זוהר, בהר י׳Zohar, Behar 10

Segment 1א׳

רעיא מהימנא (ויקרא כ״ה:מ״ו) וְהִתְנַחֲלְתֶם אוֹתָם לִבְנֵיכֶם וְגוֹ', לְעוֹלָם בָּהֶם תַּעֲבוֹדוּ וְגוֹ'. פִּקּוּדָא דָּא לַעֲבוֹד בְּעֶבֶד כְּנַעֲנִי, דִּכְתִּיב, לְעוֹלָם בָּהֶם תַּעֲבוֹדוּ וְאִינּוּן מִסִּטְרָא דְּחָם דְּגַלֵּי עֶרְיָין דְּאִתְּמַר עָלֵיהּ (בראשית ט׳:כ״ה) אָרוּר כְּנָעַן עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה לְאֶחָיו. אֲמַאי עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים. אֶלָּא עֶבֶד לְהַהוּא עֶבֶד עוֹלָם, דְּאִיהוּ עוֹלָמוֹ שֶׁל יוֹבֵל. וְאִי תֵּימָא דְּהָא אָחוּהָּ דְּשֵׁם וְיֶפֶת הֲוָה, אֲמַאי לָא הֲוָה הָכִי כְּוָותַיְיהוּ. וְהָכִי מִזַּרְעָא דְּחָם הֲוָה אֱלִיעֶזֶר עֶבֶד דְּאַבְרָהָם, אֲמַאי לָא הֲוָה כְּוָותֵיהּ, דְּנָפַק צַּדִּיק, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אוֹדֵי בְּבִרְכָתֵיהּ, כַּד בָּרִיךְ לֵיהּ לָבָן.

Ra'aya Meheimna. “And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you,” etc., “of them you shall take your bondmen for ever,” etc. (Lev. 25, 46). This precept is to make a Canaanite slave serve, as it is written, “of them you shall take your bondmen for ever.” And they are from the side of Ham, who uncovered nakedness, of whom it is said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers” (Gen. 9, 25). Why “a servant of servants”? But it means a servant to that everlasting servant, who is the world of the Jubilee. And should you say that he was the brother of Shem and Japheth, why then was he not like them? And so, of the seed of Ham was Eliezer, the servant of Abraham: why was he not like him, for he came forth righteous, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gave assent to his blessing when Laban blessed him?