Expert: Ovadiah ben Avraham - 10/20/2008

Question
I do not read Hebrew, But I have a semantic question.
In one popular english version of the commandments, the (tenth)commandment proscribing the coveting your neighbor's various assets refers to the "neighbor's servants".
I was interested to know if the ancient Hebrew word used in the Torah refers to "hired help" or to actual slaves.

Answer
Samuel (great name= "G-d heard"),
And great question. I think the answer is both although perhaps not in the way we generally think of slavery (ie from our own past). Perhaps the family owed money to an individual and was unable to pay, etc. Perhaps indentured servant would be a better word than slave. The Torah is explicit in how one's 'slaves' are to be treated. Hope this helps! Shalom