Commento su Levitico 19:10

לא תעולל AND THOU SHALT NOT GLEAN [THY VINE YARD] — (עלל is a verb connected with the noun עולל "young, tender, not developed"; cf. Samuel 15:3: עולל ויונק) thus לא תעולל means, thou shalt not take the tender grapes of it. They can be recognized as such from the description given in Mishna Peah 7:4 (cf. also Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 3 3) where it is stated: What are עוללות? Clusters which have neither כתף, “arms" nor נטף, "drippings".

לא תעולל, meaning something akin to the concept of peyah in cornfields, i.e. the farmer must not harvest the entire vineyard for his own use. The parallel verse appears in Jeremiah 6,9 עולל יעוללו כגפן, “let them glean over and over, as a vine.”

You must not take [the] gleanings. An expression [similar to] עולל ויונק, “infant and suckling” (Yirmeyahu 44:7). I.e., the small clusters.

You shall not gather. The commandment, “you shall not steal,” is juxtaposed to this to warn a property owner not to steal from what is fitting for the poor, and also to warn the poor not to steal from the property owner more than what they are entitled.

ופרט כרמך [NEITHER SHALT THOU COLLECT] THE FALLEN GRAPES OF THY VINE YARD — i. e. the single berries of the grapes which fall to the ground during the grape gathering.

No “shoulders.” Explanation: They are not next to each other and lying one on the other as when people rest on each other’s shoulder. “Drippings” means like drops that drip one after the other, and are not near and next to each other. This is called “drippings.” Explanation: some clusters have stalks going in all directions off the main stem, one above the other, and grapes hang on these stalks in one bunch. The combination of all those stalks with their grapes creates the cluster. Some clusters do not have stalks coming off at all, but only single grapes coming off their main stem and going down from the top of the cluster to the bottom. Each of these two kinds is not called “gleanings” but a cluster. However, whatever is not of these two kinds just mentioned, but has grapes all gathered together in one place with no main stem at all, and most of this type are called בוסר (unripe grapes) and are found at the top of vines, this is called “gleanings” and the verse commands us to not take them. Re’m. See maseches Pei’ah chapter 10 where Rabbeinu Shimshon explains at length “shoulders” and “drippings.”

אני ה'‏‎‎‎‎‎ אלהיכם I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD — the Judge Who am certain to punish if necessary and Who for the neglect of these duties will exact from you nothing less than your souls, as it is said (Proverbs 22:22, 23) "Rob not the poor… for the Lord will plead their cause, [and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them]" (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 3 7).

[The single] berries of the grapes. I.e., פרט connotes a single item like פרט וכלל (an individual case and a general rule); meaning [the single] berries of grapes.

A Judge Who punishes. Rashi is answering the question: It is written “You shall not glean,” “You shall not gather,” all in the singular form, and [then] it is written, “I am Adonoy, your God ((אלקיכם in the plural form. [The answer is]: He punishes [many] “souls,” since [by taking away] the thief’s soul he also takes away the souls of the thief’s sons when they are orphaned, [because a poor person is considered dead].

Nothing less than [your] souls. (Gur Aryeh) Because if not, why [does Scripture] mention here, more than elsewhere, [that Hashem is] faithful to pay back.