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Shmita

Shmita is the seven-year sabbatical system in Jewish law.

Also called: Shemittah · Sabbatical year

Its biblical rules include agricultural restrictions in the Land of Israel and the remission of certain debts. The debt rule created an obvious credit-market problem: lenders could become reluctant to lend as the remission year approached. The rabbinic prozbul was developed to preserve collection of qualifying debts through a court framework and keep lending available.

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Page Last Updated: 01-Oct-2026