שמות, פרק כ״א, פסוק ו׳

When an individual voluntarily forfeits his freedom to remain enslaved, he undergoes a profound legal and symbolic ceremony that solidifies his new status. The transition from a temporary laborer to a permanent slave requires a public procedure, underscoring the gravity of his choice and the moral flaw inherent in it. The process begins by bringing the servant before the judges, or the court [רשב״ם, שד״ל, קאסוטו, ביאור יש״ר]. The judges represent divine authority because they execute God's justice on earth [אבן עזרא, הטור הארוך], and when they judge truthfully, God's presence rests alongside them, assisting them in reaching a righteous verdict [רמב״ן]. Appearing before the court serves several essential purposes. First, it allows the master to consult the very same tribunal that originally sold him the servant [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה]. Second, it establishes a public legal record, preventing the servant from claiming in the future that he was held by force against his will [שד״ל]. Additionally, this judicial appearance provides the judges an opportunity to rebuke the servant. They confront him with his error, questioning his willingness to sacrifice his personal dignity and lineage for a life of servitude and his attachment to a Canaanite woman [העמק דבר].

Following the court appearance, the ceremony moves to a door or doorpost. This specific location carries practical, symbolic, and legal significance. Practically, since ancient houses were built of hard stone, a wooden surface was necessary to safely drive an awl through the ear [רשב״ם, בכור שור, קאסוטו]. Furthermore, because judges typically convened at the city gates, performing the act at the gate's door made it a highly visible event, transforming it into a moment of public shame [אבן עזרא, חזקוני, תורה תמימה]. Symbolically, the door and doorpost stand as silent witnesses. God views them as historical testaments to the Exodus from Egypt, when blood was applied to the lintel and doorposts, accompanied by the declaration that the Israelites are solely His servants and not subjects to other men. A servant who chooses a human master effectively rejects this divine redemption, and is therefore marked before these very structures [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, הירש, צאינה וראינה]. Alternatively, the door represents the servant's new, permanent role as the designated guard of his master's household [בעל הטורים, אבן עזרא הקצר]. Legally, while the doorpost is involved in the scene, the piercing itself is executed only on the door. The inclusion of the doorpost teaches that the door must be fully upright and securely standing within the building framework, just as the doorpost stands [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, ביאור יש״ר, מלבי״ם].

The climax of the ceremony occurs when the master pierces the servant's right ear with a metal awl [רש״י, תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, שטיינזלץ]. This physical puncturing must be performed personally by the master, not by an appointed agent [רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, צפנת פענח]. The selection of the ear over any other body part is deeply rooted in the revelation at Mount Sinai. It was the ear that heard the divine command against stealing, yet the individual stole and was consequently sold into servitude. In the case of a person who sold himself out of destitution, his ear heard the proclamation that the Israelites are God's exclusive servants, yet he chose to cast off the yoke of heaven to acquire a human master. Therefore, the ear that heard but failed to obey is the organ that bears the punishment and the mark of disgrace [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה, חב״ד, חתם סופר]. Moreover, in the ancient world, ear piercing was a widely recognized mark of slavery or dedication to idolatry. The Torah utilizes this familiar symbol to brand the servant with disgrace, simultaneously distancing Israel from adopting similar idolatrous customs [שד״ל, קאסוטו, אם למקרא].

Regarding the duration of this newly established servitude, the servant is bound to his master for a prolonged period. While some commentators interpret this commitment literally, suggesting the servant remains enslaved for the rest of his natural life [רשב״ם, שד״ל, קאסוטו, דברי דוד], the primary approach maintains that his service lasts only until the Jubilee year. In the biblical context, an assertion of permanent servitude does not necessarily imply eternity, but rather a lengthy, defined era [אבן עזרא, ביאור יש״ר]. The Jubilee, occurring once every fifty years, marks the longest cycle in the Israelite calendar. When it arrives, a renewed world of freedom opens for the servant, allowing him to return to his original, liberated status [אבן עזרא, רמב״ן, דעת זקנים]. The terminology used to describe this extended duration is linked to the concept of elevation, signifying that during the Jubilee, the servant is elevated back to his dignified, free state [הכתב והקבלה]. Finally, this extended commitment binds the servant exclusively to his master. Should the master die before the Jubilee year, the servant goes free immediately and is not passed down as inherited property to serve the master's son [רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, רש״ר הירש, חזקוני].