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Does it matter exactly how you give food to the poor?

诪注砖讛 砖讝专注 专’ 砖诪注讜谉 讗讬砖 讛诪爪驻讛 诇驻谞讬 专讘谉 讙诪诇讬讗诇 讜注诇讜 诇诇砖讻转 讛讙讝讬转 讜砖讗诇讜 讗诪专 谞讞讜诐 讛诇讘诇专 诪拽讜讘诇 讗谞讬 诪专讘讬 诪讬讗砖讗 砖拽讘诇 诪讗讘讗 砖拽讘诇 诪谉 讛讝讜讙讜转 砖拽讘诇讜 诪谉 讛谞讘讬讗讬诐 讛诇讻讛 诇诪砖讛 诪住讬谞讬 讘讝讜专注 讗转 砖讚讛讜 砖谞讬 诪讬谞讬 讞讟讬谉 讗诐 注砖讗谉 讙讜专谉 讗讞转 谞讜转谉 驻讗讛 讗讞转 砖转讬 讙专谞讜转 谞讜转谉 砖转讬 驻讗讜转:

Rabbi Shimon of Mizpah once sowed his field in the presence of Rabban Gamliel. They then went up to the chamber of hewn stones [in the Temple, where the Sanhedrin met] and asked [whether a field sown with two types of wheat requires that two corners of the field be left for the poor, or only one]. Nachum the scribe said, 鈥淚 have [the answer] from Rabbi Miasha, who heard from his father, who heard from the pairs [of early rabbis], who heard from the prophets that it is the law going back to Moses at Sinai regarding one who sows his field with two types of wheat: if he reaps the entire field at one time, then he leaves one corner; if he reaps at two times, then he must leave two corners.鈥�

Comment:

The Torah requires of the Israelite farmer when harvesting his crops to leave the 鈥渃orner鈥� of his field for the poor (Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22). Our Mishnah shows that even in Temple times there was significant confusion about the proper method for fulfilling the mitzvah of Peah. It claims that even a minor detail such as this was expounded by Moses and faithfully transmitted as oral law for over a millennium.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why is so much effort put into transmitting and clarifying this seemingly minor detail of the law? Couldn鈥檛 the rabbis have simply erred on the side of caution by leaving two corners unharvested?
2. In our day, is there an economic equivalent to leaving the corner of the 鈥渇ield鈥� for the poor? Is there a benefit to donating the actual fruit of one鈥檚 labor rather than a cash equivalent?