Thoughts on the Parasha 5775 - by Rabbi Bernie Fox, Head of School
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(Reprint from 5772)
Parshat Emor 5775
19 Iyar 5775 - May 8, 2015
Two Aspects of Chesed
And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Bnai Yisrael and say unto them, “The appointed times of Hashem, which you shall
proclaim to be sacred convocations, these are My appointed times:” (Sefer VaYikra 23:1-2)
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field. Neither shall you gather the
gleanings of your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor, and for the stranger. I am Hashem your G-d. (Sefer VaYikra 23:22)
1. The Torah’s review of Pe’ah and Leket
In Parshat Emor, the Torah repeats the commandments of Pe’ah and Leket. These commandments require the owner of a field of
grain to share a portion of the harvest with the poor and needy. The mitzvah of Pe’ah directs the owner to leave standing the grain
in one corner of the field. Those in need are permitted to enter the field and harvest this portion of its produce for themselves.
Leket applies to the grain that inadvertently falls to the ground during the process of reaping. Individual ears or pairs of ears that
drop to the ground are to be left to the poor and needy.
Both of these commandments were earlier introduced and described by the Torah. Why are these commandments delineated
again? It is also interesting to note the context in which the Torah repeats these commandments. As is evident from the first set
of passages cited above, this section of the Torah describes the annual festivals and holidays. It provides a complete list of all
sacred days over the course of the calendar year. The text begins with a brief reference to Shabbat. It continues with a discussion
of Pesach and concludes with a discussion of Succot. In the midst of this discussion of the festivals – immediately following the
discussion of Shavuot – the Torah inserts the reference to Pe’ah and Leket. What relevance do these mitzvot have to the Torah’s
discussion of the festivals?
And Hashem spoke unto Moshe saying: Speak unto Bnai Yisrael, and say to them, “When you come into the land which I give to
you and you shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the Omer – the first-fruits of your harvest to the kohen. And he shall wave
the Omer before Hashem, to be accepted for you; on the day after the shabbat the kohen shall wave it.” (Sefer VaYikra 23:9-11)
You shall proclaim on the selfsame day; there shall be to you a sacred convocation. You shall do no manner of servile work. It is a
statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. (Sefer VaYikra 23:21)
2. Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot as harvest festivals
Some of the commentators respond to these questions based upon the specific context in which the mitzvot of Pe’ah and Leket
are reiterated. As explained above, the section in which these mitzvot reappear discusses the annual festivals. However, more
specifically, the review of these mitzvot is inserted immediately after the discussion of Shavuot.
The Torah’s discussion of Shavuot is fascinating. The festival of Shavuot corresponds with the anniversary date of the Sinai
Revelation. The liturgy for the festival consistently refers to Shavuot as the celebration of Revelation. However, the Torah never
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Thoughts on the Parasha 5775 - by Rabbi Bernie Fox, Head of School
specifically describes Shavuot as a celebration of Revelation.
In fact, the identification of Shavuot with Revelation and the
characterization of Shavuot as a celebration of Revelation are
found exclusively in the Oral Law or Tradition. How does the
Torah – the Written Law – describe Shavuot?
The Torah describes Shavuot as a harvest festival. In the
above text, three annual harvest festivals are described. The
first is Pesach. Pesach is observed at the beginning of the
harvest season. The barley crop is the first grain harvested.
On the second day of Pesach, the Omer sacrifice is offered.
This is a grain offering composed of the first harvested ears
of the barley crop. From the day of the offering of the Omer,
seven weeks or forty-nine days are counted. On the fiftieth
day, a second special grain offering is presented. This offering
– the Two Loaves – is composed of two leavened loaves of
bread baked from fine wheat flour. The final passage cited
above explains that the day on which the Two Loaves – the
Sh’tia HaLechem – are offered is a full festival replete with
a prohibition against labor. Of course, the festival to which
the passage refers is Shavuot – the Festival of the Weeks.
The final festival described in the text is Succot. Succot is
described as the third of the harvest festivals. It is observed
at the time at which the grain has been gathered-in and
stored. It celebrates the completion of the annual agricultural
cycle.
In short, the Torah describes Shavuot as a harvest festival and
the time of its observance corresponds with the harvest of
the wheat crop. Fittingly, the description of Shavuot focuses
upon the offering of the Sh’tai HaLechem – a grain offering
composed of fine wheat loaves.
3. Observance of Pe’ah and Leket is equated to the
rebuilding of the Temple
One of the interesting explanations for the insertion of a
review of Pe’ah and Leket into this text is provided by Rashi.
He asserts that the Torah inserts its review of Pe’ah and
Leket at this point in order to communicate an essential
lesson. One who fulfills the mitzvot of Pe’ah and Leket is
regarded to be on par with a person who builds the Sacred
Temple and offers his sacrifices therein.1 Rashi at various
points in his commentary echoes the message of the First
Temple prophets. Hashem requires that we treat our fellow
human beings with kindness, dignity, and justice. We cannot
disregard this expectation and replace obedience to these
standards with worship through sacrifices. Sacrifices are
intended as a catalyst for personal growth and spiritual
achievement. If instead, devotion to worship through
sacrifices replaces proper treatment of our fellow human
beings or is employed as an excuse for disregarding the
Torah’s expectations of social conduct, then the sacrifices
have been perverted and profaned.
4. The value and pitfalls of a personal sense of sanctity
Rashi’s comment and the message that it communicates are
important on two levels. First, Rashi is forewarning us against
a very real and observable behavior. Ritual worship does
1 Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer VaYikra
23:22.
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provide the worshiper with a sense of sanctity. This sense of
sanctity can have a positive or a negative effect. It can be a
positive influence if it motivates a person to act at a higher
standard in all aspects of his life. One’s sense of heightened
sanctity can motivate a person to relate to Hashem and to
treat others in a manner that reflects the sanctity that the
person feels. In this instance the person does not merely
sense sanctity. He is aware of it. In other words, his actions
reflect that he has truly sanctified himself and is acting out of
an awareness of personal sanctity.
However, sometimes this sense of personal sanctity has
a negative impact. This person feels that his sanctity is
completely secured through meticulous attention to ritual
law. Through the scrupulous attention to every detail of
ritual law the person attains a sense – actually, a delusion – of
personal sanctity. Secure in this delusion, the person neglects
his obligations to his fellow human beings or may even act
in a mean and abusive manner. Because of his delusion of
sanctity, he feels entitled to disregard the needs and rights of
others.
5. The Torah’s revolutionary concept of G-d
Rashi’s comment and message is significant on a second
level. It is commonly acknowledged that through the Torah
monotheism was established as a major theology. However,
the Torah was revolutionary in another area. The pagan
gods were perceived by their worshipers as powerful deities.
These deities had many of the character flaws that were
evident in humanity. In fact, the pagan worshipers based
their understanding of their gods and their behaviors on a
human model. The pagan gods were subject to greed, lust,
jealousy, anger, and even capriciously careless behavior.
Above all, the heathen god was focused upon his own needs
or desires. The worshiper’s duty was to placate his deities
and thereby earn their favor and protect himself from their
wrath.
The Torah introduced a completely revolutionary concept.
The G-d of the Torah demands that we serve Him through
the manner in which we treat one another. He is perfect
and selfless. We worship Him in order to elevate ourselves.
Through growing closer to Him and more devoted to His
will, we are inspired to act with kindness and justice toward
others.
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall
not wholly reap the corner of your field. Neither shall you
gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not glean
your vineyard. Neither shall you gather the fallen fruit of
your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the
stranger. I am Hashem your G-d.
You shall not steal. Neither shall you deal falsely, nor lie
one to another. You shall not swear by My name falsely, so
that you profane the name of thy G-d. I am Hashem. You
shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of
a hired servant shall not abide with you all night until the
morning. (Sefer VaYikra 19:9-13)
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Thoughts on the Parasha 5775 - by Rabbi Bernie Fox, Head of School
6. Pe’ah and Leket are discussed in two contexts
Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra offers an alternative explanation
for the insertion of this review of the mitzvot of Pe’ah and
Leket. He comments that because Shavuot is observed at the
time of the harvest the Torah reviews other mitzvot – Pe’ah
and Leket – that are performed at the time of the harvest.2
Superficially, this comment seems simplistic and contrived.
These commandments were described only a few chapters
earlier. These commandments can only be understood as
related to the harvest. Why does a discussion of the harvest
festivals require a review of these commandments?
The above passages contain the previous discussion of
Pe’ah and Leket. This discussion is somewhat different from
the discussion in Parshat Emor. One of the most notable
differences is the context of the discussion. In these passages,
Pe’ah and Leket are described in the opening passages of
a text that deals primarily with social responsibility. After
describing Pe’ah, Leket, and related mitzvot, the Torah
outlines a number of commandments that direct us to deal
honestly, fairly, and sensitively with one another. What
message is communicated by the placement of Pe’ah and
Leket in this context?
And it was in the days when the judges judged, that there
was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bet-Lechem in
Yehudah went to sojourn in the field of Moav – he, and his
wife, and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech,
and the name of his wife Na’ami, and the names of his
two sons were Machlon and Chilyon – Ephrathites of BetLechem in Yehudah. They came into the field of Moav, and
continued there. And Elimelech, Na’ami’s husband died.
And she was left, and her two sons. (Megilat Ruth 1:1-3)
7. The practice of chesed as enlightened self-interest
Megilat Ruth opens with a description of the death
of Elimelech. The passages do not provide an explicit
explanation for his death. Later, Na’ami identifies his death
as a punishment for wrongdoing. However, she does not
specifically identify the wrongdoing committed by her
husband. The commentators explain that the opening
passages provide an allusion to the wrongdoing committed
by Elimelech and offer a number of suggestions as to the
specific sin. Midrash Lekach Tov suggests that Elimelech fled
the Land of Israel rather than share his wealth with those who
were suffering from the famine. Lekach Tov continues and
quotes an interesting comment of the Talmud. The Talmud
explains that poverty is akin to a rotating wheel. It never
vanishes. It may recede like a spot on a wheel that is rotating
away from the observer. However, as the wheel continues to
rotate, the spot will reappear before the observer. Poverty
may seem distant to an individual. However, the misfortunes
that produce poverty recur again and again. If a person
avoids poverty in his own life, he cannot be assured that his
children will have the same experience. Even if his children
are not subjected to poverty, he should not expect that his
grandchildren will also be safe from want.3
2 Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Sefer VaYikra 23:22.
3 Rabbaynu Tuvia ben Eliezer, Midrash Lekach Tov, Introduction to Megilat
Ruth.
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Lekach Tov is explaining that Elimelech’s flight represented
a lack of social responsibility. Society is a community of
individuals interacting in a manner that benefits the members.
Elimelech’s failure to help others and promote chesed –
kindness – represented a delusion or blindness. Everyone
needs a helping hand at one time or another. If a person
succeeds in avoiding poverty, he should not assume that his
descendents will enjoy the same success. When we promote
chesed, we are engaged in an activity of enlightened selfinterest. At a future point, we may need the chesed and
compassion of others. Certainly, our descendants will need
the chesed of others.
This is the message of the Torah’s earlier treatment of Pe’ah
and Leket. In that discussion these mitzvot are presented
as part of a system of social responsibility. Pe’ah and Leket
are described in the context of measures commanded by
the Torah that foster a mutually supportive and productive
community.
8. Chesed as a reflection of Hashem
As noted above, the passages in Parshat Emor that discuss
Pesach place emphasis on the Omer sacrifice. It is interesting
to note that the discussion of the Omer begins with the
statement, “When you come into the land which I give unto
you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the Omer
offering of the first-fruits of your harvest to the kohen”. The
phrase “which I give to you” seems superfluous. However,
this phrase communicates an important message that is
introductory to the entire subsequent discussion. The Land of
Israel is a gift from Hashem. Its harvest and its produce are an
expression of His chesed. Sefer HaChinuch suggests that this
message is the fundamental theme of the Omer sacrifice and
the Sh’tai HaLechem of Shavuot. The harvest must be received
with thanksgiving. We express our gratitude to Hashem and
acknowledge His chesed through these sacrifices.4
Now, Ibn Ezra’s comments can be more fully appreciated.
Pesach and Shavuot are occasions on which we recognize
Hashem’s chesed toward us as expressed through the harvest.
Our acknowledgement of this chesed gains expression not only
through the offering of the Omer and Sh’tai HaLechem but also
through our fulfillment of the mitzvot of Pe’ah and Leket. Our
observance of these commandments is a personal reflection
through our own behaviors of Hashem’s chesed. Furthermore,
by sharing with the less fortunate, we demonstrate that the
produce of our fields is a gift of kindness from a benefactor
who requires that we share with others.
In short, the Torah’s two discussions of Pe’ah and Leket are
designed to communicate two aspects of chesed. Chesed is
behavior of enlightened self-interest. Only a fool believes that
he or his descendants will not need the help of others. When
we promote chesed, we help assure that others will respond
to our needs when we are the less fortunate. Acts of chesed
are also an acknowledgment of Hashem’s chesed toward us.
When we act with chesed toward others we emulate Hashem
and acknowledge His kindness to ourselves.
4 Rav Aharon HaLeyve, Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 302
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