בס״ד

Redeeming or Reclaiming a Sold Home

Leviticus/Vayikra 25:29If a person sells a home that is within a walled city, he may redeem it within a year after the sale.
וְאִישׁ כִּי־יִמְכֹּר בֵּית־מוֹשַׁב עִיר חוֹמָה וְהָיְתָה גְּאֻלָּתוֹ עַד־תֹּם שְׁנַת מִמְכָּרוֹ יָמִים תִּהְיֶה גְאֻלָּתוֹ׃  
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25:31The sale of a house that is not located in a walled city will be effective only until the year of Jubilee.וּבָתֵּי הַחֲצֵרִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לָהֶם חֹמָה סָבִיב עַל־שְׂדֵה הָאָרֶץ יֵחָשֵׁב גְּאֻלָּה תִּהְיֶה־לּוֹ וּבַיֹּבֵל יֵצֵא׃  

The year of Jubilee, which took place once every fifty years, not only marked the date of release of all slaves. It was a reset where all those who had had to resort to selling their ancestral homes reacquired them; the homes and land reverted to their original owners (or their heirs).

This prevented generational, permanent poverty. It was a do-over, and G-d told us it was how it should be.

As a side note, homes within walled cities were the exceptions, but sellers could redeem the homes within a year. Many states’ foreclosure laws have similar redemption provisions, based, I am sure, on the Torah.

Note the parapet, a requirement in flat-roofed homes!

Ingredients as Shown:

Tools:

  • Bowl for powdered sugar
  • Scissors

Instructions:

  1. Snap the graham cracker sheets in half to make rough squares.

2. Put a few tablespoons of the powdered sugar in a bowl. Add water, a few drops at a time, mixing well, adding just enough to form a thick paste.

3. Use this sugar glue to create three sides of a house.

3. Add another half sheet to create a roof.

4. Take one slivered almond at a time (I was out, so used coated pumpkin seeds) or pumpkin seed (easier if you split them and use the flat side toward the “house,” create a parapet (see Deuteronomy / Devarim 22:8) so no one falls off the roof.

5. Dip scissors in the DRY powdered sugar. Cut marshmallow(s) to make a stand for your little bears. Press sticky side to bears.

6. Place bears in their redeemed home!