More Self Control: Less Self, Less Control

Communal laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy lay out a clear imperative for landowners and harvesters to care for the widow, orphan, and foreigner by leaving part of their harvest in the field for them. It is a practice of restraint that creates an ethic of communal generosity. In the story of Ruth and Boaz, we see this practice in action. The laws are not just words; they are lived experience—a snapshot of what greater equity and generosity looks like in practice.