3,805. Selling Unplantable Land

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 11:13

If the landowner sold crevices filled with water or rocky land unfit for planting, he may redeem them in less than two years. This is derived from Leviticus 25:15, which says “years of crops”: only land fit for growing crops is not redeemed in under two years. If the owner didn’t redeem this land, it returns to him in yoveil even though it’s not suitable for planting.

Hilchos Shemittah v’Yoveil 11:14

If the landowner sold (fruit-bearing) trees, they may not be redeemed in under two years because they can generate produce. If he didn’t redeem them, they do not return in yoveil as per Leviticus 25:27: “he shall return to his ancestral property,” meaning real estate, not trees.