Purchasing a Slave
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Question
Hello, In Leviticus 25:44, we learn about a slave who can be sold into servitude, a foreigner outside of Israel, and can be used for carrying clothes to the bathhouse, putting on shoes, etc. Was this common in biblical times? Was it something only for wealthy people? In today's reality, it's hard to imagine something similar except for foreign workers assisting the elderly who struggle to function.
Answer
Hello
Until not many years ago, it was very common to own a slave.
It is clear that one needed to have wealth for this, but the Gemara explains that there were extremely poor people who sold themselves for food just to sustain themselves.
A slave is not a hired worker or a 'foreign worker', but complete property and possession of the master.