Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 119
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(דברים טו יג-יד) וְכִי תְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ וְגוֹ׳ הַעֲנֵק תַּעֲנִיק לוֹ, יָכוֹל אֵין מַעֲנִיקִים אֶלָּא לַיּוֹצֵא בְּשֵׁשׁ? מִנַּיִן לַיּוֹצֵא בַּיּוֹבֵל וּבְמִיתַת הָאָדוֹן, וְאָמָה עִבְרִיָּה בְּסִימָנִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: תְּשַׁלַּח, כִּי תְשַׁלַּח, וְכִי תְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ. יָכוֹל אַף לַמִּשְׁתַּלֵּחַ בְּכֶסֶף אַתָּה מַעֲנִיק? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: וְכִי תְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ חָפְשִׁי מֵעִמָּךְ וְגוֹ׳ – לְמִי שֶׁאַתָּה מְשַׁלְּחוֹ אַתָּה מַעֲנִיק, וְאִי אַתָּה מַעֲנִיק לְמִי שֶׁשִּׁלּוּחוֹ מֵעַצְמוֹ.
(Devarim 15:13) "And when you send him free from yourself … (14) Bestow shall you bestow upon him …" I might think that the bestowal obtains only with one who lives after six years. Whence do we derive (that it similarly obtains) with one who leaves in Yovel, or upon the master's death, (in the instance of) a Hebrew maid-servant, with signs of puberty? From (the redundancy [12]) "you shall send him … And when you send him." "And when you send him": I might think that the bestowal obtains also with one who leaves by a monetary deduction (from his remaining years of service); it is, therefore, written "And when you send him free from yourself": (The bestowal obtains) with one whose being sent away is from yourself, and not from himself (i.e., from his own devices). (Ibid. 14).
מִנַּיִן שֶׁאִם הֶעֱנַקְתָּ לוֹ פַּעַם אַחַת, הַעֲנֵק לוֹ אֲפִלּוּ מֵאָה פְּעָמִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: הַעֲנֵק תַּעֲנִיק.
- Is it possible to say that you should provide even for one who purchases his freedom with money? The Teaching states: “When you set him free from among you”(Dt.15:13). You provide for the one whom you set free; but you needn’t provide for one who purchases his own freedom. How do I know that if you provide for him once, you must provide for him a hundred times?³⁴⁹ 116.3. The Teaching states: “Provide him well with provisions” (Dt.15:14).
footnotes: ³⁴⁹ Cf. Pisqa’
לוֹ – וְלֹא לְיוֹרְשָׁיו.
"Bestow shall you bestow upon him": and not upon his heirs.
מִצֹּאנְךָ מִגָּרְנְךָ וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ, יָכוֹל אֵין מַעֲנִיקִים אֶלָּא מִצֹּאן מִגֹּרֶן וּמִיֶּקֶב הַמְיֻחָדִים? מִנַּיִן לְרַבּוֹת כָּל דָּבָר? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: הַעֲנֵק תַּעֲנִיק, לְרַבּוֹת כָּל דָּבָר. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר מִצֹּאנְךָ מִגָּרְנְךָ וּמִיִּקְבֶךָ? מַה צֹּאן גֹּרֶן וְיֶקֶב מְיֻחָדִים, שֶׁהֵם רְאוּיִים לִבְרָכָה – יָצְאוּ כְּסָפִים, שֶׁאֵינָם רְאוּיִים לִבְרָכָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר: יָצְאוּ פְּרָדוֹת, שֶׁאֵינָן יוֹלְדוֹת.
"from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress": I might think, only from these; it is, therefore, written "wherewith the L-rd has blessed you" — to include all things. If so, why is it written "from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress"? Just as these are distinct in being fit for "blessing" (i.e., fruitfulness), ("bestowal" obtains with all such things) — to exclude money, which is not fit for blessing. These are the words of R. Shimon. R. Eliezer says: to exclude mules, which do not bear.
אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַכְךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ, יָכוֹל נִתְבָּרֵךְ בַּיִת בִּגְלָלוֹ מַעֲנִיקִים לוֹ, לֹא נִתְבָּרֵךְ בַּיִת בִּגְלָלוֹ אֵין מַעֲנִיקִים לוֹ? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״הַעֲנֵק תַּעֲנִיק לוֹ״, מִכָּל מָקוֹם. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַכְךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּתֶּן לוֹ? הַכֹּל לְפִי הַבְּרָכָה אַתָּה מַעֲנִיק לוֹ.
"wherewith the L-rd your G-d has blessed you shall you give him": I might think that if the house were blessed because of him he receives the bestowal; and if not, he does not. It is, therefore, written "Bestow shall you bestow upon him" — in any event. If so, what is the intent of "wherewith the L-rd your G-d has blessed you shall you give him"? The bestowal is in proportion to the blessing.