Leket (Gleanings)

Leket is the commandment to leave dropped stalks of grain in the field for the poor and the stranger. During the harvest, if one or two stalks fall from the hand or the bundle, they may not be picked up - they must be left for the poor. The Sages taught that leket applies to one or two stalks, but if three stalks fall together, they may be retrieved. This precise measurement ensures that the poor receive their portion without the farmer being overly burdened. Leket, like pe'ah and shichecha, is one of the gifts to the poor that are given from the harvest of the field. Through these mitzvot, the poor are not left to wait for the farmer's generosity - they have a right to a portion of the harvest.