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5) What does the second theme, “The remission of
debts and the restitution of the land” mean?
Cardinal Ravasi explains: “The second theme, which
is equally original, is the remission of debts and the
restitution in pristinum (to the original owner) of alienated
and sold lands. According to the Bible, the land was not
an individual’s possession but belonged to the tribes and
clan families, each of which had its own territory. It had
been given during the famous partition of the land after
the conquest of Canaan, as we read in Joshua (cc. 13-21).
Whenever, for various reasons, a clan lost its land, one
defaulted, in a certain sense, the partition wanted by God.
With the jubilee, in other words, every 50 years, a map of the
promised land as God had intended it was rebuilt, through
the divine gift of the partition of the country among the
tribes of Israel. Everyone therefore received their portion
except for the tribe of Levites, who lived o contributions
oered by the other tribes for their service at the Temple.
The same thing would happen with debts, essentially. At
the beginning of the time of the jubilee, everyone was
equal with the same few possessions. Later, however, some
would have lost their goods due to misfortune, others due
to laziness or inability. After 50 years, one decided to return
to the starting point, so that everyone was at the same level
of absolute, ideal and utopian communion of property, in
equality. Everything was again shared and distributed to
the various tribes.”
“Thus, each family once again obtained its property, its
land and all its sons. In Deuteronomy, this social renewal
is continuously suggested to the Jewish people so that they
could consider it as a social model to be followed, despite