Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 25:40/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ה:מ׳

אוְטַעַם כְּשָׂכִיר כְּתוֹשָׁב לֹא יִהְיֶה עִמְּךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ כְּעֶבֶד אֶלָּא כִּשְׂכִיר שָׁנָה, שֶׁהוּא הַנִּשְׂכָּר לַעֲבוֹדַת בְּנֵי חוֹרִין, וְלֹא יַכְבִּידוּ עָלָיו. אוֹ כְּתוֹשָׁב, שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הַתּוֹשָׁבִים הַבָּאִים לָגוּר בָּאָרֶץ שֶׁיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת בַּעַל הַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר הֵם מִתְגּוֹרְרִים עִמּוֹ לְרָצוֹן לָהֶם, כְּעִנְיַן יַעֲקֹב עִם לָבָן שֶׁאָמַר (בראשית כט טו), "הֲכִי אָחִי אַתָּה וַעֲבַדְתַּנִי חִנָּם הַגִּידָה לִּי מַה מַּשְׂכֻּרְתֶּךָ". וּבְתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים (פרק ז ג), "כְּשָׂכִיר" - מַה שָׂכִיר "בְּיוֹמוֹ תִּתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ" (דברים כד טו) אַף זֶה בְּיוֹמוֹ תִּתֵּן שְׂכָרוֹ. "כְּתוֹשָׁב" - מַה תּוֹשָׁב "בַּטּוֹב לוֹ לֹא תּוֹנֶנּוּ" (שם כג יז) אַף זֶה בַּטּוֹב לוֹ לֹא תּוֹנֶנּוּ, "יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ" - עִמָּךְ בְּמַאֲכָל עִמָּךְ בְּמִשְׁתֶּה עִמָּךְ בִּכְסוּת נְקִיָּה וְכוּ':

1AS A HIRED SERVANT, AND AS A SETTLER, HE SHALL BE WITH THEE. The meaning of this is that he [your brother who sold himself to you] shall not be with you in your house as a bondservant, but as a laborer hired year by year²¹³ who hires himself out to do work as a freeman, and who is not subjected to heavy work; or [he is to be in your house] as a settler, for it is customary that settlers who come to sojourn in [another] land work for the head of the household with whom they reside to their satisfaction, similar to the case of Jacob with Laban, where [Laban] said [to Jacob], Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?²¹⁴ And in the Torath Kohanim it is written:²¹⁵ 7:3. “As a hired servant — just as [in the case of] a hired servant in the same day thou shalt give him his hire,²¹⁶ so too, this one must be given his hire in the same day.²¹⁷). As a settler — just as [in the case of] a settler he shall dwell with thee … where it liketh him best; thou shalt not wrong him,²¹⁸, 23:17. this one also where it liketh him best; thou shalt not wrong him. — He shall be with thee, with thee concerning [the same kind of] food, with thee concerning [the same kind of] drink, with thee concerning [the same kind of] clean garment, etc.”²¹⁹).