Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Tosefta for Deuteronomy 26:2

וְלָקַחְתָּ֞ מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית ׀ כָּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃

that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.

Tosefta Bikkurim

There is a stringency with Terumah and second tithe that there is not with first fruits: That Terumah and second tithe apply to [the lands of] Ammon and Moab, which is not the case with first fruits. There is a stringency with second tithe and first fruits that there is not with Terumah: That second tithe and first fruits require one to come to the "place" (i.e., the Temple, the "place" that God has chosen to have his name dwell (see Deut. 14:23 (second tithe), Deut. 26:2 (first fruits)), and they require a confession, and they are forbidden to a mourner -- but Rabbi Shimon permits them [to a mourner]. And they are liable in [the laws of] bi'ur (i.e., the requirement that one uproot produce growing during the sabbatical year, and declare it ownerless (see Sheviit 7:1, 9:4).]. Rabbi Shimon says, first fruits are exempt from bi'ur (Bikkurim 2:2). Rabbi Yosei says, since second tithe requires confession and first fruits require confession, [you must say that] since second tithe requires removal, so too first fruits must require removal as well. Rabbi Shimon said to him, since with second tithe, in which the requirement of bi'ur applies [both to seventh-year produce] as well as to money [exchanged for such produce], you must say that with respect to first fruits, as to which the money exchanged for them does not require bi'ur, [the first fruits themselves do not require removal during the sabbatical year].
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