A brief overview of the laws of peret.
Hilchot Ha'aretz, p. 218
- The Torah states: "You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger …" (Vayikra 19:10). This verse informs us that it is forbidden to gather the individual grapes that fell to the ground during harvest (vintage).[1]
- This mitzvah applies to grapevines only,[2] and only when one or two grapes fall at the same time. If three or more grapes fell at the same time, however, it is permissible for the vinegrower to gather them.[3] The mitzvah of peret is the parallel of lekket in the vineyard.
- Similar to the mitzvah of pe'ah, given the situation today, the poor will not gather these forgotten crops and it is not economically worthwhile for them to do so—the mitzvah of ollelot does not apply (see Laws of Matanot Aniyim, Chapter 1,7).
[1] Rambam, Hilchot Matanot Aniyim, 1:5.
[2] Ibid., 1: 7.
[3] Ibid., 4:15.
