Positive Commandment 121 (Digest)
Fallen Stalks
"The gleanings of your harvest you shall not harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger"—Leviticus 23:22.
We are commanded to leave [for the poor] the leket [stalks that fall to the ground in the course of harvesting].
This biblical precept only applies in the Land of Israel.
The
121st mitzvah is that we are
commanded to leave over leket [stalks of grain which have fallen during the
harvesting process].
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "Do not pick up the stalks which fall during
harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the stranger."
This
mitzvah is also in the category of lav shenitak l'aseh (a prohibition with
a remedial positive commandment), as explained in tractate Makkos regarding pe'ah.
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Pe'ah.
The
Biblical prohibition applies only in Eretz Yisroel.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by
Sichos in English.
Negative Commandment 211 (Digest)
Gathering the Fallen Stalks
"You shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest"—Leviticus 23:22.
It is forbidden for the landowner to harvest the stalks that fall to the ground in the course of the harvest, rather they must be left for the poor.
The
211th prohibition is that we are forbidden from taking for ourselves the stalks
which fall during the harvesting process. Rather, they must be left for the
poor.
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "Do not pick up the stalks which fall during
harvest."
This
mitzvah is also in the category of lav shenitak l'aseh (a prohibition with
a remedial positive commandment), as explained regarding pe'ah.
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Pe'ah.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by
Sichos in English.
Positive Commandment 123 (Digest)
Defective Grape Clusters
"...you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger"—Leviticus 19:10.
We are commanded to leave the olelot [grape clusters that have not developed normally] for the poor.
This biblical precept only applies in the Land of Israel.
The
123rd mitzvah is that we are
commanded to leave over for the poor those [poor-quality]
grape clusters which are normally left in the vineyard during the harvesting
process. These are called olelos.
The
same verse, "You must leave them for the poor and the
stranger," also refers to this mitzvah,
since it follows mention of olelos.
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Pe'ah.
The
Biblical prohibition applies only in Eretz Yisroel.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by
Sichos in English.
Negative Commandment 212 (Digest)
Harvesting the Defective Grape Clusters
"You shall not harvest the defective clusters from your vineyard"—Leviticus 19:10.
It is forbidden for the landowner to remove all the grapes from the vineyard in the course of the harvest, rather he must leave for the poor the grape clusters that have not developed normally.
This prohibition applies to vineyards only, not to any other fruit, even those similar to grapes.
The
212th prohibition is that we are forbidden from completely harvesting a
vineyard.
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "Do not pick the olelos in your vineyard." You must instead leave them for the poor.
This
law does not apply to other trees, even though they are similar to grapevines.
The prohibition, "When you beat the fruit from your olive tree,
do not go back over it" [is not related to this mitzvah of olelos but is]
part of the prohibition against taking shik'cho
(forgotten produce). From this verse which prohibits taking shik'cho from olive trees we learn that shik'cho applies to all trees. [The law
of olelos, however, only applies to
grapes.]
This
mitzvah is also in the category of lav shenitak l'aseh (a prohibition with
a remedial positive commandment).
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Pe'ah.
Rabbi Berel Bell is a well-known educator, author and lecturer. He and his family reside in Montreal, Canada.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by
Sichos in English.
Translation of (the unabridged text of) Sefer Hamitzvot by Rabbi Berel Bell, member of the Rabbinical Court of Montreal and director of Teacher Training for the Jewish Learning Institute.
From "Sefer Hamitzvot in English," published by
Sichos in English.
