To me - if the Torah believes in slavery (and it's not the kind of cruel
slavery you may think of - but nevertheless it is human ownership), then
that means it IS humane. Aye, WE (modern day thinkers) think it's not
humane?
150 years ago, they did NOT think it was inhumane. 100 years ago, if
someone would walk on the beach the way women do today, they thought that
THAT was inhumane. How can you disgrace a human to walk like that in
public? Today we do not think that bikinis in public is inhumane or
disgraceful. So who is right? The people of 150 years ago or the people
of today? What will the people of 150 from now (in the future) think
of us and our feelings of inhumane? Enter on stage the infinite Torah
and gives the definite answer. End of case.
A friend added the following: We must allow and use the Torah to form our
opinions and attitudes - not the civilizations that have come and gone.
If we believe in a G-D given Torah and the Torah is G-D's manual to us,
then when any question comes up, we must learn from it what our opinion
should be.
Eli