Lo Tirdeh Bo Beferech

The Torah exhorts the master not to work the slave "Beferech".  Rashi explains that as many other laws regarding ownership of slaves and how one must treat them this law too specifically does not allow you to make a slave do work for you for no reason. Rashi goes on to explain that this means that you cannot ask him to do something for you just for the sake of having him work for you if you have no benefit from that work. Rashi goes further stating that even if the slave does not know that his work is for no purpose it is still prohibited. On the surface it seems harsh that a master cannot for example ask his slave to make him a cup of tea if he does not need it even though the slave will never know that that tea was not used. Why would the Torah prohibit this kind of action while you may work a slave pretty hard doing things that you need? Why is this called "Biferech" and not other kinds of hard labor?

The answer lies in the previous pasuk. That pasuk says "Ki Avadai Hem" because you are my servants. This is coming to tell us that in an ideal world there should not be slaves at all. However due to circumstances (people owe money for stealing) the Torah allowed one to become a master of another human being in these certain instances. We must realize that the concept of slavery where the Torah does not provide a specific allowance (heter) is antithetical to Torah philosophy.

Therefore when a master needs his slaves services he is allowed to avail himself of his slave. However, if the command of the master for the slave does not serve the masters purpose specifically he is just asserting his ownership upon another man, that is prohibited. The Torah calls it avodas perech which might mean like in Mitzraim work for the sake of work not for a certain accomplishment. That type of ownership of man is against gods rule in the world