Pe'ah 007
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BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI
of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel
RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP
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אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם שִׁעוּר: הַפֵּאָה, וְהַבִּכּוּרִים, וְהָרֵאָיוֹן, וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, וְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה. אֵלּוּ דְבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם אוֹכֵל פֵּרוֹתֵיהֶן בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהַקֶּרֶן קַיֶּמֶת לוֹ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא: כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם, וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, וַהֲבָאַת שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ; וְתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּנֶגֶד כֻּלָּם:
The following are things which have no limit: the Edge of the Field, the First-Fruits, the Appearance-Offering, acts of kindness and the Study of Torah. The following are things whose profits a person enjoys in this world while the capital remains for him in the world to come: Love of father and mother, acts of kindness, bringing about peace between one person and another – and the study of Torah is equal to them all.
EXPLANATIONS (continued):
28:
The Torah [Leviticus 19:9-10] defines those parts of the farmer's crop which must be made over to the poverty-stricken:
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am your God.
Four separate mitzvot are commanded here. It will be easier if we get to know their Hebrew terminology: Pe'ah [you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field], Leket [neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest], Olalot [you shall not glean your vineyard], Peret [neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard].
29:
When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field you shall not go again to get it: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; so that your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree you shall not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When you gather [the grapes of] your vineyard you shall not glean it after you: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Again, let us become acquainted with the Hebrew terminology: Shikheĥah [and have forgotten a sheaf in the field], Pe'er [you shall not go over the boughs again], and Olalot [When you gather the grapes of your vineyard], which we have already met in the previous quotation.
30:
31: DISCUSSION:
Our discussion is still concerned with the concept of mitzvot that have no limit. Judith May brings a new understanding: although I do not entirely agree with it I think that it should be brought to your attention:
Something I learned many years ago from Rabbi Brovender in Jerusalem: a mitzvah sh'eyn lo shi'ur is not simply a mitzvah without set limits. Rabbi Brovender cited the example of the rok [spittle] of the halitza. The halitza may decorously spit a tiny bit, or she may go on spitting all day, and it will make no difference at all to the quality of the mitzvah or the efficacy of the ceremony. That type of mitzvah is neutral as to quantity, but it's not the type on our list. The mitzvot discussed in this mishna are ones for which the more you do it the bigger the mitzvah. Judith also pointed out that I misquoted Shakespeare! Hamlet refers "a consummation devoutly to be wished" [not a desideratum]. Even though I did write that I was paraphrasing I admit that I did put the quote mark in the wrong place, so I offer my sincere apologies to the bard of Avon. In response to a comment I wrote: The very fact that [bikkurim] was a mitzvah that was almost invariably performed with a great many other people meant that social pressure and an innate sense of competition prompted most farmers to err on the side of generosity in the arrangement of their baskets of produce. Since the mitzvah itself was an outward expression of gratitude it is hardly likely that one would be miserly in expressing that gratitude to heaven. Mark Lautman writes: I wonder if the lack of maximal limits on mitzvoth, such as bikkurim and re'ayon, make for the opportunity of "ostentatious observance." We can easily imagine a situation in which a rich farmer brought many kilogrammes of exquisite fruits, while a poor farmer brought a much smaller amount of lower-quality fruits. At the Temple, the poor farmer may be made to feel somehow less valuable – if not in God's eyes than in those of the priests. In a related thought, there should be limits on the sums spent on bar mitzvah parties. Amounts of $10,000 and $20,000 are quite common. These parties have turned the whole ceremony of bar mitzvah into a subject of ridicule among Gentiles and functions of "social pressure and an innate sense of competition" among Jews. While it is understandable to avoid limits on mitzvoth that are time-intensive (honouring parents, studying Torah), perhaps Ĥazal erred in not setting limits on mitzvoth that involve monetary expenditure. |
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