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Friday, May 27, 2022

The first recorded employee complaint based on Torah law?

NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY: Jewish Chutzpah’s Ancient Precedent: Commoner Sues Toxic Boss 2600 Years Ago (Dr. Henry Abramson, Aish.com).
More specifically, this 2600-year-old clay text, called an ostracon, records a common field laborer’s complaint against his abusive employer. It is the very first lawsuit brought by an ordinary Jew that invokes the authority of the Torah to support a claim.
It is more of a complaint to HR or to a supervisor than a lawsuit, but the point remains. It does look as though the worker knows and is invoking his Deuteronomic rights.

For PaleoJudaica posts involving the Yavneh Yam (Mesad Hashavyahu) ostracon, see here and links.

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