3,133. When Peah May Be Taken

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 2:17

Peah is left for or divided among the needy three times day: at daybreak, at noon and at mincha time. If a needy person doesn’t come at one of these times, he may not take the peah; this is so that there will be set times for the needy to assemble. The reason this wasn’t established at just one time per day was for the sake of nursing mothers who need to eat at the start of the day, for needy children who aren’t up yet and won’t reach the field until midday, and for the elderly who won’t arrive until late in the afternoon.

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 2:18

If a needy person takes some of the peah and uses it to cover the rest, or if he falls upon it or uses his garment to cover it, he is penalized by forfeiting the peah. Even what he already took is confiscated and given to someone else. This also applies to leket and shich’cha.