ויקרא, פרק כ״ז, פסוק י״ח

When a person consecrates their ancestral land to the Temple treasury and later wishes to redeem it, a dynamic and fair pricing system ensures equitable payment. Rather than demanding a fixed price, the cost is calculated proportionally to the fifty-year Jubilee cycle. The owner pays only for the potential profit-yielding years remaining before the land naturally reverts to its original family.

For this system to take effect, the consecration must occur at least one year after the Jubilee, as dedicating the land during the Jubilee year itself is entirely void [תורה תמימה, ביאור יש״ר, רד צ הופמן]. The proportional pricing applies even if the land was consecrated immediately after the Jubilee but remained in the hands of the Temple treasurer for several years before the owner decided to redeem it [רש״י, מזרחי]. The valuation encompasses the entirety of the property, including rocky patches or deep depressions that are otherwise unsuitable for planting [אדרת אליהו].

When the time comes to reclaim the property, the owner must pay the entire redemption sum at once, rather than spreading it out over annual installments [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם]. The calculation divides the total field value of fifty shekels across the forty-nine years of the Jubilee cycle. This results in a cost of one shekel and an additional small coin for each year. A standard exchange fee accounts for the slight mathematical discrepancy between the shekels and the years [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, ביאור שטיינזלץ, רד צ הופמן].

The final cost is determined strictly by the full years remaining until the next Jubilee, entirely excluding the Jubilee year itself [תורה תמימה]. Furthermore, this count includes Sabbatical years; although active farming is forbidden, the land still yields valuable natural growth [העמק דבר]. To qualify for a reduced, proportional rate, at least two full years must remain in the cycle. If less than a year is left, the redeemer must pay the full fifty-shekel amount [רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו]. However, the priest overseeing the transaction exercises some discretion. He is permitted to combine stray months to round up to a complete year, helping the owner meet the two-year minimum and benefit from the discount [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם].

The primary approach among commentators is that the overall cost is reduced based on the years that have already passed since the previous Jubilee [רש״י, אבן עזרא]. This deduction remains valid even if the land sat desolate under the Temple's ownership and the treasury gained no actual profit from its produce [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, גור אריה]. Offering a different perspective, some explain that the calculation of remaining time actually points to the years that have already passed and been left behind, emphasizing that these specific years are subtracted from the total fifty-shekel value [הכתב והקבלה].