Fresh Grain

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The Prohibition of New Grain

TANAKH

The Torah explicitly prohibits eating new grain until the Omer offering is made, emphasizing the importance of this ritual in the agricultural cycle. Leviticus details the commandment to count seven weeks from the day after Passover, culminating in the offering of new grain to God on Shavuot.

Until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God, you shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears; it is a law for all time throughout the ages in all your settlements. And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering—the day after the sabbath—you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week—fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to יהוה.

Leviticus 23:14-16

A Practical Approach to New Grain

CHASIDUT

The Ba'al Shem Tov's reliance on a lenient ruling regarding the consumption of new grain (chadash) demonstrates a practical approach to Jewish law. This story illustrates how the Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, respected and followed the halachic rulings of the B'ach, a prominent 17th-century authority.

The Baal Shem Tov once made a dream-request to find out the status of chadash in our day. They told him that when the B’ach passed away, they cooled down hell for forty days in his honor. The next morning, the Baal Shem Tov sent for beer made from chadash and drank it. “It is sufficient for us to rely on the B’ach who permitted this.”
Zichron Tov, p. 12d

Ba'al Shem Tov, Emor 6:1

Miraculous Growth in the Messianic Era

TALMUD

Imagine a future where grain grows in just fifteen days and trees bear fruit in a month. The Jerusalem Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, discusses this miraculous agricultural abundance in the context of the Messianic era.

It was stated: Rebbi Jehudah said, in the present world grain grows in six months and trees produce every twelve months, but in the future grain will grow in a month and trees will produce in two months. Rebbi Yose said, in the present world grain grows in six months and trees produce every twelve months, but in the future grain will grow in fifteen days and trees will produce in a month, for so we find that grain grew in the days of Joel in fifteen days, and the ‘Omer was brought from it…

Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 1:2:5

The Universal Prohibition of Fresh Grain

TALMUD

The prohibition regarding the new crop (chadash) applies universally, not just in Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Eliezer interprets the term 'dwelling' to mean wherever Jews reside, extending the prohibition beyond the land of Israel.

And Rabbi Eliezer comes to say: Even the prohibition with regard to the new crop applies both in Eretz Yisrael and outside of Eretz Yisrael. What is the reason for his opinion? He explains that the term dwelling means wherever you dwell. This is one possible way to understand the dispute, according to which the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer is more stringent than that of the first tanna.

Kiddushin 37a:10

Determining Guilt for Consuming New Grain

TALMUD

The laws of 'chadash' (new grain) are intricate and have significant implications for Jewish agricultural and dietary practices. The Jerusalem Talmud provides specific criteria for determining guilt regarding the consumption of bread made from new grain, based on whether one would be guilty for consuming its parched grain.

Is one guilty for bread from it because of new grain? Rebbi Yudan said, it is written (Lev. 23:14): “Bread, parched or fresh grain you should not eat.” Anything for whose parched grain you would be guilty because of new grain you are guilty for bread because of new grain; but anything for whose parched grain you would not be guilty because of new grain you are not guilty for bread because of new grain.

Jerusalem Talmud Challah 1:3:10

The Barley Harvest and the Omer Count

TARGUM

The barley harvest beginning on the eve of Passover is historically significant, marking the arrival of Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem. The Aramaic Targum to Ruth 1:22 connects this event to the start of the Omer count, a key ritual in Jewish tradition.

So Naomi returned, and with her was Ruth, the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the field of Moab. And they came to Beth Lehem on the eve of the Passover, and on that very day the Israelites began to harvest the Omer of the heave-offering which was of barley.

Aramaic Targum to Ruth 1:22

New Produce Prohibition Post-Temple

COMMENTARY

The prohibition against eating new produce on the sixteenth day of Nisan after the Temple's destruction is a significant halachic issue. Rambam’s commentary on the Mishnah elaborates on Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai’s interpretation and practical application of this prohibition.

ויום הנף – this is the sixteenth day of Nisan on which God stated (Leviticus 23:11): “He shall elevate the sheaf” – that Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai expounded after the destruction of the Temple that the sixteenth day of Nisan it is prohibited to eat new [produce] all day long. And this is the matter where it states [in the Mishnah]: "והתקין" and it will be explained the principles of all this and the reasons in the tenth [chapter] of [Tractate] Menahot, and all of these enactments for practical Jewish observance you will find them in the Mishnah.

Rambam on Mishnah Sukkah 3:12:2

The Ritual of Fresh Grain

MISHNAH

The detailed procedure and ritualistic steps involved in the preparation and offering of fresh grain highlight the significance of this ancient practice. The Mishnah, an early third-century codification of Jewish law, outlines the specific methods of handling, parching, and grinding the barley, as well as the roles of the priests in the Temple.

After they harvested the omer and placed it in the baskets, they brought it to the Temple courtyard. And they would singe in the fire the kernels of barley while they were still on the stalks, in order to fulfill the mitzva of parched grain, as it is written: “And if you bring a meal offering of first fruits to the Lord, you shall bring for the meal offering of your first fruits grain in the ear parched with fire” (Leviticus 2:14). This is the statement of Rabbi Meir…

Mishnah Menachot 10:4

The Meaning of Carmel

COMMENTARY

Understanding the etymology of biblical Hebrew terms can provide deeper insights into the text. Rashi, the renowned medieval French rabbi, explains the term 'Carmel' in Leviticus as a compound word meaning 'fresh ears of grain still full in their stalks.'

כרמל — i. e., broken whilst the husk (כר) is yet full (מלא) (according to this כרמל is a word compounded of כר and מל) — when the crop is yet fresh and full in its stalks; for this reason the fresh ears are called כרמל. Similar is, (2 Kings 4:42) “and full ears of corn (כרמל) in the husk thereof”.

Rashi on Leviticus 2:14:6

The Laws of Hallah and New Grain

MISHNAH

The laws of hallah and the restrictions on new grain are essential for understanding the agricultural and ritual practices in ancient Israel, which still influence Jewish observance today. The Mishnah, a foundational Jewish legal text from the early third century, outlines the specific conditions under which the five species of grains are subject to the law of hallah and the prohibition of new grain before Pesach.

Five species [of grains] are subject to [the law of] hallah: wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye. These are subject to hallah, and [dough made from different types of these grains] are accounted together one with another [as one quantity]. And their “new” [harvest] is prohibited prior to Pesah, and [they are subject] to [the prohibition of] reaping prior to the Omer. If they took root prior to the Omer, the omer permits them. If not, they are prohibited until the next Omer has come.

Mishnah Challah 1:1

The Omer Offering and New Grain

GUIDES

The omer meal offering is a critical mitzvah that regulates the consumption of new grain. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz provides detailed instructions and regulations concerning the omer meal offering and the prohibition against consuming the new crop before this sacrifice is made.

This entire chapter addresses the details of the mitzva of the omer meal offering and the prohibition against partaking of the new crop prior to the sacrifice of the omer.

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Menachot, Introduction to Perek VI 4

The First Harvest in the Promised Land

MIDRASH

The requirement to bring the first of the harvest to the Cohein is specifically tied to the Israelites entering the Land of Israel, highlighting the unique significance of the land in Jewish tradition. The Sifra, an early midrashic commentary on Leviticus, elaborates on the agricultural laws given to the Israelites upon entering the Land of Israel.

1) (Vayikra 23:10) ("Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you come to the land which I give to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring an omer (one-tenth of an ephah) of the first of your harvest to the Cohein.") I might think, when they came to trans-Jordan; it is, therefore, written "the land" — the distinctive land.

Sifra, Emor, Section 10 1

The Offering of New Wheat on Shavuot

MUSAR

The special offering of two loaves of bread on Shavuot from the new wheat harvest is a unique commandment that highlights the connection between the agricultural cycle and Jewish religious observance. Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz’s 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, discusses the significance of this offering as part of the Shavuot festival.

Commandment 307 provides for a special offering on Shavuot of two loaves of bread from the new wheat harvest.

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Sefer Vayikra, Ner Mitzvah, Emor 36

The Barley Offering

SECOND TEMPLE

The detailed ritual of offering the first-fruits of barley during the Feast of Unleavened Bread provides a fascinating glimpse into ancient Jewish agricultural and religious practices. Josephus, a 1st-century Jewish-Roman historian, meticulously describes the process and significance of this ritual in his historical work.

5. In the month of Xanthicus, which is by us called Nisan, and is the beginning of our year, on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, when the sun is in Aries, (for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians,) the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which was called the Passover; and so we do celebrate this passover in companies, leaving nothing of what we sacrifice till the day following…

The Antiquities of the Jews 3:10:5

The Optimal Time for Fresh Grain

TALMUD

While the new crop is technically permitted at daybreak, it is ideal to wait until after the omer offering to partake of it. The Gemara discusses the timing of when the new crop becomes permitted and the optimal way to fulfill this mitzvah.

The Gemara raises another difficulty. The mishna states: From the moment that the omer offering was sacrificed, the produce of the new crop was permitted immediately. This indicates that the new crop is not permitted at the illumination of the eastern horizon. The Gemara again answers that the mishna means that one should wait to partake of the new crop until after the sacrifice of the omer offering in order to fulfill the mitzva in the optimal fashion, but it is permitted at daybreak.

Menachot 68a:17

Guarding the Wheat

HALAKHAH

Guarding wheat from the time of harvest is essential to prevent it from becoming ḥametz, which ensures it remains kosher for Passover. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s contemporary halakhic work, Peninei Halakhah, outlines the careful practices needed to prepare matzot, including proper harvesting techniques and storage methods to avoid exposure to moisture.

Ideally, the wheat that will be used for the matzot should be guarded from when it is harvested. It is customary to harvest the wheat while it is still a bit moist, for if it were to dry out completely and then get drenched by rain, it would become ḥametz. Similarly, later on the grains must be stored where they will not come into contact with water.

Peninei Halakhah, Pesach 12:2:3

Boaz's Generosity

TANAKH

Boaz's act of kindness and generosity towards Ruth, a foreigner and widow, exemplifies compassion and hospitality. The Book of Ruth, one of the five megillot, narrates Ruth's loyalty and her eventual marriage to Boaz, highlighting his kindness in inviting her to a meal and providing her with roasted grain to ensure she has enough to eat. In Ruth 2:14, Boaz invites her to partake of the meal, demonstrating his care by ensuring she is well-fed.

At mealtime, Boaz said to her, “Come over here and partake of the meal, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” So she sat down beside the reapers. He handed her roasted grain, and she ate her fill and had some left over.

Ruth 2:14

Counting from the First Cut

TANAKH

The Torah specifies a unique agricultural and spiritual practice that begins with the first cut of the grain. In Deuteronomy, Moses commands the Israelites to count seven weeks starting from when the sickle is first put to the standing grain, marking the beginning of the harvest season and leading up to the festival of Shavuot.

You shall count off seven weeks; start to count the seven weeks when the sickle is first put to the standing grain.

Deuteronomy 16:9

Ruth Gleaning, James Tissot, 1896-1902

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