Leviticus 19:9-10: the corners of fields were not reaped but left for the poor and stranger as a legal right.

How does Ruth illustrate Peah?

Ruth 2 shows Ruth gleaning under the Peah law. Boaz instructed workers to leave extra for her.

What did Amos say about violations?

Amos 8:5-6 condemns merchants who left nothing for the poor.

How did the agricultural commands work together?

Peah, Leket, Shikcha, Peret, and Olelot created comprehensive gleaning provision requiring no government administration.

What does Isaiah 5:8 add?

Isaiah 5:8 condemns land accumulation — absorbing field after field until no corners remained.

Commandment #74 · Positive · Social & Ethical Laws

Leave the Corners of Fields for the Poor — Peah

פֵּאָה

Source: Leviticus 19:9 · Maimonides, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive #74

The corners of every field were left unharvested as the poor's legal right, not the farmer's voluntary charity. Amos condemned violations. Boaz exceeded the minimum requirement.

לֹא תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ

"Thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field."

Leviticus 19:9 — Open in Torah Reader

Ruth in Boaz's Field: The Commandment in Action

גַּם בֵּין הָעֳמָרִים תְּלַקֵּט

"Let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them."

Ruth 2:16

Ruth 2 is the most detailed narrative application of Peah. Ruth had the legal right to glean in Boaz's field. Boaz went beyond: 'let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her.' The commandment set the minimum; covenant character determined how far above it a generous Israelite would go.

The Social Architecture of the Harvest

Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 24:19-22, and the parallel commands (Leket, Shikcha, Peret, Olelot) created systematic social welfare embedded in the agricultural calendar. No government administration was required. The poor came to the fields and took what was legally theirs.

Amos and Isaiah: When the Edges Were Taken

Amos 8:5-6: merchants took everything, leaving nothing for the poor. Isaiah 5:8: 'Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place.' Land accumulation eliminated the corners Peah required to leave.

Key Figures

Boaz — The Beyond-the-Letter Keeper

He fulfilled Peah and exceeded it, instructing workers to intentionally leave extra for Ruth.

Ruth — The Peah Recipient

Her dignified exercise of gleaning rights and hard work show what the commandment required of recipients.

Study Questions

For reflection and group study

Peah was the poor's legal right. What does making their portion a property right say about the Torah's understanding of poverty?

See Lev 19:9–10; Deut 24:19–22; Luke 4:18

Boaz gave more than Peah required. What is the relationship between minimum legal obligation and covenant character?

See Ruth 2:15–16; Luke 10:36–37

Amos condemned those who left nothing. What does the gap between command and practice reveal?

See Amos 8:5–6; Isa 5:8–10

Ruth had to ask permission even though it was her legal right. What does this suggest about how Peah was functioning in practice?

See Ruth 2:7–9; Lev 19:9–10

Spiritually, what is the difference between 'I took everything and gave some back' versus 'I didn't take what was theirs'?

See Lev 19:9; Deut 24:19; Matt 20:15

Read this commandment in the original Hebrew.

Open Leviticus 19:9 in Torah Reader

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