻוִּים לֹא תַעֲבֹד בְּאָחִיךָ יוֹתֵר מִשֵּׁשׁ שָׁנִים, שֶׁלֹא בָּרָאתִי אֶת הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא לְשִׁשָּׁה יָמִים, לְפִיכָךְ נָתַתִּי לְךָ שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים שֶׁתְּהֵא רַשַּׁאי לַעֲבֹד בְּעֶבֶד עִבְרִי.
How many beautiful parshiyot, sections are here!! And how many warnings did the Holy One warn the Israelites...'When you acquire a Hebrew slave: the Holy One said I acquired you in Egypt with the Ten Plagues as it is written, (Psalms 139, 14)'Wondrous are your acts; my soul intimately knows' just as you are commanded not to allow your brother to serve you more than six years as I created the world in six days, therefore six years is the limit.
כי תקנה עבד עברי. פתח במשפט [עבד] עברי, לפי שהיו עבדים במצרים, ופדאם הקב"ה ונתן להם חירות, לפיכך צוה לישראל בראשונה שלא לשעבד באחיהו בפרך ולא לשעבדו [לדורות], כי אם עד השנה השביעית, שנאמר כי עבדי הם אשר הוצאתי וגו' (ויקרא כה מב), לפיכך פתח במשפט עבד עברי, ואמר כי תקנה, לכשיבוא בידך כי אם יגנוב ונמצא בידו שור או חמור או שה, צריך ליתן תשלומי שנים או ארבעה או חמשה ואין לו מיתה, ואם אין לו לשלם, בית דין ימכרוהו בגניבתו אז מותר לקנותו, שנאמר ואם אין לו ונמכר בגניבתו (שמות כב ב):
William of Ockham says: freedom is the ability to choose. Thomas Aquinas says: freedom is freedom toward true humanity.
The biblical slavery of Egypt represents bondage to your own self.
Every day, every moment, must be an exodus from the self.
If you’re not leaving Egypt, you’re already back there.
(based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe).
The process from embeddedness to freedom is one that everyone goes through in their own, individual life. As children, we are all safe and fully unfree. Later, as we step out of childhood, we have to increasingly make our own choices: to choose our friends, our lovers, later a field of study or a job. These are extremely wide-ranging decisions that will have consequences for the rest of our lives. Shall I start smoking or not? Shall I be cool or nerdy? Shall I study philosophy or get a well-paying job? Shall I move out of my parent’s house and to where? And as we grow older, we have to make more and more terrible choices. In the beginning, we’re only responsible for our own welfare. But suddenly we find ourselves responsible for the lives, the health, and the survival of others: for our children, who blindly trust us to keep them alive as if we knew what we are doing. Should I buy my kids this plastic toy, or will the chemicals in it make them die of cancer in twenty years? Should I feed them tuna, or explain to them why we should leave the tuna alone? And how am I going to feed them if I make some silly mistake and lose my job?
More and more, we realise that freedom is not only a blessing but also a heavy burden. And if we cannot handle it, we might wish to “ Escape from Freedom"