1. My notes state that Arachin 32b rules that Yovel is to be observed only when all the Tribes reside in Israel, each in its own Biblical portion of the land.
2. I have also heard we don't keep Yovel because we don't know the correct count (which seems unlikely due to Seder Olam, calendars, etc.).
3.. I have also heard that Yovel will not be kept until the Jews are safe in Israel.
Have you heard all 3? What is the halachah? Are the other 2 non-halachic opinions baloney?
Barry Epstein, Dallas, USA
The first is true, and so says Rambam (Shemitah 10:8).
It is true that there is a question as to when the count ended and if they counted the Yovel during the years of the Second Temple, so the actual date of Yovel is in question. However this is not the reason that it is not kept.
D. Zupnik
The fact that Yovel was not counted during the years of the Second Temple was not out of negligence but due to Halachic factors. That is, Halachically, when Yovel does not apply it is not counted either. The difference of opinion that I mentioned is when the Chachamim of the time deemed that Yovel no longer was to apply or to be counted.
(This does not affect the laws of Yovel today. When the Chachamim deem that we may again start counting Yovel, we will start from year one.)
D. Zupnik