Q&A: A Canaanite Slave
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
A Canaanite Slave
Question
I don’t know how much you’ll like this question.
What is the Torah’s purpose in having a Canaanite slave, and what is the idea behind converting him against his will? Especially given that we generally do not seek to convert people, etc'.
Answer
I have no idea. It is a matter of the reason for the verse.
Perhaps the assumption here is that the slave lives like a Jew (being obligated in commandments like a woman) while he is a slave, since we do not want people among us who live like gentiles. And once he has risen to that level, he should not descend from it.