“Bikkurim” (“first fruits”) refers to the commandment, detailed in Deuteronomy 26:1-11, to bring first fruits and grains to the Temple and give them to a priest next to the altar.
Details of the process are discussed in tractate Bikkurim, which describes the festive procession that accompanied the offering. Bkkurim is often associated with the holiday of Shavuot, since the holiday marked the beginning of the period during which bikkurim were brought.
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Bringing Bikkurim to the TempleTANAKH
Bringing Bikkurim to the Temple
TANAKH
The ritual of bringing bikkurim to the Temple was carefully choreographed, including instructions for what to bring, when and how to perform the ritual, and what to recite while doing so. These verses from Deuteronomy explain the details of the ceremony.
Barley Before WheatCOMMENTARY
Barley Before Wheat
COMMENTARY
Just as Passover occurs chronologically before Shavuot, so, too, the barley harvest occurs before the wheat harvest. The medieval Torah commentator, Ibn Ezra, investigates the words the Torah uses to describe the timing of the harvests in order to uncover a deeper meaning to this chronology.
Bikkurim Without a TempleMIDRASH
Bikkurim Without a Temple
MIDRASH
Bikkurim are meant to be brought to the Temple in Jerusalem - so what happens when there is no longer a Temple? This early medieval rabbinic text, written centuries after the Temple was destroyed, presents an alternative.
First Fruits of the Seven SpeciesTALMUD
First Fruits of the Seven Species
TALMUD
The Torah speaks of bringing first fruits of the harvest to the Temple. This excerpt from the Jerusalem Talmud clarifies which types of fruits were included in the offering.
HALAKHAH: “One does not bring First Fruits”, etc. If it were written (Deut. 26:2): “You shall take the First Fruits of your land”, I would have said that all kinds should be obligated for First Fruits. The verse says,“from the First Fruits”, not all firsts. If “from the first” and not all first, then you have only wheat and barley. The verse says “fruits of your land”; this is inclusive. Does it include everything? Here “your land” has been said…
A New Understanding of Priestly GiftsCHASIDUT
A New Understanding of Priestly Gifts
CHASIDUT
The destruction of the Temple ended the custom of bringing first fruits as gifts to the priests. The Ba'al Shem Tov (18th century, Ukraine) redefined these gifts by interpreting them as an expression of deveikut (attaching oneself to God).
Festival of the First FruitsTANAKH
Festival of the First Fruits
TANAKH
Jewish holidays often have more than one name, with each name indicating an aspect of the special day. This verse from the Torah introduces three different names for the festival of Shavuot.
Different Fruits, Different SchedulesMISHNAH
Different Fruits, Different Schedules
MISHNAH
How do you organize your bikkurim schedule when different fruits ripen at different times? This Mishnah identifies the range of dates in which first fruits can be brought to the Temple.
Right Time, Right PlaceRESPONSA
Right Time, Right Place
RESPONSA
Some commandments apply only if the Temple in Jerusalem exists, and others also depend on whether or not the Jewish people live in the Land of Israel. Rabbi Ben Zion Uzziel, the first Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, made a clear distinction between commandments that only depend on being in the land, and those that also require a Temple, like bikkurim.
Going Up to JerusalemHALAKHAH
Going Up to Jerusalem
HALAKHAH
The pilgrimage to Jerusalem was exceptionally beautiful and elaborate, according to rabbinic sources. Rambam (12th century, Spain) describes this festive journey in his legal code, the Mishneh Torah.
