הלכות מתנות עניים א׳Gifts to the Poor 1

Halacha 4ד׳

וְכֵן בְּלֶקֶט כְּשֶׁקּוֹצֵר וּמְאַלֵּם לֹא יְלַקֵּט הַשִּׁבֳּלִים הַנּוֹפְלוֹת בִּשְׁעַת הַקָּצִיר אֶלָּא יַנִּיחֵם לָעֲנִיִּים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט ט) (ויקרא כג כב) "וְלֶקֶט קְצִירְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט". עָבַר וּלְקָטָן אֲפִלּוּ טָחַן וְאָפָה נוֹתֵן לָעֲנִיִּים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג כב) "לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם". אָבְדוּ אוֹ נִשְׂרְפוּ אַחַר שֶׁלְּקָטָן קֹדֶם שֶׁנָּתַן לָעֲנִיִּים לוֹקֶה:

And so too with gleanings: when he reaps and binds sheaves, he shall not gather up the ears that fall at the hour of the reaping; rather he leaves them for the poor, as it is said (Leviticus 19:9; 23:22), "and you shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest." If he transgressed and gathered them — even if he ground and baked — he gives them to the poor, as it is said (Leviticus 23:22), "you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger." If they were lost or burned after he gathered them, before he gave them to the poor, he is flogged.

Halacha 5ה׳

וְכֵן בְּפֶרֶט שֶׁנִּפְרַט מִן הָעֲנָבִים בִּשְׁעַת הַבְּצִירָה וְכֵן בְּעוֹלֵלוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט י) "וְכַרְמְךָ לֹא תְעוֹלֵל וּפֶרֶט כַּרְמְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם". וְכֵן הַמְעַמֵּר וְשָׁכַח אֲלֻמָּה אַחַת בַּשָּׂדֶה הֲרֵי זֶה לֹא יִקָּחֶנָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כד יט) "וְשָׁכַחְתָּ עֹמֶר בַּשָּׂדֶה לֹא תָשׁוּב לְקַחְתּוֹ". עָבַר וּלְקָטוֹ אֲפִלּוּ טְחָנוֹ וַאֲפָאוֹ הֲרֵי זֶה נוֹתְנוֹ לָעֲנִיִּים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כד יט) "לַגֵּר לַיָּתוֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָה יִהְיֶה" זוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁכֻּלָּן מִצְוֹת לֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה הַנִּתָּק לַעֲשֵׂה הֵן וְאִם לֹא קִיֵּם עֲשֵׂה שֶׁבָּהֶן לוֹקֶה:

And so too with the separated grapes that fall at the hour of the vintage, and so too with the defective clusters, as it is said (Leviticus 19:10), "and you shall not glean your vineyard, and the fallen fruit of your vineyard you shall not gather; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger." And so too one who binds sheaves and forgot one sheaf in the field shall not take it, as it is said (Deuteronomy 24:19), "and you forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not return to take it." If he transgressed and took it — even if he ground it and baked it — he gives it to the poor, as it is said (Deuteronomy 24:19), "it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan and for the widow": this is a positive commandment. From this you have learned that they are all negative commandments made over to a positive one; and if he did not fulfil the positive commandment in them, he is flogged.