Leviticus-Chapter-25
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Remember the following truth from our
beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO
THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL
YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven
Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Leviticus 25 presents the foundational laws for the Sabbatical (Shemittah) and Jubilee (Yovel) years, creating a unique, socially conscious system of land stewardship and economic justice. These laws mandate that the land must rest every seventh year, allowing for rejuvenation and ensuring that resources are shared. The chapter emphasizes that the land is owned by אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God), and the people are merely stewards, which serves to prevent permanent poverty and protects the dignity of all individuals.
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Let us read Leviticus
Chapter 25, verses 1-55: Below the verses are the Explanation’s. (The Chapter is from JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
Verses 1-7: “And יְהוָה - the LORD spoke unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying: ‘Speak unto the
children of
Explanation Verses 1-7: The Sabbatical year requires the
land to lie fallow every seventh year, prohibiting farming to allow for a
natural rest, which acknowledges Divine ownership of the land.
Verses 8-12: And thou shalt number seven Sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and there shall be unto thee the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty and nine years. Then shalt thou make proclamation with the blast of the horn on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you; ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy unto you; ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
Explanation Verses 8-12: Following seven cycles of seven
years, the fiftieth year is announced as the Jubilee with the sound of the Shofar on Yom Kippur, initiating a year of liberty and
shared produce.
Verses 13-17: In this year of jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou sell aught unto thy neighbour, or buy of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not wrong one another. According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the crops he shall sell unto thee. According to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for the number of crops doth he sell unto thee. And ye shall not wrong one another; but thou shalt fear thy אֱלֹהִים - Elohim; for I am יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloheichem.
Explanation Verses 13-17: The Jubilee requires the
restoration of ancestral property to its original owner, preventing permanent
land sales and ensuring fair business dealings.
Verses 18-22: Wherefore ye shall do My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat until ye have enough, and dwell therein in safety. And if ye shall say: 'What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we may not sow, nor gather in our increase'; then I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce for the three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the produce, the old store; until the ninth year, until her produce come in, ye shall eat the old store.
Explanation Verses 18-22: The text guarantees a Divine promise of abundance, promising that the sixth year's yield will sustain the people through the transition, reassuring them of security.
Verses 23-24: And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and settlers with Me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.
Explanation Verses 23-24: It is established that the land
belongs to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and the
people are merely temporary residents, which necessitates a system of
redemption for property.
Verses 25-28: If thy brother be waxen poor, and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him come, and shall redeem that which his brother hath sold. And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he be waxen rich and find sufficient means to redeem it; then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return unto his possession. But if he have not sufficient means to get it back for himself, then that which he hath sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee; and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.
Explanation Verses 25-28: Provisions for the poor allow for the redemption of land by a relative, or its automatic return to the original family in the Jubilee year.
Verses 29-34: And if a
man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a
whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of
redemption. And if it be not redeemed within the space of a
full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in
perpetuity to him that bought it, throughout his generations; it shall not go
out in the jubilee. But the houses of the villages which
have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country;
they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee. But
as for the cities of the Levites, the houses of the cities of their possession,
the Levites shall have a perpetual right of redemption. And
if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of
his possession, shall go out in the jubilee; for the houses of the cities of
the Levites are their possession among the children of
Explanation Verses 29-34: Rules for housing distinguish
between walled city homes, which have a limited redemption period, and homes in
open villages or Levite cities, which return in the Jubilee.
Verses 35-38: And if thy brother be waxen poor, and his means fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a settler shall he live with thee. Take thou no interest of him or increase; but fear thy אֱלֹהִים - Elohim; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest, nor give him thy victuals for increase. I am יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloheichem, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your אֱלֹהִים - Elohim.
Explanation Verses 35-38: Support for the poor is
commanded, including the prohibition of interest on loans, driven by the memory
of the Exodus from
Verses 39-43: And
if thy brother be waxen poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee, thou shalt
not make him to serve as a bondservant. As a hired servant,
and as a settler, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year
of jubilee. Then shall he go out from thee,
he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and
unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. For
they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the
Explanation Verses 39-43): When an Israelite falls into
debt, they must not be treated as a slave but as a hired worker, to be released
in the Jubilee.
Verses 44-46: And
as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou mayest
have: of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and
bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do
sojourn among you, of them may ye buy, and of their families that are with you,
which they have begotten in your land; and they may be your possession. And ye may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to
hold for a possession: of them may ye take your bondmen for ever; but over your
brethren the children of
Explanation Verses 44-46: While foreigners may be held as permanent bondservants, the text explicitly forbids harsh treatment of fellow Israelites, maintaining the bond of brotherhood.
Verses 47-55: And
if a stranger who is a settler with thee be waxen rich, and thy brother be
waxen poor beside him, and sell himself unto the stranger who is a settler with
thee, or to the offshoot of a stranger's family, after that
he is sold he may be redeemed; one of his brethren may redeem him; or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is
nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he
be waxen rich, he may redeem himself. And he shall reckon
with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the
year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number
of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give
back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he
shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of
his redemption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be
with him; he shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. And
if he be not redeemed by any of these means, then he shall go out in the year
of jubilee, he, and his children with him. For unto Me the children of
Explanation Verses 47-55: The chapter ensures that if an
Israelite sells themselves to a foreigner, the right of redemption remains
active, reinforcing that all are servants of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim alone.
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My Closing Message:
Leviticus 25 offers a vision for a just society, where economic structures do not create insurmountable poverty and everyone has the chance for a new beginning. By mandating the return of property and debt relief, the Torah emphasizes that all are stewards of the land, called to act with compassion. This chapter serves as a reminder to prioritize social justice and to recognize the inherent dignity of every person.
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