Value of a Person

When a person pledges to donate the value (the demei, דמת ) of a particular person to the temple (i.e. “I pledge to donate the value of that person over there) then he is required to give an amount of money equal to what that person would be worth as a slave.  If person pledges to donate the eirech (ערך) of a person then it is assumed that he is referring to a special evaluation based on the calculations in Vayikra (27: 1-7).  This Parsha outlines the value of people as follows:

Age                                    Male                       Female

30 days – 5 years            5 sheckles              3 sheckles

5 years – 20 years         20 sheckles           10 sheckles           

20 years – 60 years       50 sheckles           30 sheckles           

Over 60                         15 sheckles            10 sheckles           

Rashi says that as a woman ages she retains more of her value than a man does. (Rashi on Vayikra 27:7)

Questions:

1. What is the rate of change for a man when he turns 60?
2. What is the rate of change for a woman when she turns 60?
3. What is the difference in the rate of change between a man and a woman when they reach 60?

Answers:

1. The value goes from 50 to 15 = change 35 35 / 50 = rate of change 70%
2. Change 20- 20/30 = rate of change 66 2/3 %
3. 3 1/3%