Jewish Forums

Hey folks! I’m new here. It sure is cozy to be posting on a forum like the good ole’ days ( 2000s ). I’m a lay anthropologist, and lately I’ve been interested in Judaism. I was wondering if anyone knows what is said about human slavery and slave trafficking/upkeep in the Shulchan Aruch. Slavery was still prevalent at this time, and I am mainly curious about the real history of how it began to go the way of the dodo. 

Thanks Everyone

At the time of the Jewish Scriptures, slavery existed in the world as the norm. The Torah which applied to the Israelite community, sought to convert slavery of Israelites into a work contract, at the expiry of which the owner/employer was required to give the departing worker a financial boost to help them become independent. People who fell into servitude usually did so due to debt. 

This system did not apply to non-Jews, due to, as I assume, slavery being normal for the non-Jewish world.