‘Eternal’ means relevant 3,300 years ago too — what that implies about mitzvot like the laws of slavery.
Q. How can we understand mitzvot that seem to be “outdated”?
Tfilin was never “in style”, even 3,300 years ago! The eternal mitzvot are, by definition, above time. Many of the most popular mitzvot today among newly observant intellectual Jews, are those which at first glance, may seem outdated (e.g. upon observing “Family Purity”, you’re amazed at the beauty, logic and benefits). Regarding the mitzvot which seem to “contradict” modern morality, we must remember that “eternity” means not only that the Torah applies today, but also the reverse: that it also had to be relevant 3,300 years ago! In a both morally and technically primitive world, where agriculture obligated slavery, and it was legal among gentiles, even to kill one’s slave, in order to be relevant and slowly raise the level of their primitive morality, the most the Torah could, and did command, was to treat slaves in a relatively high and honorable way. Our rabbis summarize those laws, that “He who bought a slave, acquired a master for himself”. It was davka a result of these laws that mankind, slowly but surely began to see slavery in a negative light, until its eventual abolishment in most countries. The Torah doesn’t obligate slavery, yet begrudgingly allowed it, when it was economically necessary and morally accepted, within exacting moral constrictions. A good analogy is that it would be an exaggerated demand for the Torah to prohibit eating meat even today. The Torah obligates the minimum, and to “over-obligate” morality before its proper time, would be artificial, irrelevant and accordingly, counterproductive. Nevertheless, the Torah’s obligating morality towards animals, will eventually influence, and according to Rav Kook, as a result, we won’t want to eat meat anymore, a return to the ideal of Gan Eden. In addition, the Sanhedrin is precisely for that purpose, to make sure the Torah is always relevant and continuously raising mankind. For more, see my classes: https://www.yeshiva.co/ask/6045 and https://www.yutorah.org/sidebar/lecturedata/990385/Parshat-Zachor:-Amalek-&-Other-Mitzvot-that-Seem-%22Immoral%22
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