Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Jewish Thought (6/12) Previous Document: Question 12.35: What does Judaism believe about Satan? Next Document: Question 12.37: What is the Jewish view of Salvation, i.e., how a person from a given religion is ''saved''? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Answer: There are four gifts given to the poor: 1. In the third and sixth year of the sabbatical cycle, the second tithe is given to the poor. This is given after the priests' gift of approximately 2% and the levites' tithe which comes to 9.8% (10% of the 98% that remains). So, we are talking about 8.64% or so. 2. Fallen stalks: stalks dropped by the harvesters in ones or twos may not be picked up, but must be left for the poor. (If three or more fall, they may be picked up) 3. Forgotten sheaves: if one or two bundles are forgotten when the grain is brought in from the field, you may not go back to get them, they are left for the poor. (Again, if three are more are left, you may bring them in for threashing.) For vineyards, this not only includes overlooked bunches of grapes, but there is also a law against taking one or two grapes left behind when a bunch is picked. 4. A corner of the field must be left for the poor. For this, there is no measure; the farmer's conscience is his guide. A couple of notes: We do not believe these numbers are rabbinic. Rather, they are part of an oral tradition that dates back to the giving of the law. Not every detail that God gave us is recorded in the Torah. In particular, measures for each law are rarely given in the text. Second, these laws are viewed as being tied to the sanctity of the land of Israel and sactifying the Jewish settlement of that land. Non-Jewish citizens of Biblical Israel were not expected to give any of these. Nor were Jews who resided outside of Israel. User Contributions:Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Jewish Thought (6/12) Previous Document: Question 12.35: What does Judaism believe about Satan? Next Document: Question 12.37: What is the Jewish view of Salvation, i.e., how a person from a given religion is ''saved''? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: SCJ FAQ Maintainer <maintainer@scjfaq.org>
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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