ויקרא, פרק כ״ג, פסוק כ״ב

The spiritual heights of the yearly festivals are deeply intertwined with profound social responsibility. Amidst the detailed laws governing holiday sacrifices, an unexpected pause demands that agricultural landowners share their harvest with the most vulnerable members of society. Positioned uniquely between the spring festivals of Passover and Shavuot and the autumn holy days, this mandate merges divine worship with human compassion.

The primary approach among commentators is that this integration teaches a profound spiritual lesson: one who properly provides agricultural gifts to the poor is considered as having built the Temple and offered sacrifices within it [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, אור החיים]. Because these gifts are given out of an absolute divine command, they express the will of God even more powerfully than voluntary charity, equating the surrender of personal property to a formal sacrifice [גור אריה]. Just as the festivals themselves channel abundance into the world, leaving a portion of the harvest for the impoverished acts as a conduit for blessing [העמק דבר]. Furthermore, since the festival of Shavuot lacks intermediate holiday days, the harvest period and the distribution of these agricultural gifts serve to complete and extend the joy of the festival [חתם סופר].

Alternatively, a broad consensus connects this mandate directly to the preceding agricultural offerings—the barley measure brought on Passover and the two wheat loaves offered on Shavuot. A farmer might assume that a field harvested specifically for a divine offering is exempt from supporting the poor. The directive emphasizes that a religious duty never overrides the obligation to care for the weak; even a field harvested for a sacred purpose remains subject to these social laws [רמב״ן, רשב״ם, טור, אבן עזרא, כלי יקר]. On a conceptual level, after thanking God for a successful harvest through an offering, a person must demonstrate true internalization of the message that the land belongs to God. This is achieved by ensuring a dignified existence for the impoverished and the stranger [ספורנו, רלב״ג, רש״ר הירש, פירושי רד״צ הופמן].

This mandate deliberately repeats a previous injunction to double the severity of the prohibition, meaning that one who denies these gifts to the poor violates two separate negative commandments [רש״י, רבנו בחיי]. However, unlike earlier instructions, the obligations regarding vineyards are omitted here. This omission reflects the seasonal focus on the spring and summer grain harvests, whereas the gathering of grapes occurs later, near the autumn festival of Sukkot [שפתי כהן, כלי יקר, ביאור יש״ר].

The instructions address the community collectively before focusing on the individual farmer. This shift teaches that even if a field is worked by multiple partners, the individual who physically completes the harvest bears the responsibility of leaving the corner unharvested [חומת אנך]. The personal focus also stresses that providing for the poor is not merely a collective state tax, but a deeply personal duty resting on every single farmer [פירושי רד״צ הופמן]. Conversely, the initial collective address serves to exclude fields harvested by non-Jews prior to their conversion [מלבי״ם]. The obligation requires leaving the physical edge of the field untouched. Yet, if a farmer forgets and inadvertently harvests the entire field, the duty is not canceled; the appropriate measure must still be separated from the gathered sheaves [הכתב והקבלה].

During the harvest, stalks naturally fall from the sickle or the hand. The owner is explicitly warned against gathering these gleanings [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. This restriction ensures the owner does not collect the fallen grain to hand it to a favored relative or specific individual, but rather leaves it available for anyone in need. This restriction applies universally, meaning even an impoverished farmer is forbidden from gathering the gleanings of his own field [מלבי״ם, בכור שור]. The law requires the owner to completely abandon the produce rather than actively distribute it. The farmer must relinquish all control, leaving the grain in its raw state with its chaff, and must not intervene or assist anyone in taking it [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, משכיל לדוד, מלבי״ם]. These provisions are strictly reserved for the poor and the stranger, specifically referring to a righteous convert who is in need of sustenance [שפתי כהן].

The overarching framework concludes with a reminder of God's ultimate authority. God declares Himself as the Lord of everyone involved—the wealthy harvester and the impoverished gleaner alike. He stands as a faithful guarantor to reward those who fulfill His will and care for the vulnerable [רש״י, ספורנו, פירושי רד״צ הופמן]. Simultaneously, He acts as a strict judge, warning that those who misappropriate the gifts meant for the poor may be punished with financial ruin, eventually becoming dependent on those very gifts themselves [מלבי״ם, שפתי כהן].