Pe'ah (Corner of the Field)

In Tammuz, deep in the harvest season, we fulfill the commandment of Pe'ah - leaving the corner of the field unharvested for the poor and the stranger. The Torah does not specify a fixed measure for Pe'ah; the Sages taught that one should leave at least one sixtieth of the field, and the commandment applies to every field, every harvest, and every farmer - whether in grain, fruit, or any yield of the land. Pe'ah is a commandment of boundaries: the field belongs to its owner, yet its edge is not his. The land itself testifies that its blessing is shared, and that the harvest is never complete without giving. Through this commandment the farmer becomes a partner with the poor in the blessing of the land, and the field itself becomes an altar of kindness at the heart of the agricultural year.