Slavery

Slavery in Egypt and among the ancient Israelites

Did Israel Celebrate their Freedom While Owning Slaves?

Celebrating the “Time of our Freedom” with a look at the of problem of non-Israelite slavery in the Torah.

Dr. Hacham

Isaac S. D. Sassoon

Not What Happened But What Should Happen Now

Rabbi

Yuval Cherlow

The Blackening of Egypt's Reputation

Prof.

Jan Assmann

The Hebrew Slave: Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy

A Classic Example of Source Criticism Applied to Torah Legislation

Dr. Rabbi

Zev Farber

Despoiling the Egyptians: A Concerning Jewish Legacy?

19th century Anglo-Jewish translators defended the Israelites’ behavior against the King James translation’s perceived accusation that the Jews “borrowed” the Egyptians belongings and never returned them.

Prof.

Leonard Greenspoon

What We Know About Slavery in Egypt

Dr.

Mark Janzen

The Hebrew Slave: Reading the Law Collections as Complementary

Prof.

Aaron Koller

The Treatment of Non-Israelite Slaves: From Moses to Moses

The Bible already expresses ambivalence about Hebrew slavery, the rabbis expand upon it and Maimonides takes the next step, applying the negative evaluation of slavery even to non-Israelites.

Prof.

James A. Diamond

Finding Redemption in the Passover Story

Doing history one better

Prof. Rabbi

Burton L. Visotzky

The Bible's Evolving Effort to Humanize Debt Slavery

. . . and the Challenges of Putting it into Practice.

Prof.

Marvin A. Sweeney

What Kind of Construction Did the Israelites Do in Egypt?

Egyptian sources shed light on the nature of the work described in the Torah.