Pursuing lofty spiritual goals must never distract us from our more basic responsibilities. Ketzirat ha-omer must not come at the expense of pei’a and leket.
The Torah in Parashat Emor reiterates the commands of pei’a – leaving a corner of one’s field for the poor – and leket – allowing the poor to collect stalks that fall during harvesting (23:22). The mention of these mitzvot here in Parashat Emor is surprising not only because of the repetition, but also because of the context. These commands appear in the midst of the section known as parashat ha-moadim, which presents the laws relevant to the festivals on the Jewish calendar. Specifically, they appear at the conclusion of the Torah’s discussion of the special korban shetei ha-lechem sacrifice offered on Shavuot. The question naturally arises as to why the Torah found it necessary to repeat these commands in the context of the moadim.
The likely answer, as noted by several commentators, is that the Torah here presents the laws relevant to the onset of the harvest season. In this particular segment of the parashat ha-moadim, the Torah commands that the first portion of harvested barley must be placed on the altar as an offering on the 16th of Nissan, and then, seven weeks later, on Shavuot, the first portion of harvested wheat should be baked into bread and offered as a sacrifice. Thus, as the Torah speaks here of the laws relevant to the new harvest season, it added a “reminder” about the obligation to leave certain portions of the harvest for the poor.
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l developed this explanation further. He noted that the context in which the obligations of pei’a and leket are presented here in Parashat Emor differs drastically from the context in which they appear earlier, in Parashat Kedoshim (19:9). The command in Parashat Kedoshim is preceded by a series of prohibitions relating to interpersonal offenses, such as theft, false denial of charges, withholding owed wages, abusing the deaf and blind, judicial misconduct, and revenge. In this context, the Torah seems to address those who seek to profit through unscrupulous and devious means, corrupt individuals who are not concerned with the basic rights of others, and are thus prepared to deny the needy members of society their rightful share. Here in Parashat Emor, by contrast, the Torah addresses those who are involved in ketzirat ha-omer, who are harvesting grain to bring to the Temple and offer as a sacrifice. Here, the concern is not that a person would deny the poor their share out of greed and selfishness, but rather that one may overlook the responsibility to care for the poor as a result of his preoccupation with lofty religious pursuits. And for this reason, the command is repeated in this context. Whereas earlier the Torah included pei’a and leket amid its admonition against selfishness and corruption, here the Torah mentions pei’a and leket as a reminder that our involvement in the sacred endeavor of ketzirat ha-omer does not absolve us of our obligations to the needy.
Pursuing lofty spiritual goals must never distract us from our more basic responsibilities. Ketzirat ha-omer must not come at the expense of pei’a and leket. We are to be ambitious and driven, and set for ourselves high and demanding religious standards, while ensuring to never forget the fundamental values and principles upon which a Torah lifestyle is to be built.
Courtesy of Yeshivat Har Etzion - www.etzion.org.il