You came from an agrarian family that owned a huge piece of land. This piece of land has been owned by your family for generations. It was a great piece of land that always yielded its crops for you and your extended family.
Now it was your turn to inherit this piece of land. You were looking forward to bearing this responsibility. You knew this day would come, for you have been groomed for it for years. You were determined to walk in the ways of your forefathers who performed this task dutifully, setting for yourself a wise example to follow.
And then things happened. You screwed up. You got into a mess. A huge financial mess. You were supposed to bear the responsibility of providing for your family through this piece of land but you screwed up.
You needed to sell stuff. One by one. You started selling the cows that you depended for milk. You started selling the sheep you depended for wool. You started selling leftover crops. You started selling your house.
And then you started to contemplate the unthinkable. That piece of land, which your family had owned for generations. It had to go. Even if it did, it was still not enough.
And so it was sold. For the outstanding debt that remained, you climbed down from your status of rich landowner and sold yourself into slavery.
The chains yoked onto your wrists. Your ear was bored to mark your new destiny as a slave. This is who you are now.
Years passed and you did this for a long time. Time had went by so fast that you couldn't remember how you got here. That debt seemed too huge to pay. Your tale had been used as a warning to everyone. Every spade you sunk into the soil made you feel the sense of shame from losing that prized land that belonged to your family. After a while even that sense ceased and you no longer felt any pain from that fall.
It was now the end of the year. You marked another year off the years you were in slavery but what does that matter anymore? You've been here so many times. Now you are just happy to get by to be honest.
But at midnight you heard a shout across the lands. There was joy and noise. People were celebrating. You couldn't understand what was the fuss.
You saw a crowd forming and you walked from where you were to that crowd.
And then you heard a proclamation - the proclamation of the jubilee year.
What is that you asked yourself.
Someone familiar with the laws of the land started explaining to you.
"That piece of land that you lost - it is returned to you."
Returned? Why?
"It is the jubilee year, all land titles must return to the original families that owned them."
You are dumbfounded.
"And your debt, it is cleared. You are no longer a slave. Walk free, my son."
But how? Tears were beginning to roll down your cheek.
He smiled at you, held the chains around your arms and proceeded to unlock them, and said "In the jubilee year, everyone gets a second chance."
Now it was your turn to inherit this piece of land. You were looking forward to bearing this responsibility. You knew this day would come, for you have been groomed for it for years. You were determined to walk in the ways of your forefathers who performed this task dutifully, setting for yourself a wise example to follow.
And then things happened. You screwed up. You got into a mess. A huge financial mess. You were supposed to bear the responsibility of providing for your family through this piece of land but you screwed up.
You needed to sell stuff. One by one. You started selling the cows that you depended for milk. You started selling the sheep you depended for wool. You started selling leftover crops. You started selling your house.
And then you started to contemplate the unthinkable. That piece of land, which your family had owned for generations. It had to go. Even if it did, it was still not enough.
And so it was sold. For the outstanding debt that remained, you climbed down from your status of rich landowner and sold yourself into slavery.
The chains yoked onto your wrists. Your ear was bored to mark your new destiny as a slave. This is who you are now.
Years passed and you did this for a long time. Time had went by so fast that you couldn't remember how you got here. That debt seemed too huge to pay. Your tale had been used as a warning to everyone. Every spade you sunk into the soil made you feel the sense of shame from losing that prized land that belonged to your family. After a while even that sense ceased and you no longer felt any pain from that fall.
It was now the end of the year. You marked another year off the years you were in slavery but what does that matter anymore? You've been here so many times. Now you are just happy to get by to be honest.
But at midnight you heard a shout across the lands. There was joy and noise. People were celebrating. You couldn't understand what was the fuss.
You saw a crowd forming and you walked from where you were to that crowd.
And then you heard a proclamation - the proclamation of the jubilee year.
What is that you asked yourself.
Someone familiar with the laws of the land started explaining to you.
"That piece of land that you lost - it is returned to you."
Returned? Why?
"It is the jubilee year, all land titles must return to the original families that owned them."
You are dumbfounded.
"And your debt, it is cleared. You are no longer a slave. Walk free, my son."
But how? Tears were beginning to roll down your cheek.
He smiled at you, held the chains around your arms and proceeded to unlock them, and said "In the jubilee year, everyone gets a second chance."
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