Shichecha (Forgotten Sheaves)

Shichecha is the commandment to leave forgotten sheaves in the field for the poor and the stranger. If a farmer forgets a sheaf during the harvest, he may not go back to retrieve it - it must be left for the poor. This mitzvah applies to all harvests of the field, and the Sages taught that it applies even if the farmer forgot only one sheaf. The forgotten sheaf is not a loss but a gift, and the act of forgetting becomes a mitzvah. Like pe'ah and leket, shichecha teaches that the harvest is never complete without giving. The field belongs to its owner, yet its forgotten portion is not his - it belongs to the poor.