jubilee

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(Heb. yovel, from which the word "jubilee" is derived). An institution of biblical law providing every 50 years for the release of Hebrew slaves and the restoration of family property. The jubilee was observed after every seven cycles of Sabbatical Years, each cycle being seven years. The Talmud records a dispute over whether the jubilee was a separate year, in addition to the seven sabbatical years in the cycle, or whether the jubilee was observed in the first year of the next sabbatical cycle, so that there would be only 49 years in each jubilee cycle. The jubilee year began on Rosh Ha-Shanah, and when the Shofar (ram's horn) was blown on the Day of Atonement that year "you shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants" (Lev. 25:9-10).

The laws of the jubilee year were such as to enable each Jew to begin life again on an equal basis. Thus, all land sold since the previous jubilee had to revert to the original owner, this ultimately meaning the original families to whom the land had been assigned after Joshua's conquest of the land. All Jewish slaves, including those who had voluntarily accepted a continuation of their slavery after their term had expired, had to be released and given a grant to enable them to begin life anew. If applied perfectly, these provisions would insure that no individual amassed excessive wealth, nor would any Jew be reduced to perpetual poverty and servitude.

All the agricultural laws of the sabbatical year, such as leaving the land fallow, were also in effect in the jubilee year. As the laws of the jubilee year depended on all the 12 tribes living in their own land, the Jews who returned to the Land of Israel after the Babylonian Exile no longer kept these laws.

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For a list of words related to jubilee, see:

• Celebrations, Observances, Rites, and Gatherings - jubilee: special anniversary, esp. twenty-fifth, fiftieth, or sixtieth

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See words rhyming with "jubilee."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - jubilæum

Nederlands (Dutch)
jubileum, jubeljaar, vreugdebetoon, feesttijd

Français (French)
n. - jubilé

Deutsch (German)
n. - Jubiläum

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ιωβηλαίο, ειδική επέτειος

Italiano (Italian)
giubileo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - jubileu (m)

Русский (Russian)
юбилей, торжество

Español (Spanish)
n. - jubileo, quincuagésimo aniversario, aniversario, júbilo, regocijo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - jubileum, jubelår

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
纪念, 喜庆时节, 欢庆, 狂欢, 五十年节

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 紀念, 喜慶時節, 歡慶, 狂歡, 五十年節

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 축제, 환희, 기념제

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 記念祭, 歓喜, 祝祭

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) يوبيل (فضي ذهبي)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יובל, חגיגת יובל, שמחה‬

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