Peah (the corners of the field) and Shavuot

When she rose up again to glean, Boaz commanded 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.

These are the things that have no measure: Peah [corner of the field which, while harvesting, must be left for the poor], Bikurim [First-fruits that must be brought to the Temple and given to the priest], the appearance-sacrifice [brought to the Temple on Pilgrimage Festivals], acts of kindness, and the study of the Torah.

One should not make the Peah less than one-sixtieth [of the entire crop]. And although they [the Sages] say that there is no definite amount given for Peah, it is all based upon the size of the field and upon the number of poor [who will be collecting it] and upon the abundance of the crop.

And these divide the Peah [corner of the field that must be given to the poor]: a river, a pond, a private road, a public road, a public path, a private path that is permanent during summer and winter days, uncultivated land, plowed land, and a different crop.

Someone who has two hundred Zuz does not take the Leket, Shikcha, Pe'ah, and poor-man's tithes. If he has a Dinar less than two hundred, even if he is given one thousand at once, indeed he may take. If they are pledged to his creditor, or his wife’s marriage contract, indeed he may take. He is not obligated to sell his house or his clothes.

Rabbi Shimon said, “Because of four things the Torah said [that] a person should only give Peah (corners of the field) in the end of his field [and not in the middle or in the beginning relative to where he began to harvest from]. Because of theft from the poor, and because of wasting time of the poor, and because of suspicion, and because of cheaters. How so theft? That [the owner] should not see a time when there are no people there and he will say to a poor person who is his relative, ‘Come and take this Peah for yourself.’ How so wasting time? That the poor will not have to sit and watch [the field] the whole day, but rather since [the owner] gives it in the end [of his harvest of the field, the poor person will] go and do his work, and [then] come and take. How so suspicion? That passersby should not say, ‘Look at so and so that he harvested his field and did not leave from it Peah. And how so because of cheaters? That people should not say, ‘We already gave [Peah].’ Another explanation. That he should not leave the good [portion of the crops for himself] and give [Peah] from the bad [portion of the crops].”

Our Rabbis were taught: When a proselyte comes ... s/he is then informed concerning some of the light commandments, and some of the vigorous commandments [requiring self-denial], so that if upon such information, s/he desires to withdraw, s/he may do so. S/he is then informed of the sin of [neglecting] Leket, Shik'cha, Peah, and Tithes for the poor.