Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 15:18/אבן עזרא על דברים ט״ו:י״ח
אלא יקשה בעיניך. מצאנו כתוב שלש שנים כימי שכיר וזו ראי' כי אין רשות לאדם שישכיר עצמו יותר משלש שנים ג״כ לשוכר אותו הנותן שכרו:
1IT SHALL NOT SEEM HARD UNTO THEE. We find it written in Scripture, three years, as the years of a hireling (Is. 16:14). The latter proves that a person has no right to hire himself out for more than three years. The law similarly applies to the one who hires him and pays his wages.52
בוזה טעם משנה כמו כפל וכן והיה משנה הוא משנה למלך שם משנה למלך תאר השם גם הוא מגזרת שנים כאשר פירשתי והנה זה הכתוב יפרש כי ובשביעית יצא לחפשי חנם בתחלת השנה גם יש ראיה משנת השמטה גם מיום השבת:
2[DOUBLE.]53. The following is the definition of mishneh. It means double. Similarly mishneh (twice) in ve-hayah mishneh (and it shall be twice as much) (Ex. 16:5). The word mishneh in the latter is a noun. However, mishneh (next) in mishneh la-melekh (next unto king) (Esth. 10:3) is an adjective.54. 38. The Mikra’ot Gedolot reads: “The following is the definition of mishneh. It means double. Similarly mishneh (twice) in ve-hayah mishneh (and it shall be twice as much) (Ex. 16:5), the meaning of which is mishneh lamelekh (double unto the king). The word mishneh in the latter is a noun. However, mishneh (next) in mishneh la-melekh (next unto king) (Esth. 10:3) is an adjective.” The words “the meaning of which mishneh lamelekh (double unto the king)” appear to be a gloss. See Weiser and Krinsky. It55 (next) in mishneh la-melekh. is also related, as I have explained,56 to the word shenayin (two).57, which means second to him” (Vol. 1, p. 382). Note, our verse explains that and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing (Ex. 21:2) refers to the beginning of the year.58. If the slave did not go out at the start of the seventh year he would be serving seven not six years. There is also proof of this from the year of release (shemitttah)59 as well as from the Sabbath day.60
גוברכך. פועל עתיד ולא עבר כי אין הפרש ביניהם רק מטעם המקום:
3AND…WILL BLESS THEE. U-verakhekha (and will bless you) is an imperfect, not a perfect.61 There is no difference between the perfect and imperfect.62 The tense can only be determined by the context.