The
Jubilee (Hebrew
yovel יובל) year is the year at the end of seven cycles of
shmita (Sabbatical years), and according to
Biblical regulations had a special impact on the ownership and management of land in the
Land of Israel; there is some debate whether it was the 49th year (the last year of seven sabbatical cycles, referred to as the Sabbath's Sabbath), or whether it was the following (50th) year. Jubilee deals largely with land, property, and property rights. According to Leviticus, slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven, and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest. states:
The biblical rules concerning Sabbatical years (
shmita) are still observed by many religious
Jews in the
State of Israel, but the regulations for the Jubilee year have not been observed for many centuries. According to the Torah, observance of Jubilee only applies when the Jewish people live in the land of Israel according to their tribes. Thus, with the exile of the tribes of
Reuben,
Gad, and
Menashe (about 600 BCE) Jubilee has not been applicable.