Melanie Oral Law

I chose the mitzvah “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.” I interpret it to
mean that not only do we need to give to the needy, but we need to incorporate it into
our daily lives by donating part of the fruits of our labor. In my daily life, I can follow
this rule by giving a portion of my earnings to charity, and giving the extra things
that I don’t need, like clothes I’ve grown out of, to people that need them. This
mitzvot can create a guideline for me as a Jew in the modern world by encouraging
community service and taking the time to help the less fortunate in my community.
Also, it teaches us to be kind to the stranger, which in today's times can be interpreted
to mean we should advocate for immigrants escaping bad situations and refugees.

I chose a picture of a soup kitchen because it represents helping the stranger and
the poor to get food that they need to survive. This picture shows volunteers who
cooked food and are giving it to people that need it. Additionally, in the mitzvah,
by leaving parts of the vineyard for strangers, you are giving them food so they can
survive. This photograph also represents the Jewish value of this mitzvah of giving
up something to help someone in need, since in the photo the volunteers are giving
up their time to help someone who needs it get food and in the commandment, the
farmers give up some profit for the benefit of the stranger.