ב כ ו ר י ם

בכורים FIRST FRUITS

T he law of is stated in the Torah as follows: “When you have come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as a heritage, and have occupied it and settled in it, you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest . . . and put them in a basket; you shall go to the place which the Lord your God chooses to make his name to dwell there. Then you shall come to the priest in ofi&ce at that time and say to him: Today I ac­ knowledge to the Lord my God that I have indeed come to the land which he solemnly promised to our fathers to give us. The priest shall then receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the Lord your God. . (Deuteronomy 26:1-11). some of the firstfruits) intimates, according to) מראשית The word tradition, that not all fruits were subject to this enactment. By means of an analogy it is deduced that the law of bikkurim apphed only to the seven species which were special products of Eretz Yisrael. They are mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8 as typical of the fruitfulness of the land—wheat, barley, vines, figs, , , and date- honey. In the sixteenth-century commentary by Rabbi Obadiah Sfomo are named in ( שבעת המיגים) it is pointed out that the seven species the Torah iu order to indicate that Eretz Yisrael is distinguished by the abundant supply of food essential to man’s subsistence, and that its soil yields not only essential food but also delicacies. The , describing bikkurim, informs us that “when a man goes down to his field and sees (for the first time) a ripe fig or a ripe cluster of grapes or a ripe , he binds it round with reed- grass and says: These are bikkurim. . . Those who lived near Jerusa­ lem brought fresh figs and grapes, and those who lived far off brought dried figs and raisins. Before them went the ox, having its horns over­ laid with gold and a wreath of -leaves on its head. The flute was played before them until they came close to Jerusalem, when they sent messengers before them. Priestly and Levitical authorities of the Temple came forth to meet them. . . They were greeted by all, say­ ing: Brethren, men of such-and-such a place, you are welcome!. . .” (Bikkurim 3:1-3). Mishnah Bikkurim, the eleventh and final tractate in Seder Zera'im, consists of three chapters concerning the offering of firstfruits. Its vivid description of the bikkurim ceremony is well known and often quoted.

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