[Avodah] Torah and slavery

[saul mashbaum]

R' SM
*Although it seems obvious to us that being a salaried employee is a
*straightforward and sensible way to make a living, it is regarded with some
*suspicion in classical Jewish sources. This is because of the shibud the
*worker has to his employer, which borders on slavery (no jokes please). The
*longer the worker contracted for, the more the practice was frowned upon.

R'MYG:

>Yaakov Avinu?

Could you clarify this question? If anything, the miserable experience of YA illustrates the negative aspects of long-term salaried employment; it hardly serves as a model of an ideal way to make a living. It is clear from the Torah that Yaakov was forced into this financial arrangement basically against his will. 
Saul Mashbaum
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