Who Sells Himself and What Tool Pierces the Ear

Our Rabbis taught: one who sells himself is sold for six years and more than six. [One whom the court sold is sold only for six.] Rabbi Eliezer says: both this one and that one are sold only for six. What is the reasoning of the first teacher? The Merciful One restricted, regarding one whom the court sold, "and he shall serve you": you, and not your heir. And the other? Another "and he shall serve you" is written. And the other? That verse comes to teach about the piercing performed by the master. One who sells himself is not pierced; Rabbi Eliezer says he is pierced. What is the reasoning of the first teacher? The Merciful One restricted, regarding one whom the court sold, "and his master shall pierce his ear": his own ear, and not the ear of one who sells himself. And the other? That comes for the verbal analogy: "ear" is said here, and so forth. And the other? If so, let the verse say "ear"; what is "his ear"? Learn from it two things. And the other? That phrase he needs for "his ear" and not her ear [the woman's]. And the other? He derives it from "if the servant shall say," and not the Hebrew bondwoman. And the other? Only when he is still a servant [does the declaration apply]. And the other derives it from "the servant, the servant." And the other does not expound "the servant, the servant." The pierced servant is acquired by piercing, as it is written "and his master shall pierce his ear." And he acquires himself at the Jubilee, as it is written "and he shall serve him forever," meaning the world [olam] of the Jubilee. And by the death of the master, as it is written "and he shall serve him," him and not the son. Our Rabbis taught: "an awl": I have only an awl; how do we know to include the thorn, the splinter, the needle, the drill, and the stylus? Scripture teaches "and you shall take," anything taken in the hand, the words of Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi says: as the awl is distinctly of metal, so all must be of metal. Rabbi expounds by general-and-particular: "and you shall take" is a generalization, "awl" is a particular, "in his ear and in the door" generalizes again; with a generalization, a particular, and a generalization you judge only according to the particular, and as the particular is explicitly metal, so all must be metal. Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Yehudah expounds by amplification-and-restriction: "and you shall take" amplifies, "awl" restricts, "in his ear and in the door" amplifies again; with amplify, restrict, amplify, it amplifies everything. What does it amplify? Every kind of thing. And what does it restrict? It restricts a drug [a chemical means].