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You asked

what are the ethical considerations for creditors and debtors if we were to implement a form of 'release' today?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 15:1-2

At the end of every seven years you shall make a release. This is the law of the release: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because Yahweh’s release has been proclaimed.

This passage is part of Moses's instructions to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. It outlines laws for how they are to live together in community, including rules about property, justice, and how to treat one another, especially the poor and vulnerable.

What does it mean for a society to intentionally build in mechanisms for financial fresh starts for its members?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 25:8-17

    This describes the Year of Jubilee, a broader release of debts and return of land every fifty years.

  • Matthew 6:12

    This New Testament prayer connects forgiveness of sins with forgiving those who owe us.

  • Nehemiah 5:1-12

    This passage shows a historical instance where leaders had to address and rectify exploitative lending practices.

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