Study Bava Kamma folio 113B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
indicating that one should not take a Hebrew slave by force and thereby allow him to leave the non-Jew’s jurisdiction. Rather, the Jew must be freed by legal means. One might have thought that it is permitted to deceive him in order to free the Jew. Therefore, the verse states: “And he shall reckon
The Talmud answers that Rav Yosef said: It is not difficult, as this ruling that permits the court to deceive a non-Jew is issued with regard to a regular non-Jew, whereas that verse, which teaches that it is prohibited to deceive a non-Jew, is stated with regard to a non-Jew who resides in Eretz
Abaye said to Rav Yosef: How is it possible to differentiate between a non-Jew and a ger toshav? Aren’t both of them written next to each other, indicating that the same halakha pertains to both? As it is taught in a baraita: One who violates the prohibitions of the Sabbatical Year will be punished
The verse continues and states: “Or to the offshoot of a stranger’s family.” When it says “a stranger’s family,” this is referring to the non-Jew family members of a ger toshav, who are idolaters. When it says “or to the offshoot,” this is referring to a Jew who is sold to idol worship, i.e., to wo
Rather, Rava said: It is not difficult because here, in the case of the slave, the halakha is stated with regard to an actual act of robbery committed against a non-Jew, but there, in the case of the baraita, where it would be permitted to employ deception if not for the desecration of God’s name