כִּ֣י תְכַלֶּ֞ה לַ֠עְשֵׂ֠ר אֶת־כׇּל־מַעְשַׂ֧ר תְּבוּאָתְךָ֛ בַּשָּׁנָ֥ה הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֖ת שְׁנַ֣ת הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֑ר וְנָתַתָּ֣ה לַלֵּוִ֗י לַגֵּר֙ לַיָּת֣וֹם וְלָֽאַלְמָנָ֔ה וְאָכְל֥וּ בִשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ וְשָׂבֵֽעוּ׃

When you have set aside in full the tenth part of your yield—in the third year, the year of the tithe—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat their fill in your settlements,

וְאָמַרְתָּ֡ לִפְנֵי֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ בִּעַ֧רְתִּי הַקֹּ֣דֶשׁ מִן־הַבַּ֗יִת וְגַ֨ם נְתַתִּ֤יו לַלֵּוִי֙ וְלַגֵּר֙ לַיָּת֣וֹם וְלָאַלְמָנָ֔ה כְּכׇל־מִצְוָתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתָ֑נִי לֹֽא־עָבַ֥רְתִּי מִמִּצְוֺתֶ֖יךָ וְלֹ֥א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי׃

you shall declare before the ETERNAL your God: “I have cleared out the consecrated portion from the house; and I have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, just as You commanded me; I have neither transgressed nor neglected any of Your commandments:

Devarim/Deteronomy 26:13-14

Why is it that this tithe is only distributed  every third year?  And why is the Torah fixated on this maaser feeding the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow … in your settlements. Shouldn’t we be no less concerned for the needy in other settlements?

As some of you know,  it is my contention that the Torah never intended for there to be a fixed-base Beit HaMikdash.  That the Mishkan was meant to be perpetual and itinerant – making its rounds of the 12 tribes and bringing (and refreshing) the spiritual experience and connectivity of its ritual at regular intervals. Thus the words ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם  (they shall make for me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them) were meant literally.

Hence it could well be that triennial maaser would indicate that Mishkan visited each shevet once every three years. And it would be in this third year (which would, of course be different for every tribe)  that it would be a particular tribe’s responsibility to provide for the Levi, the stranger, the orphaned and the widowed.  It stands to reason that in addition to the Leviim who were itinerant by definition, the traveling Mishkan would be accompanied by a ragtag band of strangers, the fatherless, and the widows who were effectively homeless and knew they could count on being taken care of  wherever the Mishkan would be erected.  And thus the needy would........

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