Who is "You"
Deuteronomy 23:25-26 "when you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill..." and similarly for the field of grain...
This week's discussion mostly centered on "who is YOU" in this passage and how the rabbis figured that out.
Clearly there is intention that others should not starve and so it is good to allow others to eat a bit of the crops to keep from starving. This passage instructs the "you" to feel ok about eating some of the crops. But "you" clearly cannot take more of the crops than you might need to satisfy present hunger. There is the question about 'who is you' and also a question about limits to 'how many yous' can come and partake.
It seems the Rabbis most often saw the "you" as laborers who came into the fields. This conclusion is mostly based on seeing parallels in the way it is said with other references to the laborers in different passages. (Deut 24:15) And the way the verb for “To Come” is used. There are different ways to say ‘to come’, meaning either ‘by chance’ or ‘deliberate’. The word in this passage is the ‘deliberate’ meaning. Thus, it gives another indicator that the “you” was referring to the laborers who came to the fields on a regular basis.
Examples were noted of times when large populations might be traveling by due to exiles or famines in other places. The question if this law applied to this case was discussed. Certainly there is another parallel with the law in Leviticus about leaving the corners of the fields that implies we are to help in these circumstances to keep the poor from starving. But there are also clear rules about not giving so much that it would put your own life in jeopardy.
What I found interesting is the way the words are analyzed to determine intention. The “you” in the translation of the passage doesn’t seem to be restricted to who it is or how many. Nevertheless, through time and analysis by the Rabbis, “you” has been defined and restricted a bit to make it more reasonable and clear.
class leader: R. Micah Citrin
This week's discussion mostly centered on "who is YOU" in this passage and how the rabbis figured that out.
Clearly there is intention that others should not starve and so it is good to allow others to eat a bit of the crops to keep from starving. This passage instructs the "you" to feel ok about eating some of the crops. But "you" clearly cannot take more of the crops than you might need to satisfy present hunger. There is the question about 'who is you' and also a question about limits to 'how many yous' can come and partake.
It seems the Rabbis most often saw the "you" as laborers who came into the fields. This conclusion is mostly based on seeing parallels in the way it is said with other references to the laborers in different passages. (Deut 24:15) And the way the verb for “To Come” is used. There are different ways to say ‘to come’, meaning either ‘by chance’ or ‘deliberate’. The word in this passage is the ‘deliberate’ meaning. Thus, it gives another indicator that the “you” was referring to the laborers who came to the fields on a regular basis.
Examples were noted of times when large populations might be traveling by due to exiles or famines in other places. The question if this law applied to this case was discussed. Certainly there is another parallel with the law in Leviticus about leaving the corners of the fields that implies we are to help in these circumstances to keep the poor from starving. But there are also clear rules about not giving so much that it would put your own life in jeopardy.
What I found interesting is the way the words are analyzed to determine intention. The “you” in the translation of the passage doesn’t seem to be restricted to who it is or how many. Nevertheless, through time and analysis by the Rabbis, “you” has been defined and restricted a bit to make it more reasonable and clear.
class leader: R. Micah Citrin
posted by Chavarah @ 7:57 AM
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