Ki Tetze 5772 - English

By Rabbi Daniela Szuster
B´nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica

It is good to forget certain sheaves, from time to time

We can find a large number of mitzvot in Parashat Ki Tetze, in relation to different matters.  Among them, the following precept:  “When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow — in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings” (Deut. 24:19).  This mitzvah is known, in Hebrew, as Shichechah (referring to the forgotten sheaf), and it is part of a group of mitzvoth called Matanot l’Evyonim (gifts to the poor), related to the countryside.

Another of the precepts included in this group is:  “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest… you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the Lord am your God” (Lev. 19:9-10). The edges of the fields had to be set aside for the needy as well; what is called peah.

We could wonder about the purpose of these Mitzvot.  Our first thought could be to enable us to help those in need.  This is true, but when we compare them with other mitzvot where the objective is to help the needy, such as tithes, loans, laws regarding the shmitah and the jubilee, and tzedakah, we may wonder.  In this case, the needy receive a small portion.  Moreover, the fortuitous nature of its fulfillment is odd, seeing that in order to keep the mitzvah of shechichah, we have to forget certain sheaves.  Unlike most mitzvoth, it is carried out without the will to fulfill it: rather, by forgetting.  If I wanted to keep it, I could not, since this would be tantamount to remembering.  A sort of lack of intention is required.

So I will provide some explanations on the subject.  The author of the Sefer HaChinuch believes that the purpose of this commandment is to educate, more than to help.  The fact of having to wash our hands of the forgotten sheaf encourages people to enhance their charitable and generous nature.  The idea, then, is to awake the solidarity in people.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch maintains that the purpose of this mitzvah is not to satisfy the material needs of the poor, but to warn people at harvest time, during their gathering, when they can hold in their hands the goods of the earth and feel proud about themselves saying “this is mine”… to remind them that what is “theirs” is not only “theirs”; in Judaism, what is “mine” has its restrictions. A central idea in our tradition is that we are tenants in this world, and that nobody, with the exception of God, owns the land. This idea can be clearly noticed in the laws of Shmitah (release of the land in the seventh year) and Yovel (Jubilee year).  In this sense, the poor do not take what the owners forget, but rather what God has especially allocated to them.  Thus, the poor get the chance to have their own property, enabling them to tie their sheaves as everyone else.

Another interesting feature of these mitzvot is that the goods are not delivered to the hands of the poor, but rather they have to work and struggle to obtain them.  In the case of the shechichah, the forgotten, they must go and gather it.  In the case of the edges of the field, they must work them to earn their living.  They are not gifts, but rather the possibility of working on the fields and obtaining their own harvest; a chance to empower themselves and gain a place of employment, so that they can become like everyone else.

A few weeks ago we started the month of Elul, the month in which we begin to prepare for the Yamim Noraim, days devoted to reflect on our actions throughout this year. The day of judgment approaches, and according to our tradition, the verdict can change through three paths. One of them is Tzedakah.

Following one of the messages contained in this parashah, let us make an effort to become more sensitive people, let us be aware of the fact that we do not own this world; we are only tenants and we must have the ability to forget and leave behind, from time to time, certain things, so that others may enjoy them.  In addition, let us take advantage of the mitzvoth, so as to educate ourselves and our children, to the purpose of enhancing our supportive attitudes on behalf of our fellow men and women.

Shabbat Shalom!