The mitzvah of forgetting – Ki Tetzei
One of the mitzvot enumerated in the sidra cannot be fulfilled on purpose – the mitzvah of leaving a forgotten sheaf in the field for the poor (Deut. 24:19).
You can’t decide to forget. You can’t forget on purpose. You can’t deliberately forget. If you forget, it has to be inadvertent.
There are commentators such as the Shelah who suggest that because finding a forgotten sheaf is such a pleasant experience for a poor person, God deliberately orchestrates the situation for the sake of the poor man.
God influences the ba’al habayit to forget his sheaves so that the needy can benefit.
