Derasha 1 on Behar 25:25

Parashas Behar · Aliyah 4 · Passuk 25:25

The Complete Passuk

כִּֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָכַ֖ר מֵאֲחֻזָּת֑וֹ וּבָ֤א גֹֽאֲלוֹ֙ הַקָּרֹ֣ב אֵלָ֔יו וְגָאַ֕ל אֵ֖ת מִמְכַּ֥ר אָחִֽיו׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Sifra / Kiddushin 21a.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text — Sifra / Kiddushin
כִּי יָמוּךְ אָחִיךָ וּמָכַר. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין אָדָם רַשַּׁאי לִמְכֹּר שָׂדֵהוּ אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן הֶעֱנִי.

English: “If your brother becomes poor and sells…” This teaches that a person is not permitted to sell his field unless he has become impoverished.

Type of Learning

Classical derasha (Sifra / Bavli Kiddushin).

What Is Learned

Sale of ancestral land is permitted only under conditions of poverty; one may not sell merely to raise capital while remaining solvent.