Commento su 'Eduyyot 1:13
מִי שֶׁחֶצְיוֹ עֶבֶד וְחֶצְיוֹ בֶּן חוֹרִין, עוֹבֵד אֶת רַבּוֹ יוֹם אֶחָד וְאֶת עַצְמוֹ יוֹם אֶחָד, דִּבְרֵי בֵית הִלֵּל. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי, תִּקַּנְתֶּם אֶת רַבּוֹ, וְאֶת עַצְמוֹ לֹא תִקַּנְתֶּם. לִשָּׂא שִׁפְחָה, אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל. בַּת חוֹרִין, אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל. לִבָּטֵל, וַהֲלֹא לֹא נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא לִפְרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מה), לֹא תֹהוּ בְרָאָהּ לָשֶׁבֶת יְצָרָהּ. אֶלָּא, מִפְּנֵי תִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם, כּוֹפִין אֶת רַבּוֹ וְעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתוֹ בֶן חוֹרִין וְכוֹתֵב שְׁטָר עַל חֲצִי דָמָיו. חָזְרוּ בֵית הִלֵּל לְהוֹרוֹת כְּבֵית שַׁמָּאי:
Se uno fosse mezzo schiavo, mezzo libero [come lo schiavo di due soci, che fu liberato da uno di loro, o come uno il cui padrone ricevette da lui metà dei suoi soldi (di riscatto), da cui metà di lui fu liberata ], serve il suo padrone un giorno e se stesso un altro giorno. Queste sono le parole di Beth Hillel. Beth Shammai disse loro: Hai aiutato il suo maestro, [che non perde nulla], ma non l'hai aiutato! Non può sposare una cameriera, [per la parte di lui che è libera], e non può (sposare) una donna libera, [per la parte di lui che è schiava]. Si asterrà (dal matrimonio)? Il mondo non è stato creato per avere figli? cioè. (Isaia 5:18): "Non per nulla l'ha creato; per stabilirlo l'ha formato!" Ma, per l'emendamento del mondo (tikkun haolam), costringiamo il suo padrone a liberarlo, e scrive (al suo padrone) una nota (di indebitamento) per metà del suo valore. [(Lo stesso vale se fosse lo schiavo di un centinaio di soci; tutti sono costretti a liberarlo)]— quindi Beth Hillel si ritirò, per governare secondo Beth Shammai.
Bartenura on Mishnah Eduyot
English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot
Beth Shammai said to them: “You have set matters in order with regards to his master, but you have not set matters in order with regards to himself. He is not able to marry a slave-woman, nor is he able [to marry] a woman who is free. Is he to refrain [from marrying]? [How can he] for is it not the case that the world was created in order for people to be fruitful and multiply? For it is said, “He did not create it to be a waste; but formed it for inhabitation” (Isaiah 45:18). But for the rightful ordering of the world his master is compelled to make him free, and he writes out a bond for half his value.”
Then Beth Hillel changed their mind and taught according to the opinion of Beth Shammai.
This mishnah discusses the case of a slave who is half free and half a slave. This situation could arise if a slave was owned by two masters and one of them set his half free. Beth Hillel allows such a situation to persists and rules that one day a week he should work for his master and one day a week he works for himself. In other words, this person can remain a half-slave.
Beth Shammai remarks to Beth Hillel that this is a fine arrangement for the master, but does not solve an essential problem for the slave. A slave is permitted to marry a female slave but a regular Jew is not allowed to marry a female slave. The half of this person who is a slave could marry a female slave but not a free Jewish woman, and the half of this person who is a Jew (when slaves are freed they become Jewish) could marry a Jewish woman but not a slave woman. Since this problem is irreconcilable, he could not marry anyone. Beth Shammai points out that this is also not an acceptable situation, and contradicts the existence of the entire creation. God created people so that they could establish families and not so that they could remain celibate.
The only solution is that he must be freed by the one remaining master, who writes him a manumission document. The slave then accepts upon himself a debt to pay back his owner and the slave goes free.
When Beth Hillel heard Beth Shammai’s argument they accepted it, and taught like them.
We should note how truly remarkable this mishnah is. Slavery was an accepted institution in the ancient world, and in every society slaves were amongst the lowest of the social classes. Nevertheless, Beth Shammai is concerned that even slaves should have the opportunity to fulfill the purpose of the creation of the world: procreation.