[א] מנין שאין אדם רשאי למכור את שדהו ולהניח באפודתו; וליקח לו בהמה; וליקח לו כלים; וליקח לו בית – אלא אם כן העני? תלמוד לומר "כי ימוך..ומכר" – הא אינו מוכר אלא אם כן העני. יכול יֵצֵא מכל נכסיו בבת אחת? תלמוד לומר "מאחוזתו" – ולא כל אחוזתו. אמר ר' אלעזר בן עזריה ומה אם לגבוה אין אדם רשאי להחרים את כל נכסיו, על אחת כמה וכמה שיהיה אדם חייב להיות חס על נכסיו! "ובא גואלו הקרוב אליו" – מלמד שהקרוב קודם. "וגאל את ממכר אחיו" – לרבות את הנותן מתנה. 1) (Vayikra 25:25) ("If your brother grows poor and he sells of his holding, then shall come his redeemer who is near to him, and he shall redeem what his brother has sold.") And whence is it derived that one is not allowed to sell his field and to place (the proceeds) in his money-bag to buy an animal or vessels or a house, unless he has become impoverished? From "If your brother grows poor and he sells." — He may not sell unless he becomes poor. I might think that (in that instance) he may give up all of his possessions; it is, therefore, written "of his holding," and not "all of his holding." R. Elazar b. Azaryah said: If one may not dedicate all of his possessions to the Deity, how much more so must he be solicitous of his possessions for himself! "then shall come his redeemer who is near to him": We are hereby taught that the nearest of kin takes precedence. "and he shall redeem what his brother has sold": to include what he has given as a gift.
[ב] "ואיש כי לא יהיה לו גואל" – וכי יש אדם בישראל שאין לו גואלים?! אם כן למה נאמר "גואל"? שהוא יכול לגאול. "והשיגה ידו" – יד עצמו. "ומצא" – שלא ימכור ברחוק ויגאל בקרוב, ברעה ויגאל ביפה, ולא ילוה ויגאול. "כדי גאולתו" – ולא יגאל חציים. 2) (Vayikra 25:26) ("And a man, if there be for him no redeemer, and his hand attain, and he find what suffices for its redemption,") "And a man, if there be for him no redeemer": Now is there a man in Israel who has no redeemers? ("no redeemer" here means) no one who has the means to redeem. "and his hand attain": his own hand, that he not borrow and redeem. "and he find": that he not sell a distant field to redeem one that is close or an inferior one to redeem one that is superior. "what suffices for its redemption": that he not redeem by parts.
[ג] "וחשב את שני ממכרו" – שָנִים הוא מחשב ואינו מחשב חדשים. מנין שאם רצה לעשות חדשים שנה יעשה? תלמוד לומר "וחשב". "והשיב את העודף לאיש אשר מכר לו" – מנין אתה אומר מכרה לראשון במנה ומכר הראשון לשני במאתים, מנין שאינו מחשב אלא עם הראשון? תלמוד לומר "לאשר מכר לו". מכרה לראשון במתאים ומכר הראשון לשני במנה, מנין שאינו מחשב אלא עם האחרון? תלמוד לומר "לאיש" – לאיש אשר בתוכה, דברי רבי. 3) (Vayikra 25:27) ("And he shall reckon the years of its sale and he shall return the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and he shall return to his holding.") "And he shall reckon the years of its sale": He reckons years and not months. Whence is it derived that if he (the seller) wishes to convert months to years he may do so? From "And he shall reckon." "and he shall return the balance to the man to whom he sold it": Whence is it derived that if he sold it to the first for one hundred, and the first sold it to the second for two hundred, that he reckons only with the first? From "to (the man) to whom he sold it." If he sold it to the first for two hundred, and the first sold it to the second for one hundred, whence is it derived that he reckons only with the last? From "to the man" (who is holding it). These are the words of Rebbi.
[ד] ר' דוסתאי בן יהודה אומר מכרה לו מִמָנֶה מָנֶה והשביחה, והרי היא יפה מִמָאתים מאתים; מנין שאינו מחשב אלא מִמָנֶה מנה? תלמוד לומר "העודף" – העודף שבידו. מכרה לו במאתים והכסיפה והעמידה על מנה, מנין שאין מחשבין אלא במנה? תלמוד לומר "והשיב את העודף" – העודף שבקרקע. "ושב לאחוזתו" – בבעל אחוזה דברתי ולא במוכר למוכר. 4) R. Dostai b. Yehudah says: Whence is it derived that if he sold it for one hundred a year and it appreciated in value to two hundred a year, it is assessed at only one hundred? From ("and he [the seller] shall return) the balance" — in his hand (from the original transaction, i.e., one hundred per year). If he sold it for two hundred a year and it depreciated in value to one hundred a year, whence is it derived that it is assessed at only one hundred a year? From "and he shall return the balance" — the balance remaining in the land (at present). "and he shall return to his holding": I (the L–rd) have spoken only of one who will return to his holding, and not of one who sells to another (for profit).
[ה] "ואם לא מצאה ידו" מה תלמוד לומר? מנין אתה אומר אם אינו ענין לבעל השדה תנהו ענין לגואל שיגאל כסדר הזה? תלמוד לומר "אם לא מצאה ידו…"; ולא ילוה. "די השיב לו" – ואינו גואל חציים. 5) (Vayikra 25:28) ("And if his hand does not find what suffices to restore it to himself, then his selling shall remain in the hand of its buyer until the year of Yovel, and it shall go out on the Yovel, and he shall return to his holding.") "And if his hand does not find": What is the intent of this? If it does not apply to the owner of the field, (this already having been stated [28:26, etc.]), learn it as applying to the redeemer, that he redeem in this order: If his hand does not find, etc., he shall not sell a distant field to redeem one that is close, what is inferior to redeem what is superior. "his hand": He shall not borrow and redeem. "what suffices to restore it": that he not redeem by parts.
[ו] "והיה ממכרו ביד הקונה אותו" – לא בהקדש, אלא מוכר ברחוק וגואל בקרוב, ברע וגואל ביפה, ולווה וגואל חציים. 6) "then his selling shall remain in the hand of its buyer until the year of Yovel": The foregoing does not apply to a field which was consecrated (by the buyer) until Yovel. (In that instance) he may sell what is distant to redeem what is close and what is inferior to redeem what is superior, and he may borrow to redeem, and he may redeem in parts.
[ז] אמר ר' שמעון מה טעם? לפי שבהדיוט אם הגיע יובל ולא נגאלה, חוזרת היא לבעלים. ובהקדש אם הגיע יובל ולא נגאלה, יוצאת לכהנים. "עד שנת היובל" – שלא יכנס בה כלום. נמצאת אומר: שדות וכספים משמיטים כאחד. יובל מוציא בתחלתו והשביעית משמטת בסופו (ס"א בסופה). "ויצא ביובל" – אף מן ההקדש."ושב לאחוזתו" – לרבות האשה. 7) R. Shimon said: Why is this (the above) so? Because with mundane (property), if Yovel arrived and it had not been redeemed, it returns (to the original owner), but with sacred property, if Yovel arrived and it had not been redeemed, it remains in perpetuity to the owners (i.e., the Cohanim, and the original owner loses it). "until the year of Yovel": (immediately at the end of the year) that it (Yovel) not enter at all. In sum: Fields (of holding on Yovel) and money (on shemitah) are released as one (on the very end of the seventh year); Yovel releases at its beginning, and shevi'ith, at its end; and it (the field) goes out (to the original owner) on Yovel — even that which was redeemed. "and he shall return to his holding": (anyone who has a holding,) including a woman.