The Torah grants freedom to a bondservant whose master knocks out a tooth or blinds an eye. But does this apply only to adult bondservants? What about a minor — a child bondservant whose tooth is knocked out?
One might argue that only adults qualify. The Torah describes one who "sends away" (the master) and one who "is sent away" (the bondservant). Since the master must be an adult to have legal standing, perhaps the bondservant must also be an adult.
The Mekhilta rejects this reasoning. The Torah says: "Free shall he send him in lieu of his tooth." The phrase "in lieu of his tooth" — without any age qualification — means the rule applies "in any event." A minor whose tooth is knocked out by his master goes free just as an adult would.
This ruling was significant because child bondservants were among the most vulnerable people in ancient Israelite society. They lacked the legal agency to advocate for themselves and were entirely dependent on their masters. The Mekhilta's insistence that the freedom-through-injury rule applies even to minors ensured that the youngest and most helpless bondservants received the same protection as adults. The Torah's word "tooth" has no age restriction. A child's tooth is worth the same as an adult's: freedom.