Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

To not forsake the Levite, from giving him his gifts: That we have been warned from forsaking the Levites and not to be negligent from filling their portion — meaning to say to not delay their tithes — and all the more so on festivals, as we are warned about them even more, in order to gladden them at the appointed time. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 12:19), “Be careful for yourself, lest you forsake the Levite, all of your days upon your Land.”

It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] because God, blessed be He, wanted the good of His people, Israel, that He chose as a people and wanted to give them merit and to make them a paragon in His world — a wise and understanding people — in order that all who see them would recognize them as the seed of the blessed of God, men of truth and men of repute. And in that this was His will, may He be blessed, blessed be He, He brought counsels from afar to cause ways for their occupation to be in wisdom and [that] they would be poring over it always every day. And [so] He steered them and arranged proper and pleasant customs and dear and strong mores, in order that they “learn to know God — from their small ones to their great ones” — and their seed would stand and their name would be preserved forever. And from the statutes that strengthened and supported the wisdom among them was for there to be one entire tribe among them without a portion and inheritance in the lands, and that it not go out to the field to plow and to seed and to dig wells [from which] to water. And all of this was to be a cause for it to spend its time, no matter what, to study the wisdoms and to understand the straight ways of God, and they would teach its judgments to their brothers in each and every country and in all of the cities. And therefore in that this tribe is selected — it and its seed — forever for the occupation of wisdom and understanding, and that all of Israel will [therefore] need to seek Torah from their mouths, agree with their opinions and follow their counsel in everything that they teach them; it was from His will that their brothers provide them all of their sustenance, lest their wisdom get swallowed up, due to the lack of their portion. And from this foundation, the double warning came to all of Israel in this verse with “Be careful” and “lest,” that they not forsake and not be negligent at all in all of their matters. And it mentioned about them a warning of the land, as it stated, “all of your days upon your Land”; to say, be very careful with them, as your inheritance is the land, but God — Who is the One that makes its seeds grow — is its inheritance. [This] means to say, do not think to be proud in front of it because of your inheritance of the land, as it is the master. Or we can say that the mention of the land is to say that he needs you regardless, as you are the master of the inheritance and everyone needs it. As anyone who does not have land — even if he has many monies — requires mercy, since everything is from the land, and there is nothing as solid for a man, that his heart can rely upon it, like it. And the landowners are those that raise choice calves and stuffed geese, they have fattened chickens, doves of the cote, goats and sheep. And in the way that the workers of the land bring of all these things on the holidays to kings of the land and its ministers, so were the Children of Israel warned to do for the Levites. And several warnings were repeated about it in Scripture in several places where it states, “Do not forsake the Levite that is in your gates.” And the intent of the matter of its stating, “that is in your gates,” is not that he should go to the doors [of people to beg], God forbid. Rather, it is to say that he does not have the inheritance of lands like [the rest of] Israel.

The laws of the commandment are elucidated in Scripture.

And this commandment is practiced when Israel is on their Land. And one who transgresses this and forsakes gladdening the Levite and delays his tithes on the festivals has violated this negative commandment. But there are no lashes for it, as there is no act [involved] with it. And anyone with understanding will be able to learn from this commandment to aid and do good to all who are constantly striving for the wisdom of the Torah. As they are the ones that support the true religion, strengthen faith, increase peace in the world, love the creatures, and are joyful with the ordering of the state. All who need grace, “let him see his face with justice” (tsedek, playing on the word tsedakah, charity); as he has no free time to walk in the streets this way and that for his sustenance. Hence one who has mercy on them and seeks their benefit will receive mercy from the Heavens; and he will eat with them, portion for portion, in the world to come.