Star-K Kosher Certification

Pruzbul
Rabbi Mordechai Frankel, Director of the Institute of Halachah

Jewish law obligates every Jewish person to cancel, after the culmination of the shmittah year, various types of debt due to him or her. This does not apply to a debt owed to beis din.

If a creditor executes a pruzbul, he or she is not obligated to cancel debts. A pruzbul may be executed at any time before the end of the shmittah year. However, since a pruzbul covers only debts already existing at the time of its execution, it is usually implemented at the very end of the year. This Rosh Hashana marks the end of the shmittah year.

When a creditor arranges for the execution of the pruzbul form below before three men acting as a beis din, debts owed to him or her are transferred by the creditor to the beis din, so that the debts will continue to be in force after the end of the shmittah year, and the beis din then authorizes the creditor to collect on their behalf.

A pruzbul is only effective if the debtor owns real property. The property does not need to be worth the amount of the debt. If the debtor does not own property, the creditor must first give the debtor some land before the pruzbul is executed.

The form below was prepared by Horav Moshe Heinemann shlit”a. The reader is encouraged to consult his or her Rav for further explanation and guidance.

Listen to a teleconference discussion with Rabbi Zvi Goldberg and Rabbi Boruch Beyer about Pruzbul. Click Here. ______________________________________________________________________

In the Pruzbul below, the name should be filled in as
פלונית בת פלוני למשפחת פלוני for a man, or פלוני בן פלוני למשפחת פלוני for a woman.
If the Pruzbul is written in Baltimore, the city name should be filled in as מתא באלטימאר .
If the Pruzbul is written on Erev Rosh Hashana, it should be dated ביום שני בשבת תשע ועשרים יום.

______________________________________________________________________

The creditor should say in front of Bais Din:

הן שנה זו היא שנת השביעית ויש לי חובות בשטר ובעל פה על אחרים והריני מוסר לכם בית דין שכל חוב שיש לי שאגבנו כל זמן שארצה כתקנת חז"ל שתיקן הלל פרוזבול

Alternatively, the creditor should say:
“This Year is the Shemittah year, and I have documented and non-documented debts that I am owed, and I submit to you, the Bais Din, every debt due to me, so that I shall be allowed to collect them whenever I wish, as ordained by Hillel”.

______________________________________________________________________

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פרוזבול

ביום _________ בשבת, ______________________ יום לחודש אלול, שנת חמשת אלפים שבע מאות וששים ושמונה לבריאת העולם למנין שאנו מונין כאן מתא ____________, במותב תלתא בי דינא כחדא הוינא ואתא לקדמנא _______________________________________
למשפחת ____________________________
המלוה ואמר לפנינו הן שנה זו היא שנת השביעית ויש לי חובות בשטר ובעל פה על אחרים והריני מוסר לכם בית דין שכל חוב שיש לי שאגבנו כל זמן שארצה כתקנת חז"ל שתיקן הלל פרוזבול.

נאום ______________________ דיין
נאום ______________________ דיין
נאום ______________________ דיין

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Below is an English version of the Pruzbul document

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Pruzbul

In the presence of the undersigned three judges (dayanim), duly constituting a Bais Din, there appeared before us _______________________________ who declared before us as follows: �I hereby turn over to you judges [insert names] ______________________________, _______________________________ and ____________________________, in this place [insert place name] __________________ all of the debts owed to me, whether or not the debts are evidenced in writing, so that I may therefore collect these debts at any time that I desire.�

We the undersigned Bais Din heard the declaration of the above-described person and have empowered such person to avoid having his (or her) debts canceled by Shmitta and he (or she) may therefore collect all of his (or her) debts by virtue of this Pruzbul in accordance with the special enactment of Hillel and Chazal.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we hereby affix our signatures this ________ day of __________, 5768, here in ____________________________.

Signed: ___________________________, dayan
Signed: ___________________________, dayan
Signed: ___________________________, dayan