The Working Poor 103 halakhic code,“Arba-ah Turim, ”(Tur). For Jacob ben Asher ’s opinion, see Tur 337.6. Interestingly, while Caro comments in his Beit Yosef on the Baal HaTurim ’s ruling, there are no corresponding comments from Isserles ’s Darkei Mosheh.

27. Beit Yosef, s.v.“Ein ha-poel.”

28. Joseph Heinemann,“Status of Labourer in Jewish Law and Society,”( Cincinnati , HUCA, 1954), pp. 310-21.

29. Mishnah Maaserot 2.7; Mishhah Baba Metzia 7.6. In Tosefta Baba Metzia 8.2 it is written:“A worker... has no right to deprive himself of food and starve himself in order to give food to his children.” 30.B.B.M. ll1a 31.M. B. M. 9.11; Heinemann, p. 288.

. Heinemann, p. 287.

3. Sifrato Lev. 19:13; Tosefot B. M. 10:5.

. Sifre to Deuteronomy 24:15. 35. For a good review of the biblical laws of oaths see Menachem Elon , Jewish Law: History, Sources, Principles(Ha-Mishpat Ha-Ivri), Vol.2, pp. 614-15. Mishnah . Shavuot 7:1; B. Shavuot 43b; Shulhan Arukh, Hoshen Mishpat 89:1. 36. In addition to workers, the others who are granted this right are: a victim of a

robbery, the victim of an assault and battery, a person whose adversary is suspected of taking a false oath, and a shopkeeper with his account book. Mishnah Shevuot 7:1.

37. This passage in B. Baba Metzia is paralleled in B. Shav. 45a.

38. Rashi comments:“Fixed takkanot” worthy of uprooting biblical traditions. That is., If the rabbis had followed biblical precedent, the oath should have been imposed on the one who has to pay(following Ex. 22:10).

39. Mishneh Torah, Sekhirut 11:6.