Gleaning

Gleaning was the Mosaic provision by which the poor, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow were entitled to gather the portions of harvest left behind by the primary reapers. Three distinct gleaning laws are given: for grain fields (Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 24:19), for vineyards (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 24:21), and for olive groves (Deuteronomy 24:20). In each case the farmer was prohibited from reaping the corners of the field, from going back over what had already been reaped, or from gathering fallen fruit — these were to be left for the vulnerable of society. The law did not require payment or charity; it required access to the means of productive labor.

The book of Ruth provides the most extended illustration of the gleaning laws in practice. Ruth the Moabitess gleaned in Boaz's field in Bethlehem, and Boaz instructed his workers to leave extra grain for her to gather and not to reproach her (Ruth 2:2–17). This narrative demonstrates both the social safety net the gleaning laws provided and the spirit of generosity that could go beyond the law's minimum requirements. The gleaning laws reflect a theology of land as God's gift to all Israel (Leviticus 25:23), not a private possession to be hoarded.