Harvesting

 
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Leviticus 19:9-10: And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

 

One of the most looked over items of the Law of Moses are the commands teaching charity. This is a good example of that. A person automatically leaves a portion of their field to the feeding of the poor and the stranger.

 
         
 


Leviticus 19:23-25: And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. 24. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal. And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.

 
         
 


Deuteronomy 23:24-25: When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.

 

Another place where charity is being taught.

 
         
 


Deuteronomy 24:19-22:  When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

 

Basically, the harvester only goes through the field once - anything left behind belongs to the poor. An example of this is in the story of Ruth - who gleaned Boaz's field behind the harvesters.

 
         
 


Deuteronomy 25:4. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

 

Even charity to the beasts is taught within the Law!