she had not become a wife of second rank in the house of her master, the owner was obligated to let her be redeemed by her relatives; he could not sell her as a slave (Exodus 21: 7-8). After six years, unless the slave requested otherwise, a male slave was released. If he chose to remain with the master, he would be released at the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25: 40) whether or not he wanted to be released. According to Mishnah Gittin 4: 6, it was forbidden to sell a Jewish slave to a non-Jew. According to the Talmud, the Hebrew slave was to be regarded as his master's equal. "You should not eat white bread, and he black bread; you should not drink old wine, and he new wine. . .Hence, it has been declared that whoever acquires a Hebrew slave acquires a master." The land of Israel was not founded on a slave system....
