על החוקים לפרטיהם, ספר ב כ״בOn the Special Laws, Book II 22
א׳
1[110] While laying down this first foundation of moderation and humanity, he built on it by adding years to the number of seven times seven and consecrated the whole of the fiftieth year. This he made the subject of many special enactments, all of remarkable excellence, apart from those which are common to other seventh years.
ב׳
2[111] The first of these enactments is as follows. He considers that alienated estates ought to be restored to their original possessors in order that the apportionments should be secured to the families and that no one to whom they had been allotted should be altogether deprived of the grant.
ג׳
3[112] For since times of adversity often arise which make it necessary for some persons to sell their property, he made provision for the just needs of such persons and at the same time took steps to prevent the purchasers being deceived, by accompanying the permission to the vendors to sell with very clear instructions to the purchasers as to the terms of the transaction.
ד׳
4[113] “Do not pay the price,” he says, “of complete ownership, but only for a fixed number of years and a lower limit than fifty.” For the sale should represent not real property but fruits, and this for two most convincing reasons. One is that the whole country is called God’s property, and it is against religion to have anything that is God’s property registered under other masters. Another reason is that each of the holders has a portion assigned to him by lot, and that this should be taken from him is contrary to the law’s conception of justice.
ה׳
5[114] Anyone, therefore, who before the fifty years are completed has the means to recover his own property, or anyone else very closely related to him, is urged by the lawgiver to take every step to recover the land at the price which he got for it, and not to occasion loss to the purchaser who helped him at the time when he needed it.
ו׳
6[115] On the other hand he sympathized with the poor man and shewed him pity by restoring to him the additional wealth which he originally possessed, excepting fields which had been dedicated by a vow, and therefore rank with votive offerings. Religion forbids that time should affect the validity of a votive offering, and therefore it is ordained that the proper price for such estates should be demanded and that no concessions should be made to the votary.