Commentary for Kiddushin 41:14
ר"א אומר וגאל את ממכר אחיו חובה אתה אומר חובה או אינו אלא רשות ת"ל בכל גאולה תתנו הכתוב קבעו חובה
But is there a man in Israel who has no kinsman?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Every Jew must have relatives, if he goes back far enough.');"><sup>21</sup></span> Hence it must refer to him who has [a kinsman,] who [however] refuses to repurchase it, [thus shewing] that he has [merely] an option. R'Eliezer said: 'and he shall redeem that which his brother hath sold' [implies] an obligation.
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
The Talmud responds that the similarity between houses in a walled city and open fields is that relatives have an obligation to redeem both of them (as long as they have the ability to do so). This accords with R. Eliezer, who holds that whenever relatives can redeem land or houses sold by their family, they must do so. R. Joshua holds that it is an option, not an obligation.
This allows us to restore R. Sheshet’s answer—relatives may not redeem houses in walled cities.
This allows us to restore R. Sheshet’s answer—relatives may not redeem houses in walled cities.
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