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1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release.

3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:

5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:

14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.

16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

17 Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

19 All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

20 Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household.

21 And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God.

22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.

h.מקץ שבע שנים AT THE END OF SEVEN YEARS [THOU SHALT MAKE A REMISSION] — One might think that this means seven years after each individual loan! Scripture, however, states, (v. 9) “[Take heed unto thyself lest there be in thy heart a word of worthlessness, saying], The seventh year … approacheth [and thine eye be evil against thy brother and thou givest him nought]”! Now, if you say that the seven years spoken of here mean seven years after each individual loan, i.e., after the granting of the loan to each individual person, how can one say, at the time the request for a loan is being made, “it (the seventh year) is coming near?” Consequently you must learn from this that Scripture means seven years according to the reckoning of the Sh’mitta-period (Sifrei Devarim 111:8).

h.שמוט כל בעל משה ידו means as much as שמוט את ידו של כל בעל משה THERE SHALL BE A RELAXING OF THE HAND OF EVERY CREDITOR.

h.את הנכרי תגוש OF ANY ALIEN THOU MAYEST EXACT IT AGAIN — This implies a positive command (Sifrei Devarim 113:1).

h.אפס כי לא יהיה בך אביון HOWBEIT THERE SHALL BE NO NEEDY AMONG YOU — But further on (v. 11) it states, “For the needy shall never cease out of the land”! But the explanation is: When you do the will of the Omnipresent the needy will be amongst the others and not amongst you, if, however, you do not the will of the Omnipresent, the needy will be amongst you (Sifrei Devarim 114:1).

h.אביון denotes a person who is more destitute than an עני. The term אביון (from the root אבה “to long for”, “to desire”; cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:6) denotes one who longs for everything (because he lacks everything) (Leviticus Rabbah 34:6).

h.רק אם שמוע תשמע ONLY IF THOU WILT CAREFULLY HEARKEN [UNTO THE VOICE OF THE LORD THY GOD] — then לא יהיה בך אביון THERE SHALL BE NO NEEDY AMONGST YOU.

h.שמוע תשמע [IF] THOU WILT CAREFULLY HEARKEN — The repetition of the verbal form suggests: If one listens a little (if one shows the determination to obey) he is caused to listen to many things (he gradually becomes obedient to every divine command) (Sifrei Devarim 115:1; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 11:13).

h.כאשר דבר לך [FOR THE LORD GOD BLESSETH THEE] AS HE PROMISED THEE — and where did He promise you this? In the statement, (Deuteronomy 28:3—12) “Blessed shalt thou be in the city, etc.” (Sifrei Devarim 116:1).

h.והעבטת AND THOU SHALT LEND ON PLEDGE — In the case of every term that denotes transacting a loan when it refers to the lender, the Hiphil form is appropriate to it (to cause a person to do something: here, “you will make many people to be borrowers” i.e. you will lend to them), as for instance, והעבטת, והלוית; while if it stated וְעָבַטְתָּ (in the Kal), it would apply to the borrower, meaning “thou wilt borrow on pledge”, the same as ולוית (“and thou will borrow”, which in Kal refers to the borrower).

h.והעבטת גוים AND THOU SHALT LEND ON PLEDGE UNTO [MANY] NATIONS — One might think that you might do this in that you will borrow from one nation and lend to another! Scripture, however, states, “but you shall not borrow” (Sifrei Devarim 116:2).

h.ומשלת בגוים רבים AND THOU SHALT RULE OVER MANY NATIONS — One might think that at the very same time other nations will be ruling over you! Scripture, however, states, “but they shall not rule over you (Sifrei Devarim 116:3).

h.כי יהיה בך אביון IF THERE BE AMONG YOU A NEEDY MAN — The most needy has preference (Sifrei Devarim 116:4);

h.מאחד אחיך ONE OF THY BRETHREN — thy brother on thy fathers side has preference over thy brother on thy mother’s side (Sifrei Devarim 116:5);

h.שעריך [WITHIN ANY OF] THY GATES — this implies that the poor of thine own city have preference over the poor of another city (Sifrei Devarim 116:6; cf. Rashi on Exodus 22:24).

h.לא תאמץ THOU SHALT NOT MAKE [THY HEART] OBSTINATE — There are people who painfully deliberate whether they should give or not, therefore Scripture states, “thou shalt not make thy heart obstinate”; there again are people who stretch their hand forth (show readiness to give) but then close it, therefore it is written, “thou shalt not close thine hand” (Sifrei Devarim 116:10-11).

h.מאחיך מאביון [NOR CLOSE THINE HAND] FROM THY NEEDY BROTHER — If you will not give him you will become in the end a brother of the needy (become as needy as himself) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 116:12).

h.פתח תפתח [BUT] THOU SHALT SURELY OPEN [THINE HAND] — even many times (Sifrei Devarim 116:13).

h.כי פתח תפתח BUT THOU SHALT SURELY OPEN [THINE HAND] — Here, you see, the word כי has the meaning of “but” (whilst e.g.. in v. 7 it means “if”, in v. 10 “because”).

h.והעבט תעביטנו AND THOU SHALT LEND HIM ON PLEDGE — If he does not want a gift, give it to him as a loan (cf. Sifrei Devarim 116:14; Ketubot 67b).

h.די מחסרו [LEND HIM ON PLEDGE] SUFFICIENT FOR HIS NEED — but you are not commanded to make him rich.

h.אשר יחסר לו [SUFFICIENT FOR HIS NEED] IN THAT WHICH HE LACKETH — This implies: you must provide him even with a horse to ride on and a slave to run before him (if he was accustomed to such and now feels the lack of them) (Sifrei Devarim 116:16; Ketubot 67b).

h.לו — implies that you must help him even to get a wife; for so it states. אעשה לו עזר כנגדו “I will make a helpmate for him (לו)” (Sifrei Devarim 116:17; Ketubot 67b).

h.וקרא עליך AND HE CRY [UNTO THE LORD] AGAINST THEE — One might think this is a command (“he shall call against thee”). Scripture, however, states, (Deuteronomy 24:15) “[At his day thou shalt give him his hire … he is poor], so that he may not call against thee [unto the Lord]” (Sifrei Devarim 117:5).

h.והיה בך חטא AND IT BE SIN UNTO THEE — under any circumstances, even if he does not cry against thee. But if this be so, to what end is it written “and he cry against thee”? It suggests that I will make greater haste to punish thee because of him who cries, than because of one who does not cry (Sifrei Devarim 117:5).

h.נתן תתן לו THOU SHALT SURELY GIVE HIM — even hundred times (Sifrei Devarim 117:6).

h.לו implies between him and you (privately) (Sifrei Devarim 117:7.)

h.כי בגלל הדבר הזה BECAUSE THAT FOR THIS THING [THE LORD THY GOD SHALL BLESS THEE] — (the word is taken in its literal sense of “word”, for it would have sufficed to state כי בגלל זה suggesting): even if you only say (intend) to give but are later unable to do so you will receive a reward for the mere saying (intention) together with the reward for the action (Sifrei Devarim 117:8).

h.על כן means מפני כן BECAUSE OF THIS.

h.לאמר suggests: I give you good advice for your own benefit (Sifrei Devarim 118:2).

h.לאחיך לעניך [THOU SHALT SURELY OPEN THINE HAND] UNTO THY BROTHER, TO THY POOR — open thine hand to thy brother, to which brother? To the poor one.

h.לעניך written with one Jod denotes one poor man, but ענייך with two Jods denotes two (or many) poor, i.e. it is a plural form.

h.כי ימכר לך IF [THY BROTHER …] BE SOLD UNTO THEE by others (not one that sells himself as a servant on account of his destitution, of which case Scripture deals in Leviticus 25:46 ff); Scripture is speaking of one whom the court has sold for a theft that he has committed. But has it not already been stated. (Exodus 21:2) “If thou buyest an Hebrew servant” and there, too, Scripture speaks of one whom the court has sold (as proved by Rashi in his comment on that verse; Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 21:2:1)?!. But the repetition was necessary because of two new points that are stated here: the one is that it is here written “or an Hebrew woman”, that she, too, like a man-servant, goes free at the end of six years of servitude — it does not mean a woman whom the court had sold, for a woman cannot be sold by the court on account of a theft committed by her, since it states, (Exodus 22:2) that the thief shall be sold “for his theft” which implies: he for his theft, but not she for her theft (Sotah 23b); — but what Scripture is speaking of here is of a woman under age whom her father has sold as a handmaid, and it teaches you here that if six years of servitude terminate before the time that she shows signs of incipient puberty she goes free. And further it mentions a new point here, viz., “thou shalt furnish him (or her) liberally” (cf. Rashi on Exodus 30:4).

h.הענק תעניק THOU SHALT FURNISH HIM LIBERALLY — The noun from the root ענק denotes an ornament worn high up on the body which thus easily comes within sight of the eye (i.e. is conspicuous), (cf. ענק, a giant, someone who towers on high) — i.e. you shall furnish him with something that will make it patent that you have been kind to him. There are some who explain the word הענק to mean loading on his (the servant’s) neck.

h.מצאנך מגרנך ומיקבך [THOU SHALT FURNISH HIM LIBERALLY] OUT OF THY FLOCK, AND OUT OF THY FLOOR, AND OUT OF THY WINE PRESS — One might think I have this duty in respect to these things only! Scripture, however, states “that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee [shalt thou give him]” implying, of all with which thy Creator hath blessed thee. Why, then, are these alone specifically mentioned? To teach you the following: How is it with these things? They have the characteristic that they come under the term of “blessing”, (i.e. they possess the power of propagating) so, too, you are obliged to furnish him only with such things that come under the term “blessing”, thus excluding mules, (because they are sterile) (Sifrei Devarim 119:3; Kiddushin 17a). — Our Rabbis have derived in Treatise Kiddushin 17a by reasoning from the analogous expressions found in certain texts (גז“ש) what quantities one must give him of all the different kinds here mentioned.

h.וזכרת כי עבד היית AND THOU SHALT REMEMBER THAT THOU WAST A SERVANT [IN THE LAND OF EGYPT] — and I loaded thee with good things, and did so a second time — from the spoil of the land of Egypt and from the spoil at the Red Sea; so you, too, load him once, and do it again for him (Sifrei Devarim 120:1).

h.עבד עולם [AND HE SHALL BE THY] SERVANT עולם — One might think that עולם has here its usual meaning: for ever! Scripture, however, states, (Leviticus 25:10) “[And ye shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof] and ye shall return every man unto his family”. Consequently, you learn that it (what Scripture terms here עולם), can only mean the period until the termination of that Jubilee cycle (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 21:6:6; cf. Rashi on that verse),

h.ואף לאמתך תעשה כן AND ALSO UNTO THY MAID SERVANT THOU SHALT DO LIKEWISE — i.e. furnish her out of thy property. One might think, however, that Scripture puts her on the same level with the man-servant concerning the piercing of the ear too! It however, states, (Exodus 21:5) “And if the man-servant (העבד) shall plainly say, [I love my lord … then … his lord shall bore his ear through with an awl]” — so you see that a man-servant must have his ear pierced, but a maid-servant does not have it pierced (Sifrei Devarim 122:6).

h.כי משנה שכר שכיר [IT SHALL NOT SEEM HARD UNTO THEE WHEN THOU LETTEST HIM GO FREE …] FOR [HE HATH BEEN WORTH] A DOUBLE HIRED SERVANT [UNTO THEE] — From here they (the Rabbis) derived the law that a Hebrew servant has to do service both by day and by night, and that is double as much as the labor of a man hired for day work only. And what is his service during the night? That his master gives him a Canaanite maid-servant with the object of raising children, and the children belong to the master (Sifrei Devarim 123:1; Kiddushin 15a).

h.כל הבכור… תקדיש ALL THE FIRSTLING MALES … THOU SHALT SANCTIFY [UNTO THE LORD] — But in another passage (Leviticus 27:26) it states, “[Only the firstborn of the beasts …] one shall not sanctify it”? How can these be reconciled? The latter passage means: he must not dedicate it as a different sacrifice (i.e. offer it as an עולה or שלמים instead of as a בכור), whilst here it teaches that it is a duty to say: “Thou art holy as a firstborn!” Another comment is: It is impossible to say that “thou shalt sanctify” is to be taken literally, for it already states in another passage “one shall not sanctify it”; it is, on the other hand, also impossible to take “one shall not sanctify it” literally, since it states “thou shalt sanctify it”. How can these be reconciled? In the following manner: by taking תקדיש in our verse to imply: “thou mayest dedicate” so far as the dedication of its value (הקדש עלוי) is concerned, and then he must give a sum corresponding to the טובת הנאה in it to the Temple treasury, but you must not dedicate it as far as the altar is concerned (i.e. dedicate it as any sacrifice other than as a בכור) (Arakhin 29a: cf. Sifrei Devarim 124:4).

h.לא תעבד בבכור שורך ולא תגז וגו׳ THOU SHALT NOT WORK WITH THE FIRSTLING OF THY HERD, NOR SHEAR [THE FIRSTLING OF THY FLOCK] — The converse case also (working with the firstborn sheep and using the hair of the firstborn calf) have our Rabbis derived to be forbidden, but Scripture merely speaks of what usually occurs (Sifrei Devarim 124:6; Bekhorot 25a).

h.לפני ה׳ אלהיך תאכלנה THOU SHALT EAT IT BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD — Scripture is speaking to the priest (not to the owner to whom תקדיש in the previous verse refers), for we find already stated that it (the בכור) is one of the dues of the priests whether it is unblemished (and its blood and fat portions are to be sacrificed on the altar and the flesh eaten by the priests), or whether it is blemished (when it must not be offered on the altar), for it states, (Numbers 18:18) “and the flesh of them (the firstborn animals, both the blemished and the unblemished) shall be thine” (the priest’s) (cf. Bekhorot 28a).

h.שנה בשנה [THOU SHALT EAT IT BEFORE THE LORD …] YEAR BY YEAR — From here we derive the law that one should not defer it (i.e. sacrificing and eating it) beyond its first year (Bekhorot 28a). If so, one might think that it becomes invalid as a sacrifice as soon as its first year has passed! This is not the case, for it has been put in comparison with the second tithe, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 14:23; cf. Rashi on that verse): “and thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds, and thy flocks”. How is it in the case of the second tithe? It does not become invalid if left over from one year to the other (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 14:28 and 29), so, too, does the firstborn animal not become invalid under the same circumstances, only that it is a meritorious act to offer and consume it within its first year.

h.שנה בשנה (may also be translated A YEAR WITH ANOTHER YEAR) — If one slaughtered it at the end of its first year (an the last day) he may eat it that day and the first day of the next year. This teaches us that it (a firstborn animal) may in all cases be eaten on two successive days and the intervening night (cf. Sifrei Devarim 125; Bekhorot 27b).

h.מום [AND IF THERE BE] ANY BLEMISH [THEREIN, IF IT BE LAME, OR BLIND, OR HAVE ANY ILL BLEMISH, THOU SHALT NOT SACRIFICE IT …] — any blemish is a general statement,

h.פסח או עור LAME OR BLIND is a particularization,

h.כל מום רע ANY ILL BLEMISH — it again comprises them in a general statement. How is it with the blemishes particularised? They have the characteristic that each is a visible (external) blemish and the animal never returns naturally to its original condition (i.e. never becomes free from the blemish). So, too, the general statement includes all such blemishes that are visible and incurable [while in the case of a transitory blemish the animal may be sacrificed when the blemish has disappeared] (Bekhorot 37a; cf. Sifrei Devarim 126:2).

h.רק את דמו לא תאכל ONLY THOU SHALT NOT EAT THE BLOOD THEREOF — This prohibition appears to be redundant, since the blood of no animal may be eaten, but it is mentioned, in order that you should not think: since it (the blemished firstborn animal) is something that in every respect is permitted originally it belonged to a forbidden class of animals — for, you see, it was holy and yet it may be slaughtered outside the Temple, and may be eaten without redemption — and consequently you might think that its blood is also permitted, Scripture therefore states, “However thou shalt not eat its blood”.