ת"ר (ויקרא כה, מא) ויצא מעמך הוא ובניו עמו א"ר שמעון אם הוא נמכר בניו ובנותיו מי נמכרים מכאן שרבו חייב במזונות בניו כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר אם בעל אשה הוא ויצאה אשתו עמו א"ר שמעון אם הוא נמכר אשתו מי נמכרה מכאן שרבו חייב במזונות אשתו
R'Simeon said: if he is sold, are then his sons and daughters<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'And daughters' is absent in the 'Aruk and in Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch, where this is quoted.');"><sup>16</sup></span> sold?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why state that they go out?');"><sup>17</sup></span> Hence [we learn] that the master is liable for his children's keep.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And at Jubilee they 'go out', i.e., his liability ceases.');"><sup>18</sup></span>
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
The Torah says that when the slave goes free, his children go free with him. This can refer only to children born to the Jew before he became a slave, for we already know from Exodus that those born to him in servitude (children of the Canaanite slave given to him) do not go free. But the problem is that the children were not sold. Only the father was. So why state that they go free? To solve this problem R. Shimon rules that the master is responsible for the upkeep of the children while the father is a slave. Once the slave goes free, the master is no longer responsible for them. This would be yet another way the rabbis write this law out of existence—why would anyone take on the responsibility of maintaining not only the slave but also his children? It would be far cheaper to hire a servant.
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Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
The same rule applies to his wife. Again, this can only refer to a wife he married before he was a servant. The Canaanite wife given to the Hebrew slave does not go free with him.
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