Kommentar zu Dewarim 26:2

מראשית [THEN THOU SHALT TAKE] OF THE FIRST [OF ALL THE FRUIT OF THE GROUND] — of the first fruits, but not all the first fruits, for not all fruits are subject to the duty of bringing to the Temple their first-fruits, only the seven chief kinds of products of Israel alone, for there is mentioned here ארץ, “the land” (אשר תביא מארצך) and it states there (Deuteronomy 8:8) “a land (ארץ) of wheat, and barley, etc.”, (thus suggesting an analogy — that the fruits of the land referred to here are those enumerated there). What is it that Scripture is speaking of there? Of the seven products through which the land of Israel is distinguished! So, too, here it speaks only of the distinguished products of the land of Israel which are seven species only (Sifrei Devarim 297:4; Menachot 84b).

THEN THOU SHALT TAKE OF THE FIRST OF ALL THE FRUIT OF THE GROUND, WHICH THOU SHALT BRING IN FROM THY LAND. [The meaning thereof is] that you shall take of the first of all the fruit which you will bring into the house from your Land, which the Eternal your G-d gives you. He commands that one should set aside that fruit in the field and designate it as first-fruit and then bring it into his house and put it in a vessel fit to be taken to the Sanctuary [in Jerusalem].¹Literally: “the Chosen House.” See Vol. IV, p. 178, Note 120. — “Fit to be taken to the Sanctuary,” this is undoubtedly a reference to what is stated in the Mishnah, that those who could afford it, “brought their first-fruits in baskets overlaid with silver and gold, while poor people brought them in wicker baskets of peeled willow-branches” (Bikurim 3:8). Now, Scripture did not prescribe an amount for the first-fruits, instead, even one grain [or berry] of that species exempts the entire field, similar to the law of terumah (the heave-offering) where one grain exempts the whole pile of grain.²This is the law of the Torah. The Rabbis however, established a minimum amount for the heave-offering to the priest. A liberal person should give one fortieth of his crop, a moderate person, one fiftieth; and a niggardly person, one sixtieth. In the case of first-fruits, the measure is one sixtieth of the produce, this law applying equally to all people (Chullin 137b).

מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך, the choicest of each category. [the word ראשית is not understood as “first.” Ed] We find the term ראשית used in this sense in Amos 6,6 וראשית שמנים ימשחו, “they anoint themselves with the choicest oils.” In verse 1 of the same chapter we read נקובי ראשית הגויים, “the ones known as the choicest of the nations. ” These “choicest” fruit are the seven types of produce for which the Land of Israel is famous, and this is why we have been commanded already in Exodus 23,19 to offer samples of these in the Temple. The gift known as ביכורים is not literally the fist ripe produce of each of these seven species, but the ones that grow on the best soil the farmer has so that it is truly also his choicest. The seven categorise of produce have been enumerated in Deut. 8,8-9.

Teneh, container, numerical value equals 60. The measurement is 1/60. The letter samech is missing from this section.

מראשית, "of the first, etc." This means that if a number of fruits ripen all at the same time only some of them have to be offered under the heading of בכורים. Our sages in Bikkurim 1,6 who stated that only the seven species mentioned in Deut. 8,8 are the subject of this legislation, derived this by the exegetical tool called גזרה שוה, i.e. the Torah employing similar sounding words in two unrelated subject matters when one or both of these words are superfluous in their context. The word which gives rise to this halachah is the word ארץ in the verse we just mentioned. According to Menachot 84 the words כל פרי, "all the fruit," mean that just as in Deut. 8,8. the Torah enumerated the seven species for which the land of Israel is especially extolled, so the law of בכורים applies only to these species.

והיה כי תבא אל הארץ וגו'...ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך , “It will be when you enter the Land …..and you will take from the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in, etc.” Ibn Ezra writes that seeing that the last paragraph had concluded with the statement that the commandment to wipe out Amalek would not become operative until we were no longer surrounded by and threatened by enemies, the Torah now had to stress that there are commandments which become operative as soon as we had established ourselves on our ancestral heritage in the Land of Israel, formerly the Land of Canaan. Such laws include the bringing of the first ripe fruit to the Temple, observing the laws of tithing, and a host of others. Nachmanides explains that the wording of the commandment here indicates that the first ripe fruit is designated as such while still in the field or on the tree it grew on, and that it becomes sacred in accordance with such a designation. The owner then places the fruit in an appropriate container takes it home and keeps it until he makes the next pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

But not all the first, etc. This is the text in most books that are available to us. Re”m asks on this: Why learn this law from “of the first”? Derive it from the gezeira shava of “land” “land,” that only fruits of the seven species are subject to “first fruits”? Also, why is it different here that we expound “of the first” and not all the first to exclude, that not all trees are subject to the first fruit obligation, but only some of them. And why is challah (Bamidbar 15:21) different that we expound from “of the first” but not all the first, to exclude, that one may not make the whole dough challah. He discusses this at length. See the Nachalas Yaakov at length.

V. 2. ולקחת וגו׳. Die Pflicht, die Erstlinge der Landesfrüchte in das Haus des Gesetzesheiligtums hinaufzubringen, ist schon wiederholt im Gesetze ausgesprochen (siehe Schmot 22, 28. 23, 19 und 34, 26). Das Wochenfest heißt ausdrücklich: חג הקציר בכורי מעשיך (daselbst 23, 13) und יום הבכורים (Bamidbar 28, 26), mit welchem die Darbringung der מנחות von neuer Frucht und das Hinaufbringen der Erstlinge eingeleitet wird (siehe zu Wajikra 2, 11. 12 u. 23, 16. 17 und Bamidbar 28, 26). Ebenso ist bereits oben Kap. 12, 6 u. 17 die Pflicht des Hinaufbringens der Erstlinge zu der von Gott für das Heiligtum seines Gesetzes erwählten Stätte und das Verbot, sie außerhalb derselben im Lande zu genießen, im Zusammenhange mit andern dortin bestimmten Heiligtümern ausgesprochen. ביכורים werden dort unter dem Ausdruck תרומת ידך verstanden, eine Bezeichnung, die in dem hier folgenden ihre Erklärung findet.

ולקחת מראשית פרי האדמה, “you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground;” the reason why the Torah repeats this commandment which had appeared already in Exodus 23,19, is to list the commandments in a certain order.

זית שמן mentioned as one of these distinguished products is the Agari olive, in which the oil is gathered in one place.

והלכת אל המקום, “you will go to the place, etc.” Nachmanides writes that taking the verse at face value, the meaning is that once the Temple has been built we are not to take the bikkurim to any city of our liking. Just as the Torah has legislated in connection with the permission to eat non consecrated meat once the people were settled on their land, that any consecrated animal could be offered up only at a central location, i.e. in the Temple in Jerusalem, [once that city had been captured. Ed.], similarly, the consecrated bikkurim have to be brought to that same central location. [During the first 390 years, that location proved to be Shiloh during most of those years. Ed.] In the Sifri we are told that what is meant is Shiloh and the permanent Temple, which may lead one to believe that neither Nov nor Giveon ever served as a place where bikkurim were offered up. In other words, those two towns, though the Tabernacle stood there for a number of years, had not been chosen by G’d especially for that purpose, but were considered ad hoc solutions to the problems of “altars,” במות. Nachmanides does not think that this would be the correct interpretation, but thinks that the words: אשר יבחר וגו', were intended only to prohibit the offering of bikkurim on private altars. On the other hand, the words תביא בית ה' אלוקיך is meant to exclude offering these gifts in a temporary, collapsible, portable structure, such as the Tabernacle.

The aguri olive, with its oil gathered inside. You might ask: In parshas Eikev (above 8:8), Rashi explains, “' oil, olives,' Its meaning is, olives that produce oil.” Why does Rashi not explain there as he explains here [that “oil, olives” means the aguri olive]? The answer is that above he is discussing the praise of the Land of Israel; and regarding that he explains, “Olives that produce oil,” meaning that in other lands there are olives that do not produce oil, whereas in the Land of Israel, all its olives produce oil. But here he is discussing the verse dealing with the first fruits, and we bring only first fruits from the fruits of the Land of Israel by which the Land of Israel is extolled, as we derive from [the gezeira shava of] “land,” “land,” and it is as if the verse had explicitly written these fruits in the parsha of first fruits here as well. And here [too], “olive” means the olives of the Land of Israel and they all produce oil as Rashi explains in parshas Eikev. If so, it is understandable why he explains [the further point that for the mitzvah of first fruits that must be from the very best, one must bring] “the aguri olive, whose oil is gathered inside,” because there are olives whose oil oozes out during rainfall and these are not as good. Therefore Rashi explains, “The aguri olive, etc.” This also answers the contradiction in Re”m's words [where he seems to be saying that all the olives in the world produce oil].

אשר ה׳ אלוקיך נתן לך "which the Lord your G'd is about to give to you;" The Torah emphasises the part of the land that G'd gives to you, because He had reserved for Himself part of that land, i.e. every seventh year when you are not allowed to work the land (compare Leviticus 25,4). It states there specifically that during the seventh year the land reverts to being G'd's. The legislation of Bikkurim applies only during the six years the Israelite farms his land. Although the land produces a harvest also during the seventh year the legislation does not apply as the land does not then belong to the farmer but is officially "ownerless."

AND THOU SHALT GO UNTO THE PLACE WHICH THE ETERNAL THY G-D SHALL CHOOSE. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture he admonishes against bringing first-fruit in [any] one of the cities [except for Jerusalem] after the Sanctuary was chosen [i.e., after Jerusalem was designated by the prophets and the ark of G-d was brought there], for just as He warned against slaughtering offerings outside [of the Sanctuary Court], so he warned with reference to the first-fruits. But the obligation of bringing first-fruits became binding immediately after they conquered and divided the Land,³This was after the fourteen years of the conquest and division of the Land, during which the ark of G-d was in Gilgal. Immediately thereafter they brought the ark to Shiloh where the House of G-d existed for a period of three hundred and sixty nine years. When the Philistines destroyed the Sanctuary in the days of Eli, the ark was moved to Nob and Gibeon, where it remained for a period of fifty seven years. From there it was moved by David to Jerusalem, and when Solomon completed the Sanctuary, it was placed in its final resting-place, the Holy of Holies. The period of Nob and Gibeon was not considered of the status of Israel having been brought to the rest and to the inheritance (above 12:9), because the structure of the House of G-d was not of stone as it had been at Shiloh; instead, it was made of the boards and curtains from the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Therefore during the fifty-seven years when the ark of G-d was first in Nob and later in Gibeon, it was permissible to bring offerings to G-d on the bamoth, “high places,” or private altars. See also further, Note 6. in accordance with the words of Rashi.⁴On this verse here. And in the Sifre it is stated:⁵Sifre, Ki Thavo 298. “And thou shalt go unto the place which the Eternal thy G-d shall choose to cause His Name to dwell there — this refers to Shiloh and ‘the Eternal House’⁶Or “the Permanent House.” The Sanctuary in Jerusalem is so called in contrast to the Tabernacle, which was portable. Also, because once the Sanctuary was built in Jerusalem, the place retains its sanctity forever, to the extent that even after its destruction, offerings may no longer be brought anywhere else. In the case of the Sanctuary in Shiloh, however, bamoth were permitted after its destruction. [in Jerusalem].” Perhaps the Rabbis [in the Sifre] meant to say that the bamoth (“high places”) were forbidden during both periods [i.e., Shiloh and Jerusalem]. However, during [the periods of] Nob and Gibeon [when high places were permitted] first-fruits could also be brought [only there in Nob and Gibeon], but they could not be offered at a private bamah, for Scripture refers [here in the chapter on first-fruits] to the altar [and he shall set it down before ‘the altar’ of the Eternal thy G-d indicating that only the public altar is suitable for first-fruits].⁷Verse 4. And “the altar” was only in the central place of worship — including Nob or Gibeon — but not at a private bamah. See further Vol. III, p. 123, Note 122 and Vol. IV, p. 180, Note 138. But since it is written, The choisest first-fruit of thy Land thou shalt bring into the House of the Eternal thy G-d,⁸Exodus 23:14. they perhaps did not bring first-fruits when it [the House of G-d] was in a tent and in a tabernacle⁹II Samuel 7:6. but only in Shiloh where there was a stone building and in the Eternal House,⁶Or “the Permanent House.” The Sanctuary in Jerusalem is so called in contrast to the Tabernacle, which was portable. Also, because once the Sanctuary was built in Jerusalem, the place retains its sanctity forever, to the extent that even after its destruction, offerings may no longer be brought anywhere else. In the case of the Sanctuary in Shiloh, however, bamoth were permitted after its destruction. [thus excluding the period of Nob and Gibeon].

Hier folgen nun nähere Bestimmungen der ביכורים-Institution, die, so einfach sie sind, in ihrer Ausführung sich zu einer großartigen, freudig gehobenen nationalen Bewegung gestaltete, welche jedes Jahr die Sommermonate vom Wochen- bis zum Hüttenfeste hindurch dauerte.

מראשית, from the first,” Rashi emphasises the importance of the letter מ i.e. “from,” as opposed to “all.”It is not even necessary to bring the entire fruit only part of it. [My version of Rashi, does not have this, but states that the farmer may designate the respective fruit before it has fully ripened. Ed.] An alternate interpretation: the word מראשית does not describe a time but describes quality, i.e. the best of these first fruit is to be brought to the Temple. The word ראשית appears in this sense of quality also in Jeremiah 2,3 ראשית תבואתו, “the best of His harvest;” [G-d comparing other nations to Israel whom He had chosen. Ed] The prophet Amos in Amos 6,6 also uses the word ראשית in that sense when he said: וראשית שמנים ימשחו, “and they anoint themselves with the choicest oils. Still another interpretation: the word מראשית means from the first in their respective category that have ripened, the very fact that they ripened earlier making those fruit superior.

ודבש HONEY is honey of dates (not of bees).

When a man enters his field. Rashi is explaining why the verse says “first”? It should have said only, “You are to take of the fruits, etc.”

מראשית ולא כל ראשית ,מראשית כל פרי האדמה (Menachot 84 b). Es heißt ל nicht ׳ראשית כל פרי וגו, weil in der Tat nicht alle Bodenfrüchte ביכורים-pflichtig sind, sondern die Halacha mit גז׳׳ש-Hinweis auf ארץ חטה ושערה וגפן usw. (Kap. 8, 3) lehrt, dass auch hier das Land in ארצך nur in seinen dort genannten sieben seinen Bodenreichtum charakterisierenden Früchten gedacht wird. Die Bestimmung konnte daher nicht ראשית כל פרי, sondern nur מראשית כל פרי lauten, weil die ביכורים-Pflicht sich nur auf eine Auswahl der Bodenfrüchte, auf die sieben Fruchtarten bezieht, welche שבח ארץ ישראל den Bodenreichtum des Landes bilden. Und ebenso wie מראשית nur eine Auswahl bezeichnet, so bezeichnet auch das מארצך (es hätte heißen können אשר תביא ארצך, welche dein Land dir heimbringt), dass auch von diesen auserwählten Früchten nur diejenigen ביכורים-pflichtig sind, die in den für sie am besten geeigneten Gegenden des Landes wachsen. So: לא מתמרים שבהרים ולא מפירות שבעמקים, so Datteln nicht aus Gebirgsgegenden, andere Früchte nicht aus Tiefland (daselbst 84 b כן נלע׳׳ד לפרש).

כל פרי האדמה, “you are to bring these specimens in their original state,” i. e. when whole, not the wine you made out of the grapes, or the oil out of the olives, for instance. (Sifri)

מראשית OF ITS FIRST FRUITS — but not all the first fruits (not even of the seven species mentioned above) but when a man goes into his field and sees for the first time that year a fig that has ripened he binds a piece of straw round it as an indication and says “Lo, this is בכורים" (and it suffices) (Sifrei Devarim 297:7; Mishnah Bikkurim 3:1).

And notices the first fig to mature, he wraps, etc. Not a fig in particular, but other species as well. The reason for mentioning a fig is because it ripens earlier than other fruits.

כן נראה לע׳׳נ לפרש מימרא דר׳ אלעזר, דלא בא לומר דיליף ר׳׳י שאין חייב בביכורים מכל פירות ממראשית דאף הוא יש לו ג׳׳ש דארץ ארץ. אלא ה׳׳ק כמו שהוצרך הכתוב לומר מראשית ולא כל ראשית כיון דלא מחייב אלא אז׳ המינים כדילפינן בג׳׳ש כך אמר קרא מארצך ולא כל ארצך להוציא תמרים שבהרים וכו׳. כן נראה לע׳׳ד. כנלע׳׳ד ובזה מסולקת קושית המפרשים מאחר די׳׳ל ׳ג׳׳ש לימוד מראשית ולא כל ראשית ל׳׳ל עי׳ הרא׳׳ם לרשי׳ וברכת הזבח מנחות פד׳ ב ומן התימה על הגדולים הנ׳׳ל דס׳׳ל דבאמת דמראשית ולא כל ראשית דרשינן כמו בחלה דבעינן שיריה נכרים והלא בפירוש איתא פיאה א׳ א׳ דביכורים אין להם שיעור למעלה וביכורים ב׳ ד׳ עושה אדם כל שדהו ביכורים ע׳׳ש בר׳׳ש אלא ע׳׳כ מראשית גבי ביכורים לא אתי כלל לתלמודא מאחר דילפינן מג׳׳ש דלא חייב אלא בז׳ מינים ולא הוה אפשר לקרא לומר ראשית כל פרי כנ׳׳ל. ואפשר הא דמדמי הגדולים הנ׳׳ל דרשה דמראשית דביכורים לדרשה דחלה לא לגמרי מדמי להו אלא כמו דמראשית גבי חלה מלמד דאינו יכול לעשות כל עיסתו חלה כך מראשית גבי ביכורים מלמד שאינו חייב לעשות כל פירות .(שנתבכרו יחדיו באילן ביכורים אלא סגי אפי׳ ענב א׳ אפי׳ תאנה

ושמת בטנא, ”and you shall put it in a basket;” it should be presented in a dignified manner.

Es waren also nur die sieben Fruchtgattungen, die den "Ruhm" des jüdischen Landes bildeten, und von diesen die auserlesensten Arten, welche ביכורים-pflichtig waren. Sollten sie jedoch, wie es im folgenden Verse heißt, gleichsam das jüdische Land in der Hand des Bringenden repräsentieren und "zeigen", dass er in Besitz des den Vätern verheißenen Landes gekommen. Begreiflich eigneten sich dazu nur die dem jüdischen Lande charakteristischen Früchte und in ihrer besten Art.

והלכת אל המקום, “and you will go to the place, etc.;” the owner of the first ripened fruit is to do all this himself, not through someone whom he designated in his place. This refers both to collecting the fruit from the tree or cutting it from the ground. When a King employs a servant to tend to his fields, he also expects that tenant to bring him his share personally, not to delegate someone else with performing that duty.

Schon am Baume, selbst noch vor vollendeter Reife, bestimmte man die Früchte zu כיצד מפרישין הביכורים יורד אדם בתוך שדהו ורואה תאנה שביכרה אשכול ,ביכורים שביכר רימון שביכר קושרו בגמי ואומר הרי אלו ביכורים (Bikurim 3, 1). Heißt doch darum die Bikurimpflicht מלאה (siehe Schmot 22, 28).

ולקחת והבאת עד שתהא לקיחה והבאה באחד ,ולקחת וגו׳ ,והלכת וגו׳ (B. B. 81b), (נראה דכולל הש׳׳ם כל ענין והלכת אל המקום וגו׳ ובאת אל הכהן וגו׳ בלשון) הבאה דהא לא כתיב והבאת). Es soll das Entnehmen der Früchte vom Boden — nach ר׳׳ת vom Hause — und das Hinaufbringen zum Heiligtum durch einen und denselben geschehen, so dass כצרן ושגרן ביד שליה, wenn der Eigentümer die Erstlingsfrüchte von seinem Acker und Feld gepflückt, sie aber durch einen andern hat hinaufbringen lassen, מביא ואינו קורא er die Früchte nur schweigend in den Tempel zu bringen hat, die hier folgenden Bekenntnisse aber nicht aussprechen kann. Ebenso, wenn sein שליח die Früchte gepflückt, unterwegs aber gestorben ist und, der Eigentümer oder für ihn ein anderer das Hinaufbringen vollendet hat. Hat aber der שליח die Früchte gepflückt und vollends hinaufgebracht, so dass לקיחה והכאה באחד geschehen, so מביא וקורא, so können die בעלים auch die vorgeschriebenen Bekenntnisse aussprechen (רשב׳׳ם daselbst; siehe jedoch תוספו׳ daselbst. וע׳׳׳ מהרשא שם ,סוף ד׳׳ה בצרן ושגרן). Nach חדושי הרמב׳׳ן (daselbst) wäre unter הבאה nicht das ganze Hinaufbringen, sondern nur הכנסתן לעזרה, das Hineinbringen in den Tempelraum begriffen, und solle dies und die לקיחה, das Entnehmen vom Hause, durch die בעלים geschehen sein. Auf dem Wege dürften die Früchte auch abwechselnd von andern getragen werden. Jedenfalls steht לקיחה und הבאה, das Fortnehmen vom Felde — nach ר׳׳ת vom Hause — und das Hinaufbringen zum מקדש, in einem so wesentlichen Zusammenhange, dass beides durch eine und dieselbe Person geschehen soll und so dieser Zusammenhang zum Bewusstsein gebracht wird, und ist die Mizwa nur mangelhaft erfüllt, wenn לקיחה והבאה nicht באחד geschehen.

Wir haben schon zu dem Satze: ראשית בכורי אדמתך תביא בית ד׳ אלדיך (Schmot 23, 19) geäußert, dass in ביכורים der Gedanke sich ausspricht, dass die ersten Früchte unserer Acker und Felder nicht als תבואה für unser Haus, sondern für Gottes Haus, für das Haus seines Gesetzesheiligtums reifen, und damit die Erkenntnis und das Bekenntnis gepflegt werden soll, dass wir den Segen unserer Äcker und das Gedeihen unserer Arbeit nur in zweiter Linie unserem Fleiß und der Gunst der physischen Einflüsse, in erster Linie aber Gott und unserem treuen Verharren in seinem Gesetzesbunde verdanken. Es ist also nicht nur הבאה, das positive Hinaufbringen zu diesem Gesetzesheiligtum, sondern auch לקיחה, das negative Fortnehmen von unserem Felde, oder nach ר׳׳ת von unserem Hause, zum Zwecke des Hinaufbringens in Gottes Haus, die לקיחה לצורך הבאה ein wesentlicher Teil des ביכורים-Gedankens, der eben durch die Norm: לקיחה והבאה באחד seinen Ausdruck erhält. Dagegen ist aber die הבאה מעכב, und wenn die ביכורים vor vollendetem Hinaufbringen verloren gehen, müssen andere gebracht werden. חייב באחריותן עד שיביאן להר הבית שנאמר ראשית בכורי אדמתך תביא בית ד׳ אלקיך (Bikurim 1. 9). Im Zusammenhange hiermit dürfte auch die Bestimmung:

ספרי) מלמד שטעונים כלי ,ושמת בטנא) stehen, wonach es obligatorisch ist, die zum Hinaufbringen bestimmten ביכורים in ein Gefäß zu legen. Es wird damit die Bestimmung ihrer הבאה von Haus aus sichtbar.