by
Rabbi Michael Laitner

Parshat Emor

Should we always reap what we sow?

This verse is a restatement of the mitzvot of ‘Peah’ and ‘Leket’ (Vayikra 19,9). These mitzvot obligate farmers to leave a corner of their fields, and to leave produce which falls from their hands at the time of reaping, for the needy to collect.

Why does the Torah restate these mitzvot, especially in the context of the description of the description of the Three Foot Festivals, specifically the ‘Omer’ period between the second day of Pesach and Shavuot?

Rashi, the leading Torah commentator quotes the homiletical teaching of the ‘Midrash’, in the name of Rabbi Avdimi, that the restatement emphasises that whoever observes these mitzvot properly, is considered to have built the Temple and worshipped properly there.

In other words, these mitzvot may seem to be wholly bound up with material, societal matters, but should be taken just as seriously as mitzvot which do not entail any other person’s involvement. Judaism is a religion which promotes meaning through engaging with and attempting to improve the world, not by detaching oneself from it.

Furthermore, the needy should be left to collect what is due to them on their own, which allows them to appear as other reapers, rather than as needy recipients.

These mitzvot play a central role in the Book of Ruth, which we are studying on Shabbat afternoons before Mincha. A major focus of the Book is the performance of ‘Chesed’ - kindness - and how essential it is to Ruth’s character as she entered Judaism. As we move through the weeks to the festival of the giving of the Torah, acts of chesed are emphasised as crucial components in our acceptance of the Torah.