Thoughts on Parashat Ki Teitzei, 5785
Parashat Ki Teitzei, a portion rich with mitzvot that guides us toward a life of compassion, justice, and holiness. Among these is the mitzvah of leket, found in Deuteronomy 24:19, which reads: “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to take it; it shall be for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” This verse speaks of a simple yet profound act: leaving behind what we might claim for ourselves—forgotten sheaves of grain—for the most vulnerable in society: the ger (stranger), the yatom (orphan), and the almanah (widow). Leket is not about giving from excess or charity born of pity; it’s about restraint, humility, and recognizing that what we “own” is never fully ours. It is ‘imprinted’ in the Hebrew language which doesn’t have the verb ‘to have’ or ‘to own’ something – everything we own IS given to us. The Torah commands us to let go, to leave room for others to thrive, and in doing so, we invite God’s blessing into our lives.[…]
