Pe’ah - Dignified helping the needy
By Rabbi Min Kantrowitz - Jewish Values #6
Each edition of NMJJ highlights one of the many Jewish values that guide our lives. Each of these values underlies our Jewish community, regardless of any individuals’ religious observances or practices. These values form the ethical structure of the community. They are not presented in order of importance…all of them, together, weave a fabric of support, inspiration and hope for increased compassion and justice in our shared world.
The sixth Jewish value that pervades Torah, I refer to as Pe’ah, a word that literally means 'corner', but in the context of human community, can be described as "helping the needy in a respectful and dignified way”. The Torah requires farmers to leave the corners of their fields unharvested, left to be picked by “the poor and the stranger” (Leviticus 19:9-11). Fruits from the trees and grapes from the vines were treated similarly. The crops at the corners were of equal quality as the rest of the crops; the poor were not given bruised fruit or spoiled wheat. Since leaving a portion of one’s produce for the poor was required, society did not have to depend on the inconsistent generosity of the well-to-do in order to provide welfare for those who lacked basic necessities. Dignity of the needy was preserved, as people could come at any time of day or night to glean sustenance at the corners of the fields.
Most of us no longer live in agricultural communities, and the concept of 'leaving the corners of our fields' would not make sense in an electronic society, but the value of sharing remains central to being a Jew. How can we follow this value in the present day? First, by recognizing our bounty and accepting the concept that we are all connected to each other, sharing the same air, the same soil and the same physical conditions that we inherited from the ones who came before us. Once we accept our interconnectedness, we recognize that we have not only the opportunity, but the obligation to help others with whom we share the precious oxygen we breathe.
Formal organizations and governmental entities which help people with needs for assistance with housing, food, health care or basic income all follow guidelines for protecting the identity of those they serve, following strict procedures for keeping client files locked and accessible only to staff with a “need to know”, and sharing information among staff members only to the extent necessary. Informal organizations , like Mutual Aid, are careful to respect people receiving help. None of us know when we might need help, and an increasing number of people today find themselves one paycheck away from economic disaster....and many more have found themselves needing help they never thought they would need to ask for, or need to accept. Compassion and respect go hand in hand...and helping others is the glue that keeps a society together.
SEE ALL Jewish Values by Rabbi Kantrowitz HERE .
Jewish Values by Rabbi Kantrowitz published to date:
Jewish Values: Love your neighbor as yourself #1
Jewish Values: B’Tzelem Elohim "in the image of God" #2
Jewish Values: Shmirat ha Adama to guard/protect/watch the earth #3
Jewish Values: Rodef Shalom - Pursue Peace #4
Jewish Values: Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof - Pursue Justice #5
Jewish Values: Pe’ah - Dignified helping the needy #6
Rabbi Min Kantrowitz is a Rabbi, educator and author. A 2004 graduate of the transdenominational Academy for Jewish Religion, California, she is the author of “Counting the Omer: A Kabbalistic Meditation Guide” (Gaon Press) and co-author of “One God: Three Paths” a prayerbook written by a Christian and a Moslem and a Jew. Rabbi Kantrowitz is a Rabbis Without Borders Fellow who served as Rabbinic Advisor to Congregation Nahalat Shalom and served on the Board of Directors of Hopeworks, and the Steering Committee of Hillel at UNM and as a founding member of the New Mexico Jewish Journal. Rabbi Kantrowitz is a former psychologist, a former architect/planner, a wife, mother and the proud Bubbie of three grandsons.
Meredith Gould is a mixed-media artist in Albuquerque. View her works available for purchase::
Original paintings at her website www.meredithgouldarts.com
Judaica at her Etsy Shop meredithgouldarts.etsy.com, and
works-in-progress at www.instagram.com/themeredithgould.arts.
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