Peret (Fallen Grapes)

Peret is the commandment to leave fallen grapes in the vineyard for the poor and the stranger. During the grape harvest, if individual grapes fall from the bunch, they may not be picked up - they must be left for the poor. This mitzvah applies to the vineyard, just as leket applies to the grain field. The fallen grapes are not a loss but a gift, and the act of leaving them is a mitzvah. In the heat of the Av grape harvest, the vineyard becomes a place of giving. The farmer harvests his grapes, but the fallen fruit is not his - it belongs to the poor and the stranger, who come to gather what has fallen.