נחמיה, פרק ה׳, פסוק ג׳

A specific group among the people finds itself in a desperate struggle for survival despite owning valuable assets like fields, vineyards, and houses. During a severe famine, the earth fails to yield enough crops to sustain its owners [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. Facing starvation, these property owners are left with no choice but to mortgage their entire estates to their wealthy brothers just to secure loans to buy grain and stay alive [אבן עזרא, שטיינזלץ, רלב״ג].

This dire reality sparks a bitter outcry against the social climate of the time. The struggling landowners direct their frustration at the wealthy class, protesting that these affluent individuals refuse to offer free assistance or share their own resources to help their brothers survive [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Instead of receiving basic charity, the desperate landowners must hand over their properties as pledges for survival.

The arrangement creates a unique economic burden. While other impoverished individuals might suffer by paying interest on their debt, these landowners face a different hardship. The wealthy lenders take control of the mortgaged fields and consume whatever little produce the land still manages to grow. This remaining harvest essentially functions as a form of rent, compensating the lenders for the time they must wait for their money to be repaid [מלבי״ם].