ABSTRACT
Who may collect the agricultural gifts for the poor? This text establishes a rudimentary “poverty line,” instructing that those with less than 200 denars (a Roman coin, equivalent to a zuz) in wealth (or 50 denars in disposable wealth), are eligible to collect peah (produce left unharvested in the “corner” of a field), gleanings, forgotten produce, and the poor tithe ( A15 ). Although its precise value in modern terms is unclear, 200 denars was likely meant by the rabbis to indicate the minimum amount that a householder needs to support himself and his dependents for a full year. This universal and absolute threshold for poverty contrasts with the individualized and relative understanding of who is eligible to receive alms from charitable institutions in the Tosefta ( A25 ). Mishnah Peah 8:8–9 also includes warnings against those who pretend to be poor and encouragement for poor people who choose to remain economically independent. The divine punishment for the former and reward for the latter are to be commensurate with the individual’s actions, following the principle of “measure-for-measure” (talion).
