Rabbis Rice: Edges of the Harvest

    For some of us, Judaism is a religion of holy day observances. We go from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur to Chanukkah celebrations to Passover Seders. Maybe, if we try to tap in, we hear or read somewhere about Tu B'Shevat or Yom Hashoah. And so we often forget to realize that just as life itself is challenging, and our school work and/or careers and our relationships require constant attention, so too being Jewish asks that our spiritual discipline actually be attended to daily, not seasonally. The authors of our Torah sensed this would happen - that people would only consider spiritual matters on given days. And so, in the Torah portion last week, interspersed with the declarations of sacred days on the calendar, they purposely inserted ethical passages. It was as if the authors of Leviticus meant to say: do not forget our holy days. Still, do not imagine that Judaism takes a vacation between them. Being a Jew can be a full time occupation. And not just for rabbis, cantors, and other Jewish professionals.

     In this list of God's holy days, Shabbat is, of course, mentioned. The feast of unleavened bread, Passover is discussed. Shavuot, which we will celebrate shortly is found. Then right before it mentions Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we get this beautiful commandment in the Torah. It says:  "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field. You shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest, for the poor and the stranger you shall leave them..." (Leviticus 23:22)

     How many of us are farmers? On the surface, the Torah is clearly addressing itself to an agricultural based society. Still the import of this passage stretches beyond agricultural concerns. We all plant seeds, nurture new shoots, harvest the results of our labors. Whether we work with soil and seed, paper and pen, numbers, laws, votes, events, homes, animals, people, schoolwork, whatever, we all plant and we all reap. Do we reap all the way to the edges?

     Consider the "field" of your life. Examine whatever it is that occupies your time and space: What are its edges? Because the Torah is advising us not to reap it all. If there is credit to be had at work, do not take it all for yourself. If there are emotions to be stirred at home, leave room for the feelings of others. If there is money to be earned, take care to give some of it to others. Reach and take, says the Jewish Tradition, but not everything! Not the edges! Leave room there for others.

     By not taking it all, Judaism teaches us the way of community over individuality. In the Jewish community the edges are where we meet others, they are not boundaries that keep us apart. We Jews seek not to rule the land, but to nurture it. When we leave the edges for others, when we allow the stranger to partake of the fruits of our labor we enter into a state of belonging, a state of relationship, a state of mind, heart and politic that brings us into relation with others. Especially with others who might be less fortunate than ourselves. So embedded in the Torah portion, is one of the central principles, of the Jewish way of life. We learn that it is a religious obligation, not an act of charity, that we share what we have with others.

     There are many things that we share as a Micah community: a common heritage, a love of music, an appreciation for creativity, and a beautiful place to worship.