(א) ובקצרכם כו'... ולא יעלה על רוחך כי משלך אתה נותן לעני או כי מאסתיו מתת לו לחם כאשר נתתי לך. כי גם בני הוא כמוך. אך הוא כי חלקו הוא בתבואת' ולזכותך כונתי לתת לו חלקו מתחת ידיך. כמפורש אצלנו על פסוק (בפרשת משפטים) את העני עמך ובפסוק (פ' בהר) וחי אחיך עמך. וזהו החילו בלשון רבים באומרו ובקצרכם וצאתו בלשון יחיד באומר לא תכלה כו'. אך היא מתחלה אמר לשון רבים לומר קציר ארצכם של בעל השדה ועני והגר כי מהכל הוא לפי האמת כי חלקם שם...
You shouldn’t think that you are giving to the poor person from your own property, or that I have despised him by not giving bread to him as I have given to you. For he is also my child, just as you are, but his portion is in your produce...It is for your merit that I have intended to give his/her portion from your hand. And this is the reason why the beginning of the verse ‘When you reap’ is plural, but the end ‘you shall not reap all the way’ is singular. At the beginning it uses the plural ‘the harvest of your [plural] land,’ [‘your’ meaning belonging to] the owner, the poor, and the stranger, for in truth, their portion is there [in the field].
(2) תעזב "You shall leave them" — leave these in front of them and they shall gather: you are not allowed to assist one of them to the injury of another poor man (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 3 5; Mishnah Peah 5:6).
(א) הַפֵּאָה נִתֶּנֶת בִּמְחֻבָּר לַקַּרְקָע. בְּדָלִית וּבְדֶקֶל, בַּעַל הַבַּיִת מוֹרִיד וּמְחַלֵּק לָעֲנִיִּים. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, אַף בַּחֲלִיקֵי אֱגוֹזִים. אֲפִלּוּ תִשְׁעִים וְתִשְׁעָה אוֹמְרִים לְחַלֵּק וְאֶחָד אוֹמֵר לָבוֹז, לָזֶה שׁוֹמְעִין, שֶׁאָמַר כַּהֲלָכָה:
(1) Peah [corner of the field that is given to the poor] is given while connected to the ground. From vines and palm trees, the property owner goes down and distributes [them] for the poor. Rabbi Shimon says: Also for smooth nut trees. Even if ninety-nine say to distribute and one says to plunder [i.e. to leave it for the poor to take what they can], to this one we listen for he has spoken as is the law.
(א) אמר הכתוב לא תכלה פאת שדך בקצרך (ויקרא כג) בא ללמדנו שיניחנו פאה מחוברת לקרקע וזה בקציר ומה שדומה לזה מן הדברים שאפשר לקטן ולגדול לקחתה:
The Torah states "You shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field," to teach us that we must leave the corners while they are still connected to the ground--this applies with respect to a grain harvest and other similar harvests where it is possible for both small and large alike to harvest [for themselves].
(טז) פֵּאָה שֶׁל דָּלִית וְשֶׁל דֶּקֶל שֶׁאֵין עֲנִיִּים מַגִּיעִין לָבֹז אוֹתָהּ אֶלָּא בְּסַכָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה. בַּעַל הַבַּיִת מוֹרִיד אוֹתָהּ וּמְחַלֵּק אוֹתָהּ בֵּין הָעֲנִיִּים. וְאִם רָצוּ כֻּלָּן לָבֹז אוֹתָהּ לְעַצְמָן בּוֹזְזִין. אֲפִלּוּ תִּשְׁעִים וְתִשְׁעָה אוֹמְרִים לָבֹז וְאֶחָד אוֹמֵר לְחַלֵּק שׁוֹמְעִין לָאֶחָד שֶׁאָמַר כַּהֲלָכָה וּמְחַיְּבִין בַּעַל הַבַּיִת לְהוֹרִיד וּלְחַלֵּק בֵּינֵיהֶן:
(16) In the case of the péah portion that is given from suspended vines32A suspended vine is also known as a trained vine because it is trained to grow in a certain direction and suspended up high. or from date palm trees [that are up high] that the poor cannot reach to pick without great risk, the landowner must bring the food down and divide it up evenly among the poor people. If they want to [go up and] pick it themselves, they may do so. But even if ninety-nine [out of a hundred] say to pick them and one says to divide them, they heed the one, for he spoke according to the law, and the landowner is obligated to bring the produce down and divide it among them.
(ה) שָׁלשׁ אַבְעָיוֹת בַּיּוֹם, בַּשַּׁחַר וּבַחֲצוֹת וּבַמִּנְחָה. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִפְחֲתוּ. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, לֹא אָמְרוּ אֶלָּא כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יוֹסִיפוּ. שֶׁל בֵּית נָמֵר הָיוּ מְלַקְּטִין עַל הַחֶבֶל, וְנוֹתְנִים פֵּאָה מִכָּל אֻמָּן וְאֻמָּן:
(5) [There are] three "begging" [i.e., field-access] times a day: at daybreak, at midday, and in the later afternoon. Rabban Gamliel says: They only said [i.e., specified that number] so that [the begging times] should not be reduced. Rabbi Akiva says: They only said so that that [the begging times] should not be increased. The people of Beit Nameir would gather that which was on [marked by] the rope and give Peah from each and every row.
(יז) בְּשָׁלֹשׁ עִתּוֹת בַּיּוֹם מְחַלְּקִין אֶת הַפֵּאָה לָעֲנִיִּים בַּשָּׂדֶה אוֹ מַנִּיחִין אוֹתָם לָבֹז. בַּשַּׁחַר. וּבַחֲצִי הַיּוֹם. וּבַמִּנְחָה. וְעָנִי שֶׁבָּא שֶׁלֹּא בִּזְמַן זֶה אֵין מַנִּיחִין אוֹתוֹ לִטּל. כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עֵת קָבוּעַ לָעֲנִיִּים שֶׁיִּתְקַבְּצוּ בּוֹ כֻּלָּן לִטּל. וְלָמָּה לֹא קָבְעוּ לָהּ עֵת אַחַת בַּיּוֹם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם עֲנִיּוֹת מֵינִיקוֹת שֶׁצְּרִיכוֹת לֶאֱכל בִּתְחִלַּת הַיּוֹם. וְיֵשׁ שָׁם עֲנִיִּים קְטַנִּים שֶׁאֵין נֵעוֹרִין בַּבֹּקֶר וְלֹא יַגִּיעוּ לַשָּׂדֶה עַד חֲצִי הַיּוֹם. וְיֵשׁ שָׁם זְקֵנִים שֶׁאֵינָם מַגִּיעִין עַד הַמִּנְחָה:
(17) At three times of the day they divide up the péah portion in the field for the poor or leave it for them to pick: at dawn, at noon, and at mincha,34Late afternoon. and they do not leave anything for the poor person who does not come at these times so that there is a set time for the poor to gather together and take [what they need]. Why was there not only one set time during the day? Because there are nursing mothers who are poor who need to eat at the beginning of the day, there are poor children who do not stir during the morning and do not arrive to the field until noon, and there are old people who cannot arrive until mincha.35See Mishnah Péah 4:5.