According to our tradition, Shavuot—which we celebrated on Sunday—is the day on which God gave the Torah to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai. Shavuot also marks the barley harvest and the harvest of the first fruits. This week I will share thoughts on four verses in the Torah which impact my life.
The Poor and The Stranger
“And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you collect the [fallen] individual grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord, your God.” (Leviticus 19:10)
This Torah verse shows the obligation to help the poor and the stranger. That such a verse exists suggests that God understood that there would be people in need and that it is the responsibility of others to help. Yet the Torah goes further, as it gives us a specific way to do so: Leave this food for the poor and give them the opportunity to gather the grapes themselves. In doing so, this allows the poor and the stranger the dignity of gathering their sustenance, the self-worth of working to support themselves. Of course, for those who are not able to do such things on their own, society must find other ways to sustain them.
—Rabbi David Woznica
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