Treated as a serf – B’har
This week’s sidra B’har has a great to say about employment conditions and industrial relations.
If a fellow Israelite is poor and sells himself to you, possibly because of a court order, you must not treat him as a serf (Lev. 25:39).
Rashi tells us that a person’s human dignity must be preserved at all times and he must be treated with consideration.
You must give him appropriate food and drink and look after his children. You must not make him perform degrading tasks which draw attention to his unfortunate situation. You must give him work in the field or at a form of handicraft.
If all this means that, as the sages say, the servant is akin to a master, it shows that everyone has their dignity. Treating another person (even a servant) harshly can never be condoned.
