Leviticus 19:9: "neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest." Whatever fell during reaping was the poor's legal property.

How did Ruth use Leket?

Ruth 2:17: she gleaned an ephah (30 lbs) of barley in one day — genuine subsistence support.

What did Boaz add beyond the minimum?

Ruth 2:15-16: Boaz instructed workers to intentionally leave extra handfuls for Ruth.

Why was a clean harvest a violation?

The farmer who picked up every fallen stalk was taking what belonged to the poor.

What principle underlies Peah and Leket?

Both established the poor's right to food as covenant law, not charity.

Commandment #75 · Positive · Social & Ethical Laws

Leave the Fallen Gleanings for the Poor — Leket

לֶקֶט

Source: Leviticus 19:9 · Maimonides, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive #75

When harvesters dropped grain during reaping, they left it on the ground. Whatever fell was the poor's legal property — the harvest was designed to be incomplete.

לֹא תְלַקֵּט

"Neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest."

Leviticus 19:9 — Open in Torah Reader

The Designed Gap: Maximum Efficiency Was Transgressive

The Leket commandment made the perfectly clean harvest a violation. Whatever fell during reaping was the poor's legal property. The Torah required intentional incompleteness — a designed gap that embodied the theology of abundance: the farmer had enough.

Ruth: 30 Pounds of Barley in One Day

וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתָּבוֹא וַתְּלַקֵּט

"And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers."

Ruth 2:3

Ruth 2:17 records Ruth gleaning an ephah (about 30 lbs) of barley in one day. The Leket commandment provided genuine subsistence support, not symbolic tokens. Boaz went beyond by instructing workers to intentionally drop extra handfuls for her.

Boaz's Extra: Beyond the Legal Minimum

Ruth 2:15-16: Boaz told workers to 'let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her.' The Leket covered accidental falling; Boaz added deliberate provision. The commandment set the floor; covenant generosity exceeded it.

Key Figures

Ruth — The Leket Recipient

Her 30 lbs in one day demonstrates genuine subsistence support, not symbolic provision.

Boaz — The Intentional Dropper

His instruction to leave extra shows how the Leket minimum could be exceeded by covenant character.

Study Questions

For reflection and group study

Leket made maximum harvest efficiency transgressive. What does deliberate incompleteness say about the Torah's theology of property?

See Lev 19:9; 23:22; Deut 24:19

Ruth gleaned 30 lbs in one day. What does this level of provision say about the commandment's design?

See Ruth 2:17; Lev 19:9–10

Boaz added intentional dropping. What is the relationship between legal minimum and covenant character?

See Ruth 2:15–16; Deut 15:8; Luke 6:38

Leket covered accidental falling; Boaz intentionally dropped. What does this distinction reveal?

See Lev 19:9; Ruth 2:16; Matt 5:41

The gleaner had to come and work. What does requiring labor for the portion say about dignity?

See Ruth 2:7; Lev 19:9–10; 2 Thess 3:10

Read this commandment in the original Hebrew.

Open Leviticus 19:9 in Torah Reader

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