Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם לֹא תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ בְּקֻצְרֶךָ וְלֶקֶט קְצִירְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם אֲנִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם׃
When you harvest your land, do not go all the way to the corner of your field, and do not collect the leftovers of your harvest. Leave these for the poor and the stranger. I am God your Lord.
These mitzvot are called לֶקֶט (leket, collected) and פֵּאָה (pe’ah, corner). They show up in an unusual place: right in the middle of a description of the holidays and their קָרְבָּנוֹת (korbanot, sacrifices). Why does the Torah interrupt the list of holidays to talk about making sure people who are poor can collect food from the harvest?
לְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּל הַנּוֹתֵן לֶקֶט שִׁכְחָה וּפֵאָה וּמַעְשַׂר עָנִי כָּרָאוּי מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ בָּנָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וּמַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹת לְתוֹכוֹ.
This is to teach us that anyone who gives leket, pe’ah, and other gifts to the poor is considered as if they built the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) and offered the korbanot in it.
- What’s surprising about this? In what way is giving to the poor like bringing korbanot?
יָמִים טוֹבִים כֻּלָּם אֲסוּרִים בְּהֶסְפֵּד וְתַעֲנִית. וְחַיָּב אָדָם לִהְיוֹת בָּהֶן שָׂמֵחַ וְטוֹב לֵב.... אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַשִּׂמְחָה הָאֲמוּרָה כָּאן הִיא קָרְבַּן שְׁלָמִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ מְבָאֲרִין בְּהִלְכוֹת חֲגִיגָה יֵשׁ בִּכְלַל אוֹתָהּ שִׂמְחָה לִשְׂמֹחַ הוּא וּבָנָיו וּבְנֵי בֵּיתוֹ....
וּכְשֶׁהוּא אוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה חַיָּב לְהַאֲכִיל לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה עִם שְׁאָר הָעֲנִיִּים הָאֻמְלָלִים. אֲבָל מִי שֶׁנּוֹעֵל דַּלְתוֹת חֲצֵרוֹ… וְאֵינוֹ מַאֲכִיל וּמַשְׁקֶה לַעֲנִיִּים וּלְמָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ אֵין זוֹ שִׂמְחַת מִצְוָה אֶלָּא שִׂמְחַת כְּרֵסוֹ.
On all days of Yom Tov (holidays), it’s forbidden to mourn or fast. A person must be happy and in good spirits…. Even though the happiness the Torah describes for these days has to do with bringing korbanot, it also includes the obligation to have simhah (joy) for yourself and your family….
When you eat and drink (on holidays), you have to feed the stranger, the orphan, and the widow with the other needy poor. But if you lock your doors… without giving food and drink to people who are poor and suffering—this is not fulfilling any kind of mitzvah of simhah; it’s just simhah for your own belly.
- According to Rambam, are korbanot alone enough to fulfill our obligation of being joyful on Yom Tov? Why? How does our parashah help support Rambam?
- If feeding others is part of the simhah of Yom Tov, what does that teach us about our holidays?
- In what way is feeding others a higher level of joy than having joy in one’s own belly?
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