It is always interesting, and in a way, amazing, how Torah “speaks” to us. The blessing for Torah study includes that Hebrew word “la’asok” which is often translated as “speak”. Torah speaks to us in a variety of ways sometimes soothing and at times in ways that remind us of our obligations to others. This portion is mainly about priestly purity and another repetition of the calendar cycle. However, as instructions for Shavuot conclude, we read a very interesting and, in a way, timely verse.
In 23:22 we read the following instruction. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am Adonai your God.” In a Midrash on this concept, we are told that “when one shares one’s bounty with the poor, it is as if it were offered on God’s alter”. In this way, says Midrash, the act of caring for the poor is an act that symbolizes the offerings to God made in the ancient Temple. How can this little verse “speak” to us now?
Let me suggest that this concept of leaving the corner of the field for the poor and the stranger reflects a basic Jewish belief that the society is obligated to care for and provide for those who are in need. If you do an overview of much of Jewish texts on this area of concern, you come away with a sense that the society must provide necessities for people who lack them. The linkage to today is obvious for this week we have seen the opening of discussions on legislation that, according to many, will have a direct impact on the poor and the stranger. We have written on texts from other portions that have been used as proof texts for health care issues so to see texts that have been seen as a basis for food security should come as no surprise.
That is why this little verse is so relevant now. It is a reminder that we are living through a time of major food insecurity. Most people reading this are not farmers. But each of us can model the ethics of this verse in our own area by becoming acquainted with local food banks, which are seeing a huge increase in demand. So let me hope that as you contemplate and study this portion you may be motivated to become a regular partner with a local food bank. A monthly donation to these food banks will fulfill the commandment of this verse to allow the poor and the stranger to find sustenance.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Richard F Address
Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism; first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure, served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.
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