Yerushalmi Peah 8:1 ירושלמי פאה ח׳:א׳

MISHNAH: When is everybody¹Even rich people and even the proprietor himself. permitted to take gleanings of grain? After the second wave of seekers²A nif‘al participle from מוש “look up last.” (In Arabic, מוש means “collecting gleanings from grapes.”) If the word is derived from משש “to grope,” it designates old people who walk around groping. Both etymologies are considered in the Halakhah. is gone. Single grapes and gleanings of grapes, after the poor have come to the vineyard and gone. Olives after the second wave of rainfall³In Israel, the first rainfall of the fall season is expected about the seventh of Marḥeshwan; the second rainfall is anytime between Markheshwan 17 and Kislew 1 (after that date, the year would be considered one of draught.). Rebbi Jehudah said, are there not people who do not harvest their olives until after the second wave of rainfall? Rather when a poor man goes out and does not collect more than the value of four assarii⁴An assarius or as is 1/24 of a silver denar. One silver denar was worth 1/25 of a gold denar whose gold content in good times was about 4.3 grams. It is stated that the minimum amount necessary for one meal of a poor person in Mishnaic was 1 as. If a poor man cannot collect the value of two meals for both himself and his wife, he will not waste his time collecting..

HALAKHAH: Rebbi Joḥanan said, why are they called nĕmūšōt, because they come at the end⁵In the Babli (Baba meẓi‘a 21b), this explanation is given in the name of R. Simeon ben Laqish. The feminine form both of the noun and the verb may indicate that the late collectors were mainly women. The use of the masculine later in the same context may be irrelevant since the Yerushalmi in general prefers the masculine singular for all genders and numbers.. Abba Shaul used to call them “gropers.” Some formulate in the Mishnah nĕmūšōt, some formulate mĕšūšōt. He who says nĕmūšōt, because they come at the end. Those who say mĕšūšōt, because they grope to come. Rebbi Ḥuna in the name of Menaḥem⁶Probably Rebbi Menaḥem, a student of R. Joḥanan and R. Simeon ben Laqish.: Rebbi Joḥanan ben Nuri⁷Tanna of the third generation, a student of R. Eliezer and colleague of R. Ḥalaphta, the father of R. Yose. On the recommendation of R. Joshua, Rabban Gamliel later appointed him overseer of the Academy of Jabneh. He is the paradigm of the God-fearing poor. used to go out with the second wave of seekers and returned with his needs for the entire year.

It was stated: The gifts to the poor standing on the field about which the poor do not care⁸They did not come to collect them at the appointed times, or they did not collect them when they did come. belong to the proprietor. Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya asked, may a person give the name of peah to take for himself⁹Since it was stated in Halakhah 1:6 that even a farmer who qualifies as poor has to abandon his peah to the poor in general, how can he then be authorized to take it for himself?? Rebbi Simeon bar Ioḥai stated: (Lev. 19:10,22) “Abandon them to the poor and the stranger,” not ravens and bats¹⁰It is better that food be used for humans who care about it. Since the obligation of these gifts to the poor is to “abandon” them, not to “give” them, the farmer is not required to give the value of peah, gleanings, etc., to the treasury of charities..

“Single grapes and gleanings of grapes, after the poor have come to the vineyard and gone.” We did not state “the second wave of seekers;” since these are so desirable they all come immediately.

“Olives after the second wave of rainfall.” We did not state “the second wave of seekers;” since when it is cold, only young people will go out.

And before that¹²The argument refers to the last part of the Mishnah, where R. Jehudah disputes the date of the second downpour and connects the date to the value of olives to be gleaned. If less than that amount is found, it is assumed that the poor abandoned the rest and it becomes abandoned to everybody (Baba Meẓi‘a 2:1). But if there is more, is it not still the possession of the poor and forbidden to everybody else?, is it not forbidden because of robbery? They received their answer according to their reasoning: You who say that because of the cold only young people will go out¹³Since you require to wait until after the second downpour, you seem to think that the poor have given up on those few farmers who harvest their olives only after the second downpour., for you, since he knows¹⁴The second gleaner. that he will not bring home enough for his upkeep, he will not go out.