Commentaire sur Le Lévitique 2:12

קרבן ראשית תקריבו אתם YE MAY OFFER THEM AS AN OFFERING OF THE FIRST FRUITS — But what is it that you have to offer of leaven and of honey? The offering of the first fruits, viz., the “two loaves’’ of the Feast of Weeks” that were brought of leavened dough, — as it is said, (Leviticus 23:16, 17) “[and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto the Lord . . . two loaves] they shall be baken leavened”. — and the first ripe fruits were brought of species that contain sweet juices (דבש), such as the firstlings of figs and dates (Menachot 58a).

קרבן ראשית, the two breads made from the new wheat harvest and presented in the Temple on the Shavuot festival are called מנחה חדשה, a new “first” offering, details are found in Deuteronomy 26,2. The first fruit mentioned in that verse are also included.

קרבן ראשית תקריבו אותם, “You shall offer them as a first-fruit offering.” Rashi explains that for the presenting of the two loaves on the festival of Shavuot of the first wheat harvest, leavened loaves were in order, though on the altar no leavened products were to be presented. It was also in order to bring to the Temple honey as part of the first ripe dates of the season. The Torah writes a special dispensation for this in Leviticus The common denominator of these two offerings is that both are described as בכורים, “first fruit offerings.”

'תקריבו אום לה, “you are to present it to Hashem.” This procedure is performed in the courtyard of the Temple, but the offering does not reach the altar.

'תקריבו אותם לה, they are presented in the courtyard of the Temple, the עזרה, and a “weaving” is performed with them, but they do not wind up on the altar.

That is that He commanded us with the process of the meal-offering sacrifices, according to the description that is mentioned for each and every type. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "When a person offers a sacrifice of a meal-offering to the Lord [...]. And if your meal-offering is on a griddle [...]. And if your meal-offering is in a deep pan" (Leviticus 2:1, 5, 7). And He said with the completion of the process, "And that is the law of the meal-offering" (Leviticus 6:7). And the regulations of this commandment and most of its content is explained in Tractate Menachot. (See Parashat Vayikra; Mishneh Torah, Sacrificial Procedure 13.)