[Avodah] Elimelech's land

[Akiva Miller via Avodah]

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that I need a very basic lesson in
the concepts of "redemption" and a "redeemer's" responsibilities.

In my experience, we find two different sorts of redemption in Judaism. (I
was going to write "in Halacha", but it seems that Boaz's actions were more
sociological and ethnic than halachically mandatory.)

One sort of redemption relates to things which have kedusha, and
"redemption" is a process which transfers that kedusha elsewhere (usually
to money). Examples include Pidyon Haben, Maaser Sheni, and many many
others. The other sort of kedusha has nothing to do with kedusha, but
rather ownership of land. If I'm not mistaken, we find this in Shmitta,
Yovel, and ordinary land sales in a walled city (and maybe elsewhere too?).
In these cases, land has been sold outright, but under certain
circumstances, the original owner has a right to buy it back from the new
owner.

AFTER WRITING THE ABOVE, I remembered another sort of redemption, that of
the Goel Hadam. That seems irrelevant, because even though Naomi is now
destitute, and her husband and sons are dead, no murder was committed.

I also found yet another kind of Goel, described in Vayikra 25:47-54: If a
person became poor and sold himself, then close relatives are obligated to
redeem him and purchase his freedom. Although Naomi and Ruth did not reach
that level (slavery), I can easily imagine that a social sort of redemption
would require Tov or Boaz to help them out. I would call this "tzedaka"
(not geula) but I suppose this might be the origin of the rule that one's
primary obligation in tzedaka is to relatives.

Many thanks to all who wrote to me (both on- and off-list), who put so much
effort into helping me learn this subject.

Akiva Miller
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