Comentario sobre Levítico 25:25

כי ימוך אחיך ומכר AND IF THY BROTHER BE WAXEN POOR AND HAS SOLD AWAY [SOME OF HIS POSSESSION] — The introductory words teach us that one is not permitted to sell his real estate except under the pressure of poverty (cf. Sifra, Behar, Chapter 5 1).

כי ימוך אחיך ומכר מאחוזתו, "If your brother becomes poor and has to sell part of his heritage, etc." This paragraph contains cardinal moral-ethical lessons to mankind. Kohelet 10,18 alludes to this when he says: "through slothfulness the ceiling sags." Our sages in Taanit 7 comment on this "you have made "poor" the One of Whom it is said (Psalms 104,3) "המקרה במים עליותיו" "Who sets the rafters of His lofts in the waters;" When people who dwell in the lower parts of the universe stray from the correct path they cause the beneficial outpourigs from the upper part of the universe to cease. They thereby endanger the continuous presence of sanctity on earth. In the final analysis the fate of the universe is determined by the conduct of the creatures who inhabit earth, i.e. "the lower world."

כי ימוך אחיך ומכר מאחוזתו, “When your brother becomes impoverished and sells you a part of his inherited land, etc.” The introduction to this legislation teaches that one does not have the right to sell the land one has inherited in Eretz Yisrael from one’s forefathers except when in economic distress. In addition the Torah teaches that even if one is forced to sell, one should retain at least part of one’s holding.

Proper behavior: that he should leave over some of his field. Because since he may only sell under pressure, why does the verse write “some of his ancestral land”? Since he is under pressure and has to sell, [why not sell] even all of it? Therefore he writes, “The (Torah) taught, etc.” I.e., even if he is under pressure, he should restrict his [expenses] to the best of his ability and not sell it all, but leave for himself, etc. This is easy to understand.

כי ימוך אחיך ומכר מאחוזתו, “if your brother has become impoverished, and as a result had been forced to sell part of his ancestral land holdings;” the Torah implies that this misfortune befell him because he sold the crop that grew in his field during the seventh year. (Compare Rashi) We do indeed find a similar verse that during the period of the prophet Jeremiah, as recorded in Chronicles II 36,20, that the Israelites were forced to sell themselves as slaves to the gentiles in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah, who had stated that this situation would last until the soil of the land of Israel would once more find favour in G–d’s eyes, having paid back the sh’mittah years it had been worked during the seventy years of the first exile.

וגאל את ממכר אחיו, “he shall redeem what his brother had been forced to “sell,” i.e. his body, immediately. When referring to the seller, who had “sold his land,” because of financial distress, however, according to the (Sifra), the Torah adds a proviso, (verse 32) that the law of redemption applies only after a number of years had elapsed, as the interests of the purchaser had to be considered, seeing that he had acted in good faith.

מאחזתו SOME OF HIS POSSESSION — but not the entire property. Scripture thereby teaches you a practical rule that, however needy a man is, he should always leave some immovables (lit., a field) for himself (Sifra, Behar, Chapter 5 1).

And the buyer cannot impede [it]. Re’m writes: This is according to the opinion (Kiddushin 21a) that [when the verse writes], “(a close relative comes) and redeems,” this is a voluntary (Kiddushin 21a). Therefore the verse “and redeems” is saying that the buyer cannot impede the redemption, because if not so, for what do I need “and redeems”? However, according to the opinion that [the relative has] an obligation [to redeem the field] this is no difficulty, as the verse is coming to obligate the closest relative to redeem it. But according to the opinion that it is voluntary, why do I need “and redeems”? Would you think that if he wants to redeem he is not allowed to? Perforce, it is telling us that the buyer cannot impede the redemption.

When the Torah says: ומכר מאחוזתו "and he sells part of his heritage," this is a reference to the משכן, the Holy Tabernacle, which is G'd's heritage. The Torah warns us that our sins may result in G'd "selling off" His heritage, i.e. our enemies appropriating our (G'd's) Sanctuary. We find an allusion to this concept in Psalms 79,1 where Assaph describes the Gentiles as having entered G'd's domain. Midrash Tehillim comments on this verse that the redemption of G'd's Sanctuary is in the hands of the righteous who endeavour to be close to G'd. G'd has already told us this in Leviticus 10,3 when He said בקרובי אקדש, "I will be sanctified by those near Me." "They, the righteous, have to redeem what I had to sell." G'd is perceived as calling on the righteous in their capacity as אחי ורעי, "My brothers and My friends" (compare Psalms 122,8). Redemption will occur when the righteous succeed in awakening the hearts of their contemporaries by convincing them that it is really not in their best interest to spend their time exiled from the table of their Father in Heaven. The righteous have to convince the average Jew that what he considers success in his world is illusory if bought at the expense of forfeiting his respective eternity in a better world. In the future all Torah scholars who have failed in their efforts to convince their peers to adopt a Torah-true lifetsyle, etc. will have to render an account before the highest tribunal. G'd will hold those Torah scholars responsible for the continued disgrace suffered by the Holy Temple.

ובא גואלו, “and his redeemer arrives;” this is a reference to Hashem Who is the Redeemer. We know this from Deuteronomy 4,7: אשר לו אלהים קרובים אליו, “who has the Lord near to him.” (Moses refers to Hashem being constantly close to His people)

וגאל את ממכר אחיו HE SHALL REDEEM THAT WHICH HIS BROTHER SOLD — and the purchaser has no right to prevent it.

וגאל את ממכר אחיו, “who will redeem what his brother had been forced to sell.” The following dialogue is reported as having occurred between the prophet Jeremiah and G–d: “Lord of the universe! You who fulfil the promise of redeeming the Jewish people whom You have referred to as Your brothers, as we know from Psalms 122,8: למען אחי ורעי אדברה-נא שלום בך, “for the sake of My brothers and friends, I pray for your well being;” we also have a similar line in Isaiah 43,14:, “for your sake I have sent to Babylon, etc.” למענכם שלחתי בבלה. [The prophet quotes G–d as reminding the Jewish people that He had sent the Babylonians into exile on account of what they had done to His people. Ed.]