Slavery and Racism

The Torah doesn't abolish slavery—it regulates it. There are two categories of slaves in Jewish law:

Vayikra 25:44-46 is particularly stark: "As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the nations that are around you... You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves."

This is not a metaphor. This is not about "indentured servitude." This is a divine endorsement of owning human beings as property, with explicit racial/ethnic distinctions in treatment.

While Judaism is not inherently a race-based religion, certain texts and traditions contain deeply problematic racial attitudes:

The Curse of Ham/Canaan (Bereishis 9:20-27): Noah curses his grandson Canaan to be a "slave of slaves." This text has been used throughout history—by Jews and Christians alike—to justify the enslavement of African people.

Tanya Chapter 1: The foundational text of Chabad Chassidism states that Jewish souls come from the "side of holiness" while non-Jewish souls come from the "side of impurity" (klipah). This creates an ontological distinction—Jews and non-Jews have fundamentally different types of souls.

Kuzari: Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi's philosophical work argues that Jews possess a special spiritual faculty (the "divine element") that other nations lack.

These aren't fringe texts—they're studied regularly in mainstream Orthodox institutions. The racial and ethnic superiority embedded in them is real, and it shapes attitudes that many who leave must actively unlearn.