Jubilee Years; It's Importance To Two Religions: Jews and Christians

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                   

The Jubilee talked about in the New Testament is from the Tanakh and  in the encyclopedia under Sabbatical Year and Jubilee and even brings to mind the number 7 to my mind. For some Christians, they have connected the Jubilee to the coming of the Messiah.  What's going on here? They are waiting for a Jubilee year. 

Christians connect the Jewish Jubilee to the Messiah by seeing Jesus' first-century ministry as fulfilling the Jubilee's promises of liberty to captives and restoration. They cite Jesus' declaration in the synagogue at Nazareth, quoting Isaiah 61, where He proclaimed He had come "to preach the acceptable year of the LORD" (the Jubilee). This ministry of spiritual freedom from sin, through His death and resurrection, is seen as the spiritual Jubilee that enables people to return to God, while the final, physical Jubilee will be fully realized at His second coming.   We Jews are still in waiting for the Messiah's one and only appearance.  That's one big difference in our religions.  

 Our body's cells are said to die off and replace themselves every seven years.  Number 7 is considered by many as a lucky number.  7 days make a week.  In Jewish law and tradition, the number seven (7) is the most sacred and symbolizes completeness, wholeness, and perfection, often seen in the seven days of Creation and the weekly Shabbat. Its significance extends to annual cycles like the Sabbatical year (Shmita), holidays such as the seven-day festivals of Passover and Sukkot, and mourning rituals like sitting Shiva for seven days. The seven-branched menorah and the seven Noahide Laws for humanity also highlight its profound importance in Jewish life and law.

The Torah ( the first five books of theTorah-- Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Ascribed to Moses, it is now held by some scholars to be a compilation from texts of the 9th to 5th centuries BCE. called  by Greek name, the Pentateuch )                                 ordains a rest from farming in Eretz Yisrael once in 7 years (Lev. 25:3).  Any crops in the 7th year are communal property.  The year following 7 fallow years, ( of farmland) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production."incentives for farmers to let the land lie fallow in order to reduce grain surpluses" )  that is, the 50th year---is the Jubilee (Lev. 25-:8) when cultivation is also prohibited, slaves are freed, and land, purchased since the previous Jubilee, reverts to its original owner.  

      Here's is its importance to us on Yom Kippur.

The Jubilee year was proclaimed by sounding the ram's horn on the Day of Atonement (Day of Judgement) .  The relevant laws are discussed in the talmudic tractate SHEVIIT.  According to halakhah, the commandments of the Jubilee year are valid only when all Jews are resident in their land, each tribe in its territory.  Nevertheless, ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel observe the Sabbatical year (such as 5754 which was 1993-1994).  

The most recent sabbatical year (Shmita) according to Jewish law was 2021–2022, corresponding to the Hebrew year 5782. This observance, which includes resting the land and releasing debts in Israel, concluded around Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in September 2022. The next sabbatical year will begin on September 20, 2028, or the Hebrew year 5789.   Our calendar goes up to the year, 6,000. 

Isaiah was a prophet.  He prophesied in Jerusalem from the death of King Uzziah until the middle of Hezekiah's reign (740-701 BCE), and was from a noble family, closely connected withthe royal court and under King Hezekiah, was prominent in Publicaffairs. 

He was against moral laxity;   kindness, pity, and justice to the poor and underprivileged are more significant to G-d thanoffering sacrifices.  The hand of G-d is predominant in all 

historical events, even Assyria serving only as an instrument ofDivine anger.  He opposes all treaties with neighboring states;Israel as the people of G-d must trust solely in Him, The peopleof Israel will be punished for its sins but not exterminated;  aremnant will return and renew the link between G-d and the Landof Israel.  

Christians connect Jubilee with Isaiah 61.  Isaiah is telling us    that the spirit of Hashem/Elohim  is telling him; to bring tidingsto the humble, to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for captives and release from bondage for the imprisoned..(now I'm thinking of our hostages).  to proclaim a year of favorto Hashem and a day of vengeance for our G-d, to comfort allmourners, to ring about for the mourners of Zion to give themsplendor instead of ashes, oil of joy instead of mourning, acloak of praise instead of a dim spirit.  they will then be called "elms of righteousness, the planting of Hashem in which toglory."  They will rebuild the ancient ruins, the wastelands offormer times they will restore.....Israel of today has certainlyall that.   

Our Stone Edition comment is:  favor (for his people), vengeance (for their enemies) 

The Jubilee year was designed to maintain social and economic balance within the Israelite community, prevent extreme poverty and the concentration of landownership, and remind them that the land ultimately belonged to God. 

The Jubilee year in ancient Israel, as described in Leviticus 25, significantly impacted farmers: Land restoration: All leased or mortgaged land was to be returned to its original owners, ensuring that ancestral lands remained within families and preventing permanent land loss due to debt.Freedom from servitude: Farmers or their family members who had fallen into debt and become bonded laborers were to be set free. This provided a chance to restart and regain economicindependence.Economic reset: The Jubilee system acted as a check on wealth accumulation and fostered social equity by periodically restoring property and releasing those in servitude, according to faithworksfinancial.org. Trust in God's provision: Farmers had to trust God to provide for them during the Jubilee year, as agricultural work was to cease.

Isn't this the first indication of land management and not wearing

it out?  The land rests every 7 years.

The practice of letting land lie fallow, or rest, for a year to replenish soil nutrients dates back to ancient times, after the Biblical days of Moses (1391-1271 BCE) .  Ancient civilizations like the Mayans and Javanese used fallow systems to sustain soil fertility. The Romans also practiced a form of crop rotation that included a fallow period where land was left unplanted. They understood that different plants drew different nutrients and that leaving the land fallow could help it regain its fertility. 

The three-field system, which incorporated a fallow year as a regular practice, emerged in Europe during the medieval period (around the 9th century and became widespread by the 12th century), according to Fiveable Library. This system involved dividing arable land into three sections and rotating crops and fallow periods to maintain soil health. Therefore, the understanding and practice of letting soil rest for a year is an ancient practice, not a modern discovery, and was systematized during the medieval period. (800-1100 CE) .

Resource:

Tanakh, Stone Edition

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia