Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Leviticus 25:29/רמב"ן על ויקרא כ״ה:כ״ט
אוְאִישׁ כִּי יִמְכֹּר בֵּית מוֹשַׁב עִיר חוֹמָה בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁמִּמְכַּר בֵּיתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם קָשֶׁה בְּעֵינָיו מְאֹד, וְיֵבוֹשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ בְּעֵת שֶׁיִּמְכְּרֶנּוּ, רָצְתָה הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁיִּגְאָלֶנּוּ בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׁנָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה. וּבַעֲבוּר כִּי הָאָדָם לְשָׂדֶה נֶעֱבָד וּמִמֶּנּוּ יֵצֵא לֶחֶם לְמִחְיָתוֹ, רָצָה שֶׁיֵּצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה בַּיּוֹבֵל. אֲבָל הַבַּיִת לְאַחַר הַיֵּאוּשׁ שֶׁשִּׁנָּה דִּירָתוֹ וְעָמַד שָׁנָה בְּבַיִת אַחֵר, לֹא יַזִּיק לוֹ, כִּי לֹא תִּמְעַט מִחְיָתוֹ אִם יֵחָלֵט. וּבָתֵּי הַחֲצֵרִים עֲשׂוּיִים לִשְׁמִירַת הַשָּׂדוֹת וְלִהְיוֹתָם מוֹשָׁב לְעוֹבְדֵי הָאֲדָמָה, וְעַל כֵּן דִּינָם כִּשְׂדֵה הָאָרֶץ:
1AND IF A MAN SELL A DWELLING-HOUSE IN A WALLED CITY. Since a man finds it very difficult to sell his house, and be disconcerted at the time of the sale, therefore the Torah wanted that he [have the right to] redeem it within the first year [after the sale]. And because man is servant to the field,195 and the bread of his sustenance comes from it, the Torah wanted [that if the seller did not redeem it before the Jubilee], it should go back [to him] in the Jubilee.196 But with regard to a house [in a walled city], after [the seller] has given up hope [of regaining it], by changing his residence and staying for a year in another house, it can no longer cause him harm [if he cannot redeem it after a year], since his [source of] livelihood will not be diminished if it will be forfeited [to the purchaser]. And the houses of the villages [which have no wall round about them]196 are made for the purpose of protecting the fields, and to serve as dwelling-places for those who cultivate the earth; therefore their law [of redemption] is similar to that of the fields of the country [i.e., they may be redeemed at any time until the Jubilee, and in the Jubilee they go back without compensation].