Leviticus 27:18 - Post-Jubilee land redemption value?

Context in Vayikra (Leviticus)

This verse (Vayikra 27:18) appears in the Torah portion of Behar, which discusses the laws of the Yovel (Jubilee year) and the sanctification of fields. The verse addresses a case where someone consecrates a field to the Beit HaMikdash after the Yovel year has already begun, rather than before it.

Rashi's Explanation

Rashi (Vayikra 27:18) clarifies that the verse teaches how to calculate the value of a sanctified field when it is dedicated after Yovel. The Kohen must assess its worth based on the remaining years until the next Yovel, deducting the years that have already passed. For example, if Yovel occurs every 50 years and someone sanctifies a field 20 years after Yovel, the valuation is based on the remaining 30 years.

Rambam's Legal Perspective

In Hilchot Arachin Vacharamin (4:12), the Rambam codifies this law, stating that the sanctified field's value is calculated proportionally to the remaining years of agricultural use until the next Yovel. Since all fields return to their original owners at Yovel, the sanctification only applies until that point.

Talmudic Discussion (Arachin 29a)

The Talmud elaborates that this verse establishes a principle of perutah me'erech—the idea that each remaining year until Yovel diminishes the field's value by a fraction. The Gemara derives from here that the Kohen must make a precise calculation, ensuring the sanctifier pays only for the years the field will actually remain consecrated.

Midrashic Insight (Torat Kohanim)

Torat Kohanim (Behar 7:4) connects this law to the broader theme of honesty in financial dealings with the Beit HaMikdash. Since the field reverts to its owner at Yovel, overcharging for its sanctification would be unethical. The Torah mandates a fair valuation to uphold integrity in sacred matters.

Practical Implications

• The law emphasizes that holiness must align with reality—sanctification cannot extend beyond Yovel’s reset of land ownership.
• It teaches the importance of precise financial calculations when dealing with hekdesh (sanctified property), avoiding even unintentional misuse of sacred funds.
• The diminishing value reflects the temporal nature of human ownership, contrasted with Hashem’s eternal claim to the Land of Israel (Vayikra 25:23).