Gittin 24

Chapter 24

א לוה ואוכל להעדפה

1 does he borrow for his food? — He borrows for extras. But the Sanctuary can say to him, 'Just as you could do without extras hitherto, so you can do without extras now'? — The Sanctuary itself prefers this, so that its slave should be in good condition. You say that he works and pays from his earnings. How can he do this, seeing that every penny as he earns it becomes sanctified?1

ב ולימא ליה הקדש עד השתא סגי לך בלא העדפה והשתא נמי תיסגי לך בלא העדפה הקדש גופיה ניחא לי' כי היכי דלשבח עבדיה

2 — [He keeps on paying his earnings] before they amount to a perutah.2

ג עושה ופורע קמא קמא קדיש ליה בפחות פחות משוה פרוטה

3 This view [that Rab's dictum refers to the case where the master provides the slave's keep] is borne out by this other dictum of Rab: If a man sanctifies the hands of his slave, that same slave can go on working for his keep, for if he does not work, who will look after him? If you say that the first dictum refers to the case where the master provides [the slave's keep], and that in consequence a master is not at liberty [to say to his slave, 'Work for me, but I shall not maintain you'], and that the latter dictum refers to a case where he does not provide for him, all is plain; but if you say that the first dictum refers to the case where the master does tot provide the slave's keep, and [so we rule that] he can say [to the slave, 'You must work for me etc.', what is the sense of saying [in the second dictum], 'if he does not work who will look after him?' Let anyone who will look after him!3

ד הכי נמי מסתברא דאמר רב המקדיש ידי עבדו אותו העבד עושה ואוכל דאי לא עבדא מאן פלח ליה

4 We conclude therefore that the ruling is that a master cannot say [to his slave, 'Work for me, but I shall not support you.']

ה אי אמרת בשלמא הך במעלה ואינו יכול והא בשאינו מעלה שפיר

5 Come and hear: R. Johanan says that if a man cuts off the hand of another man's slave, he must make good to his master his 'loss of time'4

ו אלא אי אמרת הך בשאינו מעלה ויכול דאי לא עבדא מאן פלח ליה מאן דבעי ניפלחיה

6 and the cost of his medical attendance, and the slave must live on charity. We understand from this,5

ז אלא לאו ש"מ אינו יכול שמע מינה

7 [do we not,] that the master can say to the slave, 'Work for me, but I shall not maintain you'? — No. Here we are dealing with a case in which the master does provide the slave's keep. If that is so, why [does it say that] he must live on charity? — This refers to extras. If that is so, it should say not 'live on' but 'be supported by'? We therefore conclude that the master can say [to the slave, 'You must work for me etc.']. This proves it.

ח ת"ש דאמר ר' יוחנן הקוטע יד עבדו של חבירו נותן שבתו ורפואתו לרבו ואותו העבד ניזון מן הצדקה ש"מ יכול הרב לומר לעבד עשה עמי ואיני זנך

8 The Master said: 'He must make good to his master "loss of time" and the cost of his medical attendance'. [What need is there to tell me this in] the case of the 'loss of time', which is obvious? — The 'loss of time' is mentioned because the medical costs [had to be mentioned]. Surely the medical costs go to the slave, for he needs them for his cure? — This must be stated in view of a case where it was calculated that he requires five days [treatment] and by the application of a painful remedy he was cured in three. You might think that in this case [the whole of the estimated medical cost goes to the slave since] the extra pain is his; but now know [that it does not].

ט הכא במאי עסקי' במעלה לו מזונות אי הכי אמאי ניזון מן הצדקה להעדפה

9 It has been taught R. Eliezer said: We said to R. Meir, Is it not a benefit for the slave to obtain his liberty? — He replied, It is a disability for him, since if he was the slave of a priest he can no longer eat of the terumah. We said to him: If the priest chooses not to give him his keep, is he not at liberty to do so?6

י אי הכי ניזון מתפרנס מיבעי ליה אלא לאו ש"מ יכול ש"מ

10 — He replied: If the slave of a priest runs away, or if the wife of a priest flouts her husband,7

יא אמר מר נותן שבתו ורפואתו לרבו שבתו פשיטא רפואתו איצטריכא ליה

11 they can still eat of the terumah, but this one cannot. For a woman, however, certainly it is a disadvantage [to be divorced] since she becomes disqualified to eat the terumah [if she was married to a priest] and forfeits her maintenance [in any case].8

יב רפואתו דידיה היא דבעי איתסויי ביה לא צריכא דאמדוה לחמשא יומי ועבדו ליה סמא חריפא ואתסי בתלתא יומי מהו דתימא צערא דידיה הוא קמ"ל

12 What did they mean by their question and what was the point of [R. Meir's] remark, [If a priest's slave runs away etc.]? — What he said in effect was this: 'You have refuted me in the matter of maintenance,9

יג תניא א"ר אלעזר אמרנו לו למאיר והלא זכות הוא לעבד שיוצא מתחת ידי רבו לחירות אמר לנו חוב הוא לו שאם היה עבד כהן פוסלו מן התרומה אמרנו לו והלא מה אם ירצה שלא לזונו ושלא לפרנסו רשאי

13 but what answer can you give in the matter of the terumah? For if you should say that, if the master likes, he can throw the writ of emancipation to the slave and so disqualify him [and therefore giving the writ to a bearer is not a disadvantage to the slave], [I answer that] the slave can [prevent this by] leaving him and running away.10

יד אמר לנו ומה אילו עבד כהן שברח ואשת כהן שמרדה על בעלה הלא אוכלין בתרומה וזה אינו אוכל אבל אשה חוב הוא לה שכן פסלה מן התרומה ומפסידה מן המזונות

טו מאי קאמרו ליה ומאי קא מהדר להו ה"ק להו השבתוני על המזונות מה תשיבוני על התרומה

טז וכי תימרו אי בעי זריק ליה גיטא ופסיל ליה שביק ליה ועריק ואזיל לעלמא

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