Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Daily Aliya for Behar, Revii (4th Aliya)

Aliya Summary: A person who sells real-estate has the option of "redeeming" the land from the purchaser -- provided that two years have passed from the date of purchase. The total price for which the land was sold is divided by the amount of years from the time of purchase until the next Jubilee year (when the land would anyhow return to the owner) in order to determine the price per year, and the original owner refunds the buyer however much money he had paid for the remaining years. A relative of the seller may also redeem the land on behalf of his family member.


If you think about it, selling your property means that you have nowhere to live, which means that you're probably looking to work for someone full-time, live-in, which is what selling yourself as a "slave" was, except that it was voluntary (kind of). Either way, Rashi points out that one is not allowed to sell their home voluntarily, only out of necessity. Everyone needs and deserves a place of their own, a place to call home. It's REQUIRED by the Torah.

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