הלכות מתנות עניים ה׳Gifts to the Poor 5

Halacha 1א׳

הָעֹמֶר שֶׁשְּׁכָחוּהוּ פּוֹעֲלִים וְלֹא שְׁכָחוֹ בַּעַל הַשָּׂדֶה. שְׁכָחוֹ בַּעַל הַשָּׂדֶה וְלֹא שְׁכָחוּהוּ פּוֹעֲלִים. שְׁכָחוּהוּ אֵלּוּ וְאֵלּוּ וְהָיוּ שָׁם אֲחֵרִים עוֹבְרִין וְרוֹאִין אוֹתָן בְּעֵת שֶׁשְּׁכָחוּהוּ. אֵינָהּ שִׁכְחָה עַד שֶׁיִּשְׁכְּחוּהוּ כָּל אָדָם. וַאֲפִלּוּ עֹמֶר הַטָּמוּן אִם נִשְׁכָּח הֲרֵי זֶה שִׁכְחָה:

If a sheaf is forgotten by workers but was not forgotten by the owner of the field, or if the owner of the field forgot it but the workers did not forget it, or both of them forgot it but others passed by and saw it at the time that they [the owner and the workers] forgot it, then it does not count as shikhecha until everyone forgets it. Even if it is a sheaf that was hidden, if it was forgotten [by everyone], then this is shikhecha.91See Mishnah Péah 5:7.

Halacha 2ב׳

הָיָה בַּעַל הַשָּׂדֶה בָּעִיר וְאָמַר יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁהַפּוֹעֲלִים שָׁכְחוּ עֹמֶר שֶׁבְּמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי וּשְׁכָחוּהוּ הֲרֵי זֶה שִׁכְחָה. וְאִם הָיָה בַּשָּׂדֶה וְאָמַר כֵּן וּשְׁכָחוּהוּ אֵינָהּ שִׁכְחָה שֶׁהַשָּׁכוּחַ מֵעִקָּרוֹ בַּשָּׂדֶה הוּא הַשִּׁכְחָה. אֲבָל בָּעִיר אֲפִלּוּ זָכוּר וּלְבַסּוֹף שָׁכוּחַ הֲרֵי זוֹ שִׁכְחָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כד יט) "וְשָׁכַחְתָּ עֹמֶר בַּשָּׂדֶה" וְלֹא בָּעִיר:

If the owner of the field was in the city, and he said, "I know that the workers forgot a sheaf in such-and-such a place," and they had in fact forgotten it, then this is shikhecha. But if he was in the field and said so and they forgot it, then this is not shikhecha, for the act of forgetting is rooted exclusively in the field in order for it to be shikhecha [and remembering outside of the domain of the field has no effect]. If one is in the city, even if it is remembered [by someone there] and in the end becomes forgotten [by those in the field], then this is shikhecha, as it is said, (Deut. 24:19) And overlook a sheaf in the field and not in the city.92See Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 11a.

Halacha 3ג׳

עָמְדוּ הָעֲנִיִּים בְּפָנָיו אוֹ חִפּוּהוּ בְּקַשׁ וְהוּא זוֹכֵר אֶת הַקַּשׁ אוֹ שֶׁהֶחֱזִיק בּוֹ לְהוֹלִיכוֹ לָעִיר וְהִנִּיחוֹ בַּשָּׂדֶה וּשְׁכָחוֹ אֵינוֹ שִׁכְחָה. אֲבָל אִם נְטָלוֹ מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִנִּיחוֹ סָמוּךְ לַגַּפָּה אוֹ לַגָּדִישׁ אוֹ לַבָּקָר אוֹ לַכֵּלִים וּשְׁכָחוֹ הֲרֵי זֶה שִׁכְחָה:

If the poor people stood in front of him [the owner, hiding the sheaf], or if it was buried in stubble and he [the owner or the worker] remembered the stubble, or if he took it and brought it to the city and left it in a field [there] and forgot it, then this is not shikhecha. But if they took it from place to place [within the field], even if they left it next to a stone wall, a stack, near oxen, or next to tools [which might indicate that it was put there on purpose], and it was forgotten, then this is shikhecha.93See Mishnah Péah 5:7 and Mishnah Péah 6:2. In Mishnah Péah 5:7, we see that it is not shikhecha if it was covered up, but it does not mention anything about forgetting. Perhaps the implication is that the poor may have tried to hide it from the owner. Maimonides adopts Hillel's position that the sheaf does qualify as shikhecha, rejecting the idea that the poor might have covered it up so as to get more.