The Lord's Release
The Lord's Release (Latin: remissionis Domini, Hebrew: שמיטת כספים, shmitat kesafim = monetary remission) is the title given by Deuteronomy 15:2 in the Hebrew Bible to the obligation and practice of releasing debtors from their debts every seventh year within the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah: "Every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he shall not exact it of his neighbour and his brother; because the LORD's release hath been proclaimed." The obligation only applied to the Israelites living in the Promised Land: it did not apply to foreigners. A similar obligation in relation to the release of Hebrew slaves who have served in slavery for seven years is described in Deuteronomy 15:12–18.