Torah Thoughts
In Parashat Behar, G-d requires the people of Israel to observe the Year of Jubilee! This extraordinary edict ensures that no family is ever forever divested of its land, and that no person is a slave for life. Given that the primary source of wealth at the time was land, these two facts, along with the complete forgiveness of debts (excepts a Jew’s debts to a foreigner) which occurred every seven years (on which our bankruptcy laws are based!) meant that there was no cycle of poverty: there was complete do-over every 50 years!