Question: Why did the Torah permit slavery even if the system was better than the prevailing practice?
Answer: Forgive me for writing so briefly about such an important issue. I have, by the way, dealt with a similar question in an essay available at my website here.
First of all, I would point out that our society is far from perfect in the matter of slavery: while we may not give it that name (to avoid guilty feelings) I suspect that illegal immigrants working (and often suffering abuse) as domestics etc., or children in the 3rd world who manufacture our cheap consumer goods (not to mention, If you’ll excuse me, prostitutes in every city) are as much hired against their will at proportionately lower wages than blacks in early 19th Century America (after all, the black slaves were fed and clothed). It’s not that I’m justifying slavery in any context, but I’m simply stating that it’s alive and well in our society and actively supported by all of us.
So, assuming that it’s somehow an inseparable part of the human condition, channeling slavery towards something productive is the best one can expect. For example, Hagar and Eliezer (the slaves of Abraham) were refined individuals with a thirst for spiritual greatness who would, nonetheless, have had no access to the mentoring and heights they both achieved without being slaves. Similarly with Tavi, a brilliant and beloved slave of Rabbi Gamliel of the Talmud (who is quoted a number of times through the Talmud). (more…)
