Un esclave cananéen est acquis par de l'argent, un bref et une chazaka (acte de propriété), [il est écrit (Lévitique 25:46): «Et vous les conserverez (esclaves cananéens) comme un héritage pour vos fils après vous pour hériter comme un en portant." Les esclaves (cananéens) sont ici comparés à la terre. Tout comme la terre est acquise par l'argent, le bref et la chazaka, de même un esclave cananéen est acquis par l'argent, le bref et la chazaka. La chazakah de (c'est-à-dire d'acquérir) l'esclave: par exemple, l'esclave délie la chaussure de son maître, ou la met, ou porte ses affaires après lui aux bains, le déshabille, le lave, l'onction, le masse, l'habille , le porter ou être porté par lui—(par tout cela) le maître acquiert l'esclave.] Et il s'acquiert par l'argent par d'autres, [c'est-à-dire que les autres donnent à son maître à condition qu'il soit libéré. Mais lui-même ne peut pas l'accepter d'eux, même à condition que son maître n'y ait aucun droit, (ce tanna) considérant qu'un esclave ne peut en aucun cas acquérir quoi que ce soit d'indépendant de son maître.], Et par un bref (de manumission ) à travers lui-même (c'est-à-dire qu'il accepte lui-même), [ce tanna le considérant comme une obligation pour l'esclave de quitter son maître pour la liberté. Car si son maître était un Cohein, il devient ainsi disqualifié de manger de la terumah; et s'il était l'esclave d'un Israélite, une esclave lui est interdite. Pour cette raison, il n'acquiert pas sa liberté avec un bref reçu (en son nom) par d'autres, mais seulement (avec un reçu) par lui-même. Car puisque c'est une responsabilité pour lui, «une responsabilité n'est imposée à quelqu'un qu'en sa présence». Mais (acquérir sa liberté par) l'argent à travers les autres est différent. Car la réception de l'argent par son maître, en soi, le libère, et ce ne sont pas les autres qui causent la responsabilité, mais la réception de l'argent par le maître. Le maître dans ce cas ne devient pas son messager, mais prend l'argent pour lui-même, l'esclave gagnant sa liberté comme conséquence naturelle. Ce sont les paroles de R. Meir. Les sages disent: Par l'argent, par lui-même [Ils soutiennent qu'un esclave peut acquérir quelque chose d'indépendant de son maître, raison pour laquelle il peut s'acquérir avec de l'argent, même par lui-même; et, il va sans dire, par d'autres.], et par un bref, par d'autres. [Car ils considèrent que c'est un atout pour l'esclave de quitter son maître pour la liberté, et "On peut profiter à un homme, même pas en sa présence." La halakha est conforme aux sages. Et un esclave cananéen s'acquiert si son maître aveugle son œil, ou lui casse la dent, ou coupe l'une de ses vingt-quatre proéminences de membre: bout des doigts, orteils, bouts d'oreille, bout de nez, bout de membre, et bouts de sein chez une femme . La raison pour laquelle ceux-ci ne sont pas mentionnés dans la Mishna avec les autres moyens par lesquels un esclave s'acquiert est que celui qui obtient sa libération par (coupure) des proéminences d'organes nécessite un bref de manumission de son maître, de sorte qu'il, essentiellement , "s'acquiert avec un bref."], à condition que l'argent soit (l'argent) d'autrui. [Car un esclave ne possède rien. Car même ce qu'il trouve et ce qu'il reçoit en cadeau appartient à son maître. Et s'il veut se racheter, l'argent doit venir des autres, qui le lui donnent à condition que le maître n'y ait aucun droit.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
עבד כנעני נקנה בכסף ובשטר ובחזקה – As it is written (Leviticus 25:46): “You may keep them as a possession for your children [after you], for them to inherit as property…,” they (i.e., the Rabbis) made an analogy [on a principle common to both between] עבדים /servants to קרקעות/property. Just as property is acquired by money, document and/or claim based upon undisturbed possession [during a legally fixed period], so also, a Canaanite slave is acquired by money, document and undisturbed possession. And the undisturbed possession of the [Canaanite] slave, such as that he unloosed the shoe for his master, or he helped him put on his shoe, or carried his utensils after his master to the bath house, or undressed him, or washed him, or anointed him, dragged [his possessions], or dressed him, or lifted him up or the master lifted up the slave, he has acquired him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
Introduction
In today’s mishnah we learn how Canaanite slaves are acquired. We should note that Canaanite slaves essentially become Jews by being owned by Jews. The males are usually to be circumcised, both male and female slaves must undergo ritual immersion and according to halakhah are obligated by most of the commandments.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
בכסף על ידי אחרים – and they will give it (i.e., the money) to the Master in order that this one (i.e., the Canaanite slave) will be a free person, but he himself cannot receive from them, and even on the condition that the Master does not have control over him, since he holds that there is no acquisition for the slave in any side without his Master [being involved].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
A Canaanite slave is acquired by money, deed, or by possession, And acquires himself by money through the agency of others, and by document through his own agency, the words of Rabbi Meir. The Sages say: by money, through his own agency, and by document, through the agency of others, providing that the money comes from others. Money and deed acquire Canaanite slaves, just as they acquire Hebrew slaves. In addition, Canaanite slaves can be acquired through “possession”, which could also alternatively be translated as “presumption of ownership.” We learned the rules of possession in the third chapter of Bava Batra. Practically this would mean that a slave, who treated a certain person as if that person were his owner, would become the property of that person.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
ובשטר ע"י עצמו – For he holds that is obligatory for the slave that he leave from under the hands of his master to freedom, for if the slave is of a Kohen, this disqualifies him from eating the Priest’s due, and if the slave is of an Israelite, it prohibits him from [marrying] a slave/handmaid; and because of this it is said that he does not go out to freedom with a document from/by others, but only by himself, and because it is an liability for him, we do not act on behalf of a person to the latter’s disadvantage other than in his presence (see Mishnah, Tractate Eruvin, Chapter 7, Mishnah 11). And [through] money, which is via others, is different, for the acceptance by the master causes him to be liberated on his own, and these others cannot act on behalf of a person to the latter’s disadvantage, other than through the acceptance of the master, for the master is not made into his agent, but rather, for the needs of himself, and who transfers [possession] on his own.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Kiddushin
Both Rabbi Meir and the Sages agree that a slave acquires his freedom either through a manumission document or through his freedom being purchased with money. However, they disagree over whether or not the slave may purchase himself back. According to Rabbi Meir a Canaanite slave can never own property. Any property which he would acquire would automatically become the property of his owner, since the owner owns the slave. Therefore, only other people may purchase the slave’s freedom. When it comes to a document, the document must be received by the slave himself. The Sages disagree on both counts. They hold that a slave may, under certain circumstances, own his own property. This is possible if other people give the slave money with the condition that the owner not take possession of that money. According to the Sages either he or others may purchase his freedom. Similarly, they disagree about the document. The master can write out a manumission document, give it to another person beside the slave and thereby free the slave. Note that the Sages could have stated that “a slave is acquired by documents or money through his own agency or the agency of others.” This would have been a clearer and slightly briefer statement of the sages’ intent. Instead, the mishnah phrases their statement as the opposite of Rabbi Meir’s statement in order to retain the parallelism.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
וחכ"א בכסף ע"י עצמו – for they hold that there is acquisition for the slave without his master; therefore, he acquires himself through money, even through himself, and all the more so, through others.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
ובשטר ע"י אחרים – as they hold that it is a benefit to the slave that he would go out from under the hand of his master to freedom, and we do something for another’s benefit in his absence. And the Halakha is according to the Sages. But the Canaanite slave acquires his [freedom] if his master blinded his eye or caused him to lose a tooth or mutilated from him one of twenty-four heads of limbs, which are [the tops] of the fingers of the hand, and digits of the feet, and the tops of the ears, the head of the nose, and head of the male genitals, and the tops of a woman’s breasts, and that which is not considered in our Mishnah to be included in those things that the slave acquires himself, because one who goes free through the tops of his limbs requires a document of manumission from his master, that is, that he acquires himself through a document.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Kiddushin
ובלבד שיהא הכסף משל אחרים – for a slave has nothing, for even what he finds and/or receives as a gift – everything belongs to his master. And if he came to be redeemed by himself, the monies must come from others who would give it him on the condition that his master has no control over him.
