Sicha, Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Emor 5738
A. Gifts to the Poor from the Produce
In our Torah portion, the Torah details all the Jewish festivals and the offerings brought on them. Yet, surprisingly, it “inserts” in the middle the commandments of pe’ah (corner) and leket (gleanings), two kinds of agricultural gifts for the poor (Source 1).
Rashi quotes Rabbi Avdimi, who explains that this teaches us that one who properly fulfills the commandments of pe’ah and leket is considered as if they built the Holy Temple and offered sacrifices there (Source 2).
The Rebbe asks:
A. Rashi quotes the name of the author of the teaching—Rabbi Avdimi. Why?
B. In the original source Rashi draws from, the wording is “as if the Holy Temple were standing and he was offering his sacrifices in it,” but Rashi chooses a different phrasing: “it is considered as if he built the Holy Temple and offered sacrifices in it.” Why the change?
C. Later, Rashi explains that the landowner has no discretion in choosing who receives the pe’ah and leket—any poor person can come and take them. This raises a question: these commandments already appeared in the previous Torah portion, so why didn’t Rashi provide this explanation there?
B. The Value of Toil
Pe’ah and leket are unique commandments. Unlike a loan, where the money is eventually returned to the lender, these gifts to the poor remain with the recipient. This parallels the offerings brought in the Holy Temple: just as the offering remains there and is not taken outside for personal use, so too, the charity of pe’ah and leket remains with the poor and is not returned to the field owner (as explained by Gur Aryeh, Source 3).
Another unique element in pe’ah and leket, beyond ordinary charity, is the degree of effort involved.
There are two levels of charity:
A. Giving money acquired without much effort.
B. Giving money earned through hard labor.
The Alter Rebbe explains in the Tanya the special virtue of charity given from hard-earned money—because in that case, one’s entire natural soul is elevated to G-d (Source 4).
Since agricultural work requires significant effort—plowing, sowing, and harvesting—when a Jew leaves pe’ah and leket for the poor, it is a higher form of charity, as it comes from money earned through exceptional toil.
Thus, if ordinary charity ( not earned through special effort) is equated to bringing a sacrifice to the Holy Temple, then pe’ah and leket, which involve much more effort, are considered as if one “built the Holy Temple,” because the effort invested in this charity is comparable to the labor invested in building the Holy Temple itself. (This answers Question 2.)
C. Pure Giving – Without Personal Interest
When a Jew is commanded to leave grain for the poor, he might be inclined to prioritize his own poor servant or maid—after all, they helped him with the agricultural work. But the Torah explicitly forbids favoring acquaintances in this case. Rather, he must allow all poor people to take from the produce equally.
When pe’ah and leket are given in this impartial way, it is considered “as if he built the Holy Temple,” because this reflects a profound emotional effort—putting the needs of others ahead of one’s own interests and giving away the produce he worked hard to grow, with no personal benefit in return.
This answers Question 3. In line with the verses that emphasize the special effort involved in the commandments of pe’ah and leket, and their equivalence to building the Temple, Rashi highlights the added difficulty—that this is a form of giving completely devoid of self-interest.
To explain this more deeply, Rashi mentions the name of the sage—Rabbi Avdimi.
The Talmud tells of a time when a student asked Rabbi Yosei bar Chalafta why “the poor of your own city take precedence.” Instead of answering himself, Rabbi Yosei bar Chalafta had his son, Rabbi Avardimus (Avdimi), respond—because Rabbi Avardimus was passionate about this, and his answer would touch the heart of the questioner.
Since Rabbi Avardimus had a special excitement for this law, mentioning him here emphasizes the conceptual shift in the case of pe’ah and leket, where that principle is set aside, and the charity must be distributed equally to all.
When we fulfill both of the mitzvot with the same fervor, and transform our natural inclinations, we are truly considered as if we “built the Temple and offered sacrifices in it.”
