Reeh 15:3 · unit 3

TT #285 · Parashas Reeh · Sixth Aliyah · Passuk 15:3

The Complete Passuk

אֶת־הַנׇּכְרִ֖י תִּגֹּ֑שׂ וַאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ אֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ תַּשְׁמֵ֥ט יָדֶֽךָ׃

Of a foreigner you may exact it; but that which is yours with your brother your hand shall release.

Chabad.org — 15:3

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Gittin.

Sefaria — Gittin

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
תַּשְׁמֵט יָדֶךָ – יָדְךָ תַּשְׁמֵט וְלֹא הַמּוֹסֵר שְׁטָרוֹתָיו לְבֵית דִּין, לְפִיכָךְ תִּקֵּן הִלֵּל פְּרוֹזְבּוּל מִפְּנֵי תִּקּוּן הָעוֹלָם.

English: "Your hand shall release" — your hand shall release, but not one who delivers his documents to the court; therefore Hillel instituted the prozbul for the sake of the social order.

On the daf / in context: By transferring the debt to the court the creditor removes it from the category of a private claim that must be released; Hillel formalized this mechanism so that people would continue to lend.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Gittin) — the scriptural basis of the prozbul.

What Is Learned

A debt that has been delivered to the court is not cancelled by shemittah; this is the foundation of Hillel’s prozbul ordinance.