Pe'ah

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pe'ah is the second tractate of Seder Zeraim in the Mishnah and Talmud. It focuses on the laws of gifts to the poor from harvests and the general duties of charity. The tractate is named after Pe'ah, the corner of the field left for the poor, but it also covers other gifts and charitable practices.

Gifts to the poor
- From the field: Pe'ah, Leket, and Shich’chah.
- From the vineyard: Pe'ah, Shich’chah, Peret, and Olelot.
- From the trees: Pe'ah and Shich’chah.
These gifts must be given every year.

Shmita (the sabbatical year)
- In the third and sixth year, you must set aside ma’aser ani, a tithe for the poor.

Structure and sources
- The tractate has eight chapters. The Jerusalem Talmud contains the Gemara for Pe’ah; the Babylonian Talmud does not.
- Chapters cover: Pe’ah (Chs 1–4), Leket (end of Ch 4 into Ch 5), Shechicha (end of Ch 5 into Ch 7), Peret and Olelot (Chs 7–8), and Ma’aser Ani with charity.

Charity organizations
- Tamchuy: meals and lodging for travelers, including Sabbaths.
- Kuppah: a local charity fund for the poor.
Both ensure minimum charitable provisions from community funds.

Ethics and practice
- The first mishnah states there is no maximum limit to giving Pe’ah and other mitzvot like first fruits, offerings, acts of lovingkindness, and Torah study.
- It teaches that rewarding acts include honoring parents, lovingkindness, making peace, and studying Torah.
- The closing mishnah warns against pretending to be poor or misusing charity, and it praises the truly poor who live modestly and work hard.
- The tractate highlights that charity and learning Torah have no fixed measure and are central to Jewish life.

Liturgical note
- Morning prayers begin with blessings over the Torah, followed by readings from the Bible, Mishnah, and Gemara, including the opening line of Pe’ah 1:1, which speaks of unlimited giving and the reward for good deeds.