JUBILEE (Year of)
(Hebrew, “yobel”, “trumpet”).
Also considered a “Sabbatical Year”, it took place every 50 years, that is, at the end of a period of 7 times 7 years, and was announced with the sound of trumpets (hence its name) (Lev. 25).
The land was left to rest; each owner recovered the possessions that he had been forced to sell, mortgage or otherwise alienate, except houses located within walled cities; the Hebrew slaves, including their families, were freed (Ex. 21:1-6).
It began with a nine-day festival, which ended with the Day of Atonement.
Through the jubilee, a certain economic balance was preserved, avoiding latifundism and the accumulation of wealth by some while others were left completely dispossessed.
It was also an occasion to intensify the instruction of youth in the law of God and in the fear of his name (Lev. 25:23; Ez. 37:30; Is. 61:2).