Deuteronomy 15:13 "When you send him away free, you shall not let him go away empty-handed"

Does your mother employ a cleaning lady to help her with the housework?

Besides her pay, your mother may give her an occasional present.

She appreciates her help and shows it with a gift.

The Torah describes a particular type of household help.

This is a Jewish slave who serves in his master's home for six years.

He may have been sold into slavery because he stole and could not return the stolen property. Or he may have sold himself in desperation because he was unable to support himself and his family (See positive Mitzvah 196).

The Torah demands that we present him with gifts when he is freed. We are cautioned not to send him away empty-handed.