Parshas משפטים starts off with the דינים of עבד עברי, the Jewish slave. The Passuk says
שש שנים יעבוד ובשביעית יצא לחפשי חנם
He works his master for 6 years and is then released. And in the case of an עבד נרצע, he works his master till the יובל. The תורה continues
אם אדוניו יתן לו אשה
Should his master give him a שפחה כנענית, both her and the children she bears from him remain in slavery after the 6 years or יובל are up.
How is it possible for the תורה to permit a Jewish person marry a non- Jew? The Chofetz Chaim explains that when a man is sold as a slave, he’s committed to doing anything his master would want from him, since that is the definition of an עבד. This includes marrying a שפחה כנענית so that he can bear more עבדים from her,should his master want him to do so.
Continues the Chofetz Chaim, while the עבד עברי commits himself completely to his master, it’s still only limited to the time he spends as a slave. After 6 years or by the יובל, he’s free from all the commitments to his master . But someone who’s a slave to his own passions and cannot say no to his יצר הרע, is not just enslaved for an alloted time, but rather a slave for life, without having any self control.
How then can we ensure we don’t become slaves to our own passions and guarantee that we remain free people?
People tend to think that when seeking and achieving pleasure, we’re actually achieving happiness. But in reality, pleasure and happiness are 2 different things. Pleasure is a momentary enjoyment, whereas happiness is a lasting feeling of content. When seeking pleasure, there’s never a sense of fulfillment, rather one is always seeking more and more. But when one experiences happiness, he feels content in the present moment.
The more we train ourselves to be present and happy the less we will need to seek constant pleasures. And as Yidden, we already have the tools to live a happy and fullfilled life. And that is by learning the Torah and keeping the Mitzvos. By engaging in Torah and Mitzvos in the proper way, we will be in control of our Yetzer Hara, not slaves to it.
We’ll conclude with a story that highlights this point, told over by Harav Yankel Galinsky זצ”ל. Sometime in the 1960’s he got word that an old friend of his had moved to Eretz Yisrael. The friend was a former fellow Talmid at the Novardok Yeshiva in Bialestock. Sadly, after WW2, this friend was no longer observant. Rav Galinky called his old friend and invited him to his house for Shabbos. The friend, however, demurred, saying that he would instead walk to Rav Galinsky’s home in Bnai Brak on Shabbos from the neighboring town of Givatayim. Friday night they waited and waited, but the guest never showed up. Likewise they waited Shabbos day to no avail. Motzay Shabbos, Rav Galinsky called to find out what happened. His friend responded: ” I walked into Bnai Brak and saw the men walking to shul with their children. I saw the ladies walking with their babies in strollers. I saw children playing in the streets. Everyone was dressed in their Shabbos finery and seemed happy and relaxed. ( the entire city of Bnai Brak is closed for traffic on Shabbos) And he concluded: ” Yankel, when I left Yiddishkiet I knew I was losing my עולם הבא. What I didn’t realize is that I was also losing my עולם הזה!”
By living a life of Torah we are guaranteeing ourselves the ability to be happy and free.
Weekly Parsha Shiur 