כיצד מפרישין – שבכרה – And even if the fruit was not fully developed, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:20): “[Wherefore] I now bring the first fruits [of the soil which You, O LORD have given me].” At the time that he brings it, it is fruit, but at the time that he separates it [for the First Fruits], it does not have to be [fully-formed] fruit, but even was half-ripe or unripe.

הרי אלו בכורים – and it is not necessary to call it by another name after it has been harvested.

ר' שמעון אומר: אעפ"כ, חוזר וקורא שם – For he [i.e., Rabbi Shimon] expounds on the verse (Deuteronomy 26:2): “you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil.” Just as at the time when he brings the fruit, so too when at the time when he separates the fruit [he has to recite the First Fruits formula}. But at the time when calls them by name, the fruit have to be separated from the soil, just as they are when he brings them [to the altar of God]. But the Halakha does not follow the opinion of Rabbi Shimon.

כל העיירות שבמעמד – there were twenty-four Ma’a’madot/posts –[divisions of popular representatives deputed to accompany the daily services in the Temple with prayers (and also a corresponding division in the country towns) answering to the divisions of Kohanim and Levites], parallel to the twenty-four divisions of the priesthood, and men of these “posts” were Israelites, who were agents of all of Israel to stand over the sacrifices with the Kohanim and Levities of that particular division of duty [for Kohanim and Levites]; each person for his assigned week, and they were called, the men of the division [of Israelites assisting the priests on duty on the platform and divided in parties corresponding to the priestly divisions].

מתכנסות לעירו – of the head of the division, and they would not bring their First Fruit offerings, each individual on his own because of [what is written] (Proverbs 14:28): “A numerous people is the glory of a king.”

ולא היו נכנסים לבתים – because of the defilement in the tent.

ולמשכים – In the morning, when they arise.

הממונה – the head of the division

קומו ונעלה ציון – And on the way, they would recite )Psalms 122:1): “[A song of ascents. Of David.] I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘We are going to the House of the Lord.’” And when they arrived in Jerusalem, they would recite (Psalms 122:2): “Our feet stood inside your gates, O Jerusalem.” On the Temple Mount, they would recite (Psalms 150:1): “Hallelujah. Praise God in His sanctuary.” In the Temple Court, they would recite (Psalms 150:6): “Let all that breathes praise the LORD. Halleljah.”

תאנים וענבים – when they are moist

והרחוקים – [far] from Jerusalem and their First Fruits care not able to be preserved so well.

מביאין גרוגרות וצמוקים – figs and grapes that are dried

השור הולך לפניהם – and they offer them as peace-offerings.

ועטרה של זית בראשן – there are those who say because it is closer to the ground than all of the other trees that of the seven species, as it is written (Deuteronomy 8:8): “[a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates,] a land of olive trees [and honey].” And there are those who say that because there among the rest of the trees of the seven species, there is not a nice tree whose leaves are moist/fresh like the olive.

ועטרו את בכוריהם – And how do we decorate/adorn them? A person who First Fruits were dried figs, we wreath them with moist figs, and those whose First Fruits were raisins are adorned with moist grapes, and if they bring grapes, he shows the best and nicest of them from the top [of the pile].

הפחות – the assistants of the Kohanim

ולפי כבוד הנכנסים – according to the majority of those who enter, they would come out – if there are many, many come, and if there are few, few [come out].

וכל בעלי אומניות שבירושלים עומדים מפניהם – even though that the master artisans are not obligated to stand before the scholars at the time when they are engaged in their work in order that they not become idle from their work; nevertheless, they were obligated to stand before those who brought the First Fruits for the Mitzvah is beloved [when performed] at its appropriate time. And for this reason, those who carry the coffin when the dead is within it, and because of those who carry the baby to the ritual circumcision.

החליל – A kind of musical instrument whose sound can be heard from afar.

היה נוטל על כתפו – since he had to give it from his hand to the hand of a Kohen, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:4): “The priest shall take the basket from your hand [and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD].”

הגוזלות שעל גבי הסלים – that they would hang turtle-doves and pigeons and from the back of the First Fruit baskets, and not by the side of the baskets themselves so that they not be soiled, and these are burnt-offering sacrifices.

ומה שבידם – Maimonides interpreted that the young children when they brought them in their hands, did not hang them on the back of the baskets, and it appears to me, what was in their hands? It was the First Fruits that they brought in their hands.

רבי יהודה אומר: עד ארמי אובד אבי – But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

ואוחזו בשפתותיו וכהן מניח ידו תחתיו – from here it implies that the basket was on the hand of the Kohen but the owners would hold the basket above with their lips at the time of the waving; but not according to the words of the one who says that the Kohen places his hand underneath the hand of the owners and waves it.

בצד המזבח – in the southwestern corner

והשתחוה ויצא – from here it implies that he did not wave it other than only once at the time of the recitation [of the verses of Deuteronomy 25:5-10] alone. But the Tanna of the Sifre (the Midrashic verse-by-verse commentary on Deuteronomy) requires two wavings – one at the time of the recitation, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:4): “The priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down [in front of the altar of the LORD your God],” and we derive the [double-usage] of the word “hand”/יד from [the verse] (Leviticus 7:30): “His own hands shall present the LORD’s offerings by fire.” Just as there, [it requires] waving, so here too [there is] waving. And the second [waving] comes after he completed the Recitation. Since after the Recitation, it is written (Deuteronomy 26:10): “And you shall leave it [before the LORD your God and bow before the LORD your God].” The language [of the Biblical verse] (Exodus 32:34): “Go now, lead the people where I told you,” which refers to the waving that “he draws it away from himself and brings it towards himself, raises it and lowers it.”

נמנעו מלהביא – because of the shame as they do not know how to recite [the First Fruits formula of Deuteronomy 26:5-10].

התקינו שיהו מקרין – for it is a Biblical verse used as a support for a Rabbinic enactment, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:5): “You shall then recite as follows.” And there is no “reciting” other than from the mouth of another [whose words are repeated].

בקלתות של זהב – baskets overlaid with silver and gold

הסלים והבכורים ניתנים לכהנים – the baskets of the poor are given to the Kohanim, and the vase-shaped baskets of the rich are return are returned to them. From here, they said (Bava Kamma 9a), “poverty follows the poor” (i.e. the poor man is always under a disadvantage).

מעטרים את הבכורים חוץ משבעת המינים – they surround the baskets containing the First Fruits with nice and praiseworthy fruits. And even though they are not from the Seven Species, such as quince and Etrog and others like these. And the same law applies if they are able to decorate it [the basket of the First Fruits] from fruit that grew outside the Land of Israel.

רבי עקיבא אומר: אין מעטרין הבכורים אלא משבעת המינים – From fruit that grew in the Land of Israel which are liable for First Fruits (i.e., Deuteronomy 8:8). And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiba.

הבכורים – the essence of the First Fruits are a fig that was the first to ripen and a cluster of grapes that were the first to ripen.

תוספת הבכורים – at the time of the harvesting of the First Fruits, one adds to them from other figs or from other grapes.

עיטור – the nice fruit that one brings closely together around the basket to beautify the observance of the commandment.

מין שאינו במינו – He wreaths the basket of First Fruits of grapes with figs and of the First Fruits of figs with grapes, and even with fruits that are not from the Seven Species, according to the words of Rabbi Shimon, who holds that view above (Chapter 3, Mishnah 8).

ופטורים מן הדמאי – If the Kohen took them from those who do not observe certain religious customs regarding tithes (i.e., “Am HaAretz”) who brought First Fruits.

ואם אינה באה מן הארץ – such as the case where they brought the supplement from the other side of the Jordan [River], as is taught in the Mishnah above (Chapter 1, Mishnah 10), that they bring from there the First Fruits even though they are not from “the land flowing with milk and honey.” Alternatively, Our Mishnah is according to Rabbi Shimon who said (Chapter 3, Mishnah 9) that we adorn the First Fruits [with fruit] other than the Seven Species, and that law also applies from fruit that grew outside the Land of Israel, and just like according to him, we adorn [the First Fruits] with fruit [grown] outside the Land of Israel, so too, the supplement comes from fruit [grown] outside the Land of Israel. And this comes to – teach us here that the supplement which is not from the Land [of Israel] is not like the First Fruits.

כספר תורה – that is to say, and a Torah scroll is like the First Fruits for this law, that the creditor takes his debt and a woman collects her Ketubah settlement. Another explanation: The Mishnah reads “AND a Torah scroll” (as opposed to “like a Torah scroll”). And it is permissible to purchase with them a Torah scroll, and even though that the Tanna of our Mishnah taught “an unclean animal.” And it was necessary to teach “Torah scroll” and not to mention all of these other things. Presume that they were not appropriate for eating, they are appropriate for a reward that [could be used] to purchase food. But a Torah scroll that is not appropriate for a reward that would come for the purchase of food, for one cannot sell a Torah scroll, I might say no, but this comes to teach us otherwise.

אין נותנים אלא לחבר בטובה – A Kohen is not able to give the First Fruits other than to a Kohen who observes the Levitical laws in daily intercourse who eats his secular meat in purity and givens them to him as a favor with the expectation of reciprocation of the Torah of kindness and free-will donation, and it is not appropriate to purchase with them anything and even not to give them to a Kohen who does not observe the Levitical laws in daily intercourse, for since we don’t use them for the Divine service, we suspect lest that he is not careful with them.

נותנין אותם לאנשי משמר – Whether he is someone who observes the Levitical laws in daily intercourse or not, we divide them between them.

בקדשי מקדש – like the other holy aspects of the altar. And even though we don’t use them for Divine service, since we bring them into the courtyard, we are careful with them and we don’t come to eat them in defilement. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.