Leviticus 19:11 - Cale

Jewish History

Leviticus 19:11

"You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard, you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger"

This commandment from Leviticus 19 talks about providing for the less fortunate before using all resources for yourself first. It relates to equity over equality, and instead of sharing the fallen fruits evenly, to disperse them between the more needy before the wealthy. I believe this is a very important rule to live by because all people need some things more than others, and in this case it talks about certain people needing food more than others, specifically the fallen fruit. All people are different and their levels of needs very so resources should be granted by need. I interpreted this mitzvah as providing to the poor and less fortunate what they need rather than what is even. If there are 10 apples, and a woman with lots of wealth wants apples, and a poor man needs apples, the wealthy man will be given less apples than the poor women as it is less of a necessity for him. The rich man can afford several more apples, but the poor man needs more now to survive. The way I fulfill this mitzvah is by giving back to the community, specifically volunteering at the shelter that is hosted by my synagogue once a week. The shelter is called Out of The Cold, and they provided three meals, clean clothes, a comfortable bed, new essential toiletries, and entertainment and activities. I believe giving back to the community could be a guideline for me in the modern jewish world, because we cannot take for granted what we have. It opens up your eyes and shows that not everyone is as fortunate that they can order a pizza then throw away the last slice or two. For a lot of people that slice of pizza is all they need to get them through one day.

The photo I chose is a group of rocks stacked on top of eachother. The rocks symbolize strength and are working together to create a supportive wall. One rock would not be able to support the the people on top, but all rocks together create a strong supportive kehila. If one rock falls out of place, all the rocks fall. This relates to the mitzvah I chose because if only one person tries to change the world and help the less fortunate, they will never succeed. If one person gives up and falls off the wall they will all fall and never succeed, but if several people are working together towards the same solution they will change many more lives for the better. In conclusion we need to form a strong wall in our society that can provide them with all the support that the less fortunate need to live a more healthy life.