Peah, Leket, and Shikchah: Gifts for the Poor

וּֽבְקֻצְרְכֶם֙ אֶת־קְצִ֣יר אַרְצְכֶ֔ם לֹ֧א תְכַלֶּ֛ה פְּאַ֥ת שָׂדְךָ֖ לִקְצֹ֑ר וְלֶ֥קֶט קְצִֽירְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תְלַקֵּֽט׃ וְכַרְמְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תְעוֹלֵ֔ל וּפֶ֥רֶט כַּרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֣א תְלַקֵּ֑ט לֶֽעָנִ֤י וְלַגֵּר֙ תַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֹתָ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the ETERNAL am your God.

וַתֹּ֩אמֶר֩ ר֨וּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּ֜ה אֶֽל־נׇעֳמִ֗י אֵלְכָה־נָּ֤א הַשָּׂדֶה֙ וַאֲלַקֳּטָ֣ה בַֽשִּׁבֳּלִ֔ים אַחַ֕ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶמְצָא־חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינָ֑יו וַתֹּ֥אמֶר לָ֖הּ לְכִ֥י בִתִּֽי׃ וַתֵּ֤לֶךְ וַתָּבוֹא֙ וַתְּלַקֵּ֣ט בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה אַחֲרֵ֖י הַקֹּצְרִ֑ים וַיִּ֣קֶר מִקְרֶ֔הָ חֶלְקַ֤ת הַשָּׂדֶה֙ לְבֹ֔עַז אֲשֶׁ֖ר מִמִּשְׁפַּ֥חַת אֱלִימֶֽלֶךְ׃

Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “I would like to go to the fields and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone who may show me kindness.” “Yes, daughter, go,” she replied; and off she went. She came and gleaned in a field, behind the reapers; and, as luck would have it, it was the piece of land belonging to Boaz, who was of Elimelech’s family.

וַתָּ֖קׇם לְלַקֵּ֑ט וַיְצַו֩ בֹּ֨עַז אֶת־נְעָרָ֜יו לֵאמֹ֗ר גַּ֣ם בֵּ֧ין הָעֳמָרִ֛ים תְּלַקֵּ֖ט וְלֹ֥א תַכְלִימֽוּהָ׃ וְגַ֛ם שֹׁל־תָּשֹׁ֥לּוּ לָ֖הּ מִן־הַצְּבָתִ֑ים וַעֲזַבְתֶּ֥ם וְלִקְּטָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א תִגְעֲרוּ־בָֽהּ׃

When she got up again to glean, Boaz gave orders to his workers, “You are not only to let her glean among the sheaves, without interference, but you must also pull some [stalks] out of the heaps and leave them for her to glean, and not scold her.”

כִּ֣י תִקְצֹר֩ קְצִֽירְךָ֨ בְשָׂדֶ֜ךָ וְשָֽׁכַחְתָּ֧ עֹ֣מֶר בַּשָּׂדֶ֗ה לֹ֤א תָשׁוּב֙ לְקַחְתּ֔וֹ לַגֵּ֛ר לַיָּת֥וֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָ֖ה יִהְיֶ֑ה לְמַ֤עַן יְבָרֶכְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}

When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow—in order that the ETERNAL your God may bless you in all your undertakings.

אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שִׁעוּר. הַפֵּאָה, וְהַבִּכּוּרִים, וְהָרֵאָיוֹן, וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, וְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה. אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם אוֹכֵל פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶן בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהַקֶּרֶן קַיֶּמֶת לוֹ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.

These are the things that have no definite quantity: The corners [of the field]. First-fruits; [The offerings brought] on appearing [at the Temple on the three pilgrimage festivals]. The performance of righteous deeds; And the study of the torah.

הַקּוֹצֵר אֶת שָׂדֵהוּ לֹא יִקְצֹר אֶת כָּל הַשָּׂדֶה כֻּלָּהּ אֶלָּא יַנִּיחַ מְעַט קָמָה לָעֲנִיִּים בְּסוֹף הַשָּׂדֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג כב) "לֹא תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ בְּקֻצְרֶךָ" אֶחָד הַקּוֹצֵר וְאֶחָד הַתּוֹלֵשׁ. וְזֶה שֶׁמַּנִּיחַ הוּא הַנִּקְרָא פֵּאָה: וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁמַּנִּיחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה כָּךְ בָּאִילָנוֹת כְּשֶׁאוֹסֵף אֶת פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶן מַנִּיחַ מְעַט לָעֲנִיִּים. עָבַר וְקָצַר אֶת כָּל הַשָּׂדֶה אוֹ אָסַף כָּל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן לוֹקֵחַ מְעַט מִמַּה שֶּׁקָּצַר אוֹ מִמַּה שֶּׁאָסַף וְנוֹתְנוֹ לָעֲנִיִּים שֶׁנְּתִינָתוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג כב) "לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם". וַאֲפִלּוּ טָחַן הַקָּמָה וְלָשׁוֹ וַאֲפָאוֹ פַּת הֲרֵי זֶה נוֹתֵן מִמֶּנּוּ פֵּאָה לָעֲנִיִּים:

When a person harvests his field, he should not harvest the entire field. Instead, he should leave a small portion of the standing grain at the end of his field, as [Leviticus 23:22] states: "Do not completely remove [the grain in] the corners of your field when reaping." [This prohibition applies] to one who reaps and one who uproots. [The grain] left [standing] is referred to as pe'ah. Just as one leaves [pe'ah] in his field, so too, [he must leave pe'ah] for trees. When he gathers his produce, he should leave some for the poor. If he transgressed and harvested the entire field or gathered all of the produce of the trees, he should take some of what was harvested or gathered and give it to the poor. Giving [this produce] fulfills a positive commandment, as it is stated [ibid.]: "Leave it for the poor and the stranger." Even if one ground the flour, kneaded it, and baked it into bread, he should give pe'ah from it for the poor.

מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. כִּי הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא רָצָה לִהְיוֹת עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר, מְעֻטָּרִים בְּכָל מִדָּה טוֹבָה וִיקָרָה וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָהֶם נֶפֶשׁ בְּר[וּ]כָה וְרוּחַ נְדִיבָה. וּכְבָר כָּתַבְתִּי (מצוה טז) כִּי מִתּוֹךְ הַפְּעֻלּוֹת, תִּתְפַּעֵל הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְתִהְיֶה טוֹבָה וְתָחוּל בִּרְכַּת הַשֵּׁם בָּהּ. וְאֵין סָפֵק כִּי בְּהוֹתִיר הָאָדָם חֵלֶק אֶחָד מִפֵּרוֹתָיו בְּשָׂדֵהוּ וְיַפְקִירֵם שֶׁיֵּהָנוּ בּוֹ הַצְּרִיכִים, תֵּרָאֶה בְּנַפְשׁוֹ שׂבַע רָצוֹן וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן וּמְבֹרָךְ, וְכִי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ הִשְׂבִּיעוֹ בְּטוּבוֹ וְגַם נַפְשׁוֹ בְּטוֹב תָּלִין, וְהַמְּאַסֵּף הַכֹּל אֶל הַבַּיִת וְלֹא יַשְׁאִיר אַחֲרָיו בְּרָכָה שֶׁיֵּהָנוּ בָּם הָאֶבְיוֹנִים אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ הַשָּׂדֶה בְּקָמוֹתֶיהָ וַיִּתְאַוּוּ תַּאֲוָה אֵלֶיהָ לְמַלֵּא נַפְשָׁם בָּהּ כִּי רָעֵבוּ, יוֹרֶה בְּנַפְשׁוֹ בְּלִי סָפֵק רֹעַ לֵב וְנֶפֶשׁ רָעָה וְגַם רָעָה תְּבוֹאֵהוּ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סוטה ח, ב) בְּמִדָּה שֶׁאָדָם מוֹדֵד, בָּהּ מוֹדְדִין לוֹ. וְזֶה הָעִנְיָן יַסְפִּיק לָנוּ עַל צַד הַפְּשָׁט גַּם בְּלֶקֶט וְשִׁכְחָה וּפֶרֶט הַכֶּרֶם וְעוֹלֵלוֹת.

It is from the roots of the commandment that God, blessed be He, wanted that His people that He chose be crowned with every good and dear trait and that they would have a blessed soul and a generous spirit. And I have already written (Sefer HaChinukh 16) that through the actions is the soul acted upon and it becomes good and the blessing of God descends upon it. And there is no doubt that when a man leaves a portion of his fruits in his field and he abandons them so that those in need should benefit from it, he shows about himself a satisfied will and a correct and blessed spirit, and that God, may He be blessed, has satiated him with His good, “and his soul will also recline in the good.” But the one who gathers it all into his home and does not leave over blessing that the destitute — who saw the field in its fullness and had a desire to fill themselves with it, because they were hungry — not benefit from it, shows, without a doubt, about himself an evil heart and a bad spirit and evil will come to him. And it is like they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sotah 8b), “In the measure that a person measures, so will he be measured.” And this matter will suffice for us on the level of its simple understanding also for gleanings, forgotten sheaves, fallen grapes of the vineyard and bunchless grapes.