The Laws of the Hebrew Slave: Understanding Kitov Lo Imach

This shiur tackles one of the most perplexing areas of Jewish law - the treatment of the Hebrew slave (eved ivri). The Gemara (גמרא) establishes that when calculating the redemption price of a Hebrew slave, we always use whichever valuation benefits the slave - either his original purchase price or current market value, whichever is lower. Abaye attempts to prove this principle from the law of "ki tov lo imach" - that a master must treat his slave as well as himself, giving the slave the better bed, better food, and better wine if only one quality option is available. The speaker raises fundamental questions about this law: How can the Torah (תורה) require a master to treat his slave better than he treats his own parents, for whom there is no such requirement under kibbud av v'em? Why should an employee (the slave) receive better treatment than the employer (the master)? This seems to contradict basic economic and social norms, where the business owner naturally has a higher standard of living than employees.