Gleaning – An Act of Torah

One of the beautiful things about Israel is the opportunity to watch Scripture lived out. The lifestyle in Israel is different than it is in the United States because this nation is built around Scripture. Of course, there’s the tug of war between secularism and serving God, but even among the wrestling, you can see the obedience of the Jewish people toward their God. Here the country shuts down Friday evening going into the Sabbath, more so now during the second COVID-19 lockdown, but even normally you are hard pressed to find an open store during the Sabbath in many cases. The sound of a city voluntarily going to sleep as sundown approaches is one of the most enjoyable moments of my life.

During our second or third day here in Israel we got a glimpse of another act of Torah that surprised me. A simple act of obedience to Torah is enough to make me cogitate on something for weeks! Our hosts stopped by our window one afternoon and set some fruit on the window ledge for us and then took several steps back. When we opened the window to chat with her, she let us know that they had been gleaning in an orchard across the road and they were sharing from their findings.

For those of you that don’t know, gleaning is going to a farm and taking from the leftover produce. The fruit that lands on the ground or the fruit that was overlooked during harvest becomes a resource for gleaners. If the farm is not yet harvested, whatever is still attached to the plant (in most cases) is not available for gleaning. Whatever is on the ground is available for anyone in need of it. After harvest, whatever remains attached to the plant also becomes the domain of gleaners. There are some additional points of interest in Scripture on this topic, both teachings and examples of it lived out. Even our Master Yeshua gleaned during His ministry. Remember the false accusation against Yeshua’s disciples for breaking the Sabbath for picking heads of grain and eating them? They were partaking of some of the gleaning instructions handed down by God.

The interesting thing in Israel is that this country is founded on the teachings of Moses. The words are not allegorical here. Nor are they obsolete or burdensome. These people still value those words and take joy in performing them. Not as a “do this or die,” but more as an act of love toward their covenantal partner. In Israel they are literal and immediately tangible, especially if you’ve studied the Scriptures and you know what you’re looking for. It’s a beautiful thing to watch God’s teachings lived out before your eyes, even more when it’s at a national level.

While I’ve cogitated on this, I’ve come to think that the Father intended for the farmer to wear their hearts on their sleeve with this particular teaching. It’s the farmers who joyously serve HaShem that leave the most bountiful gleanings. It’s those who wear the mask of false faith that tend to leave their land bereft of fruit after their harvest. As Yeshua was teaching us from the Mount of Beatitudes, He wants us to live out the Spirit of the Father’s teachings not just the minimalist actions required by the words. The farmers have the option to purposely minimize how much fruit is left behind for gleaners. So far as I understand, they also have the option of completely closing their land to gleaners as well, though I believe very few elect this option.

The heart controls the actions.

The farmers that choose to live out a passionate love for their God choose to be very generous with their farms. They optionally “drop” additional fruit for the gleaners and leave more on the branches during harvest which is literally taking money out of their pockets for the poor. In part, they are learning this from King David’s grandfather Boaz in the book of Ruth, but still the heart controls the actions. If the farmer is living for the material gain of their harvest rather than passionately pursuing their God, they may instruct the hired workers to be extra diligent with getting all the fruit from the trees or vines. Alternatively, they may instruct the laborers to leave every tenth fruit or some other calculation. Keep in mind, this does not count as the tithe. This is above and beyond that.  

I love the idea of gleaning. It’s a form of giving to those in need, but without destroying their dignity as we too often do with those in need back home. With gleaning they still labor for their food, but the food is available through the generosity of those who grow it. It is charity with dignity.

For the gleaners there is also the lesson of intent which can again be seen spelled out nicely in the book of Ruth. This Moabitess served for her mother-in-law, not solely for herself. In our experience, our host was also thinking of others and not just themselves during their time of gleaning. They considered Earlene and I. While we are certainly not in the typical categories of those in need, we are currently “home bound” under a mandatory quarantine. So, the woman and her daughter shared their findings with us. They provided for us during the time when we were unable to go out and find our own food.

There are actions of the heart that speak louder than the physical deed behind them. Gleaning seems to encapsulate a view of the heart for both the giver and the receiver. That is one of the several lessons that I seem to be learning and relearning through our little window of life right now. Tomorrow is the last day of our quarantine. I pray that the Father will reveal even more life lessons through our time in Israel and our observation of His people living our Scripture before our eyes.