The profound vulnerability of a young girl sold into servitude by an impoverished father is met with strict protective boundaries. If the master fails his commitments to her, she is immediately granted her freedom, ensuring she is never left trapped or exploited. The law stipulates that the denial of any single one of three specific obligations is enough to trigger her release; the master does not need to violate all of them simultaneously to forfeit his rights [אבן עזרא, שד״ל, רש״י, גור אריה].
The primary approach among commentators identifies these three obligations as the alternatives established earlier in the laws of the maidservant: the master must either marry her himself, marry her to his son, or facilitate her redemption through financial payment [רש״י, רמב״ן, רא״ש, רשב״ם, ואחרים]. Conversely, some suggest the obligations refer to the basic marital rights of food, clothing, and intimacy [אור החיים, העמק דבר, קאסוטו]. However, many firmly reject this second view. They argue that if the master had already married the young woman, she would hold the legal status of a full wife. In such a scenario, the denial of basic provisions would not simply allow her to walk away; she would require a formal bill of divorce to marry another man. Therefore, the law must be addressing the period before any marriage takes place [אבן עזרא, חזקוני, שד״ל, מזרחי].
When the master fails to fulfill his duties, the young woman's departure is distinct from that of a standard Hebrew slave, who typically waits six years or until the Jubilee year for freedom. She is released much earlier, the moment she reaches physical maturity [רש״י, רשב״ם, תורה תמימה]. A conceptual and linguistic insight links her gratuitous release to the Hebrew root for grace and beauty. As she matures, her physical development is seen as her blossoming grace, indicating that her freedom aligns precisely with this natural stage of life [הכתב והקבלה]. Practically, this means the master loses all rights to detain her, cannot demand any refund from her father, and leaves her entirely free of debt [רבנו בחיי].
The legislation emphasizes her financial exemption twice, prompting questions about the need for the redundancy. Some explain this as a simple linguistic clarification, ensuring her departure is understood strictly in financial terms rather than meaning she leaves empty-handed or in vain [אבן עזרא, ביאור יש״ר]. Another practical application suggests that if the master paid for medical treatments while she was ill, she is completely exempt from reimbursing those expenses upon her release [אבן עזרא בשם רב סעדיה גאון]. The primary approach, however, views this dual phrasing as a reference to the two distinct biological stages of a young woman's maturation. The law guarantees her freedom upon reaching either milestone, ensuring her release even in atypical biological circumstances where she might skip one developmental phase entirely [רש״י, תורה תמימה, רש״ר הירש, דעת זקנים]. Furthermore, the phrasing implies that while no money is owed to this master, financial rights still exist elsewhere. If she is betrothed to another man immediately upon her release, the betrothal money belongs to her father, as she remains under his legal authority [תורה תמימה, רש״ר הירש].
On a deeper, symbolic level, the relationship between the master and the maidservant mirrors the dynamic between God and the Israelites in exile. Sold into the bitterness of exile due to their transgressions, the people are still fiercely protected. The legal boundaries serve as a divine standard: even when the Israelites sin, God will not withhold their essential physical and spiritual needs. The ultimate promise of her unconditional, cost-free release symbolizes the future redemption. Even if the Israelites are entirely devoid of spiritual currency—lacking Torah study and good deeds—they will still be redeemed and set free solely by virtue of the suffering they endured in exile [אור החיים].