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Why must employers give parting gifts to Jewish servants and treat them as material equals during service? The Torah (תורה) protects both parties: gifts restore the servant's dignity after years of demeaning personal service, while equal treatment prevents masters from developing dangerous feelings of superiority over those who serve them.
This shiur examines the Torah (תורה)'s remarkable laws regarding the treatment of Jewish servants, found in Parshas Mishpatim. Rabbi Zweig begins by questioning two puzzling requirements: why employers must give substantial gifts (chanukah (חנוכה)) to Jewish servants after their six-year term ends, and why servants must receive equal treatment in all material comforts - the same food, wine, and bedding as their masters. The Rabbi addresses the apparent contradiction that servants are already paid upfront for their entire six-year term, making the additional gift seemingly unnecessary. He explores this through an analysis of modern tipping customs, noting that people tip for personal services (haircuts, porters) but not for impersonal transactions (bank tellers, grocery clerks). This distinction reveals that personal service inherently involves a degree of human dignity being compromised.
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Parshas Mishpatim - Laws of Jewish Servants
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