3,806. An Ancestral Field That Changed Hands Multiple Times

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 11:15

Let’s say that person A sold his field to person B. Person B sold it to person C, person C sold it to person D, etc. Even if it changed hands 100 times, it returns to its original owner in yoveil as per Leviticus 27:24: “In the year of yoveil, the field shall return to the one from whom it was purchased, to the one whose ancestral property it is.”

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 11:16

Let’s say that person A – the owner – sold the field to person B for 100 dinar and person B sold it to person C for 200 dinar. If person A chooses to redeem it, he only has to deal with person B. This is as per Leviticus 25:27, which says, “He returns the surplus to the one he sold it to.” If person A sold the field to person B for 200 dinar and person B sold it to person C for 100 dinar, person A redeems it from person C. If person A sold the field for 100 dinar and its value went up while in person B’s possession until it could be sold for 200 dinar, the calculation is made based on the original purchase price. If he sold it for 200 dinar and its value decreased to 100 dinar, the calculation is based on the current value. The general rule is that we always give the legal advantage to the ancestral owner of the property over the buyer.