כבד את ה' מהונך ומראשית כל תבואתך, וימלאו אסמיך שבע ותירוש יקביך יפרוצו, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your harvests; so that your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3, 9-10).

With these words Solomon warned us to display faith in the Lord and in His ability and willingness to provide our needs for us. The practical way of demonstrating this faith is the setting aside of a portion of our harvests for the Lord or those whom he has appointed to be the recipient of these “gifts.” One should not begrudge the money or food given to the poor and destitute seeing in them something that impoverishes the giver. On the contrary, one should view such gifts as insuring that one will continue to be the beneficiary of G’d’s bounty. Solomon spells this out even more clearly in Proverbs 28,27 where we read: ”He who gives to the poor will not be in need.” We must truly believe that G’d will add to our resources as a result of our demonstrating this faith by sharing what we have with others. This is the meaning of Proverbs 11,24: יש מפזר ונוסף עוד, “one man gives generously (appears to waste) and winds up with more.” Solomon also said (Proverbs 10,2) ”the treasures of wickedness are useless; whereas charity saves from death.” The author of Proverbs means that the excess accumulated by means of robbery and extortion will prove ineffectual, whereas the very giving up of part of one’s fortune to assist the poor and needy is what will prove effective in determining the individual’s fate, so much so that it may save the donor from what otherwise would have been certain death. Our sages in Ketuvot 66 phrase it thus: מלח ממון חסר, “if someone wants to treat money as if it were salt, i.e. enduring forever, he will find that it decreases.” Others quote the proverb as ממון מלח חסד, “if someone wants his money to endure as does salt, he should use it to perform acts of loving kindness(with it).” Seeing that this is so it behooves a person to spend his money (part of it) on the performance of commandments which involve expense, especially the commandment to give charity. He who gives to the poor in fact gives to the Almighty. [I suppose the meaning is that thereby G’d will not have to trouble Himself to sustain that poor person. Ed]. Similarly, he who donates money for sacred purposes such as the Temple, etc., is only giving to G’d what belongs to G’d in the first place. David spelled this out in Chronicles I 29,14 when he said: “for everything emanated from You and that which comes from Your hand we have given to You.” All of these considerations prompted Solomon to say in the verse quoted above: “honour the Lord with your wealth.” The expression הון used by Solomon includes all kinds of things which a person accumulates in order to keep and preserve them. The word is derived from Psalms 119,14: כעל כל הון, “as over all riches.” Other examples of the word in the Bible occur in Proverbs 30,16 ואש לא אמרה הון, “and the fire never says ‘enough’”. Fire’s appetite to devour things is never satisfied. As long as an object subject to burning is available fire is anxious to devour it. According to a Midrashic explanation found in the Midrash Mishley on our verse, the word “fire” here refers to the fires of hell and Solomon means that there is no end to the sufferings which people who are in Gehinom have to endure. It would seem that the two verses quoted at the introduction to our Parshah both describe the need to be generous with one’s wealth in order to avoid paying for one’s miserliness by undergoing the afflictions of Gehinom. It is in order to “put G’d to the test” by fulfilling the obligation to be charitable, to give away some of one’s accumulated wealth in order to see whether indeed G’d will compensate one for doing so. This is why Solomon added at the outset: “so that the Lord will fill your barns with plenty.” The word וימלאו, “and they will be filled,” is to be understood as the result of one’s fulfilling the first half of verse 9, i.e. to honour the Lord from one’s wealth. The words: “and your vats will overflow with new wine,” are in response to the words: “from the first fruits of all your harvests” in verse 9 of that chapter. This is also why the Torah refers to “the harvest of the vineyard” in Deuteronomy 22,9. Concerning the giving of tithes, the prophet Maleachi 3,10 has stated that if someone were to test the Lord (His promises and if they come true), the only way he is allowed to do this is by means of performing the commandment of giving charity and observing if G’d indeed will enrich him thereby rather than make him poorer. The prophet describes this as an exception to the general rule not to put G’d to the test by saying: “I will perform a certain commandment in order to be enriched materially by the reward.” Compare Deut. 6.16: “you must not put the Lord to the test.” Our sages in Taanit 9,1 have stated that the verse quoted from Malachi represents the single and solitary exception to the prohibition spelled out in Deut. 6,16. They understand the prophet’s words: “bring your tithes, etc.,” as almost an invitation to prove that G’d does reward those who diminish their wealth by sharing the harvest with the poor, as resulting in an addition to those people’s material possessions forthwith. When Solomon spoke about the positive results accruing to the individual who honours the Lord from his wealth, he too meant this not as something given on condition that G’d would reward the individual forthwith but as a statement of fact, of what would ensue as a result of such conduct by those individuals. This is why he did not preface his comments with the words: “if you do such and such.” Basically, the lesson is that although putting the Lord to the test is forbidden, the subject of tithing is an exception to this rule.

A Midrashic approach, based on Tanchuma Re'ey 12: the words: “honor the Lord from your wealth (הונך),” are interpreted as related to הנאה, something from which one derives satisfaction or profit. Solomon urges people who have received anything enjoyable from G’d over and above what the average person enjoys (not only their harvest) as obligated to “kick back” something to G’d and to thereby honour His name. As an example of the point just made, consider a person who has been endowed by G’d with an especially beautiful voice, a singer. It behooves such a person to place this gift in the service of the Lord by acting as Cantor in the Synagogue services during communal prayer, provided he does so in order to honor the Lord and not in order to receive personal applause by the congregants in his own honor. If such a person truly intends his vocal contribution to the Synagogue services to be in G’d’s honor, the words of Solomon in Song of Songs 2,15: “Let Me hear your voice for your voice is sweet,” may be applied to him. On the other hand, if such a well endowed person uses his gift to reap personal honor, Scripture applies to him the verse in Jeremiah 12,8: “She raised her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her.” A similar example would be someone endowed with the ability to be a calligrapher of especial talent. He should acknowledge having been granted this talent, by using it in the preparation of sacred texts, to write Torah scrolls, phylacteries, etc. If he does indeed write a Torah scroll from pure motives (not because he wants to sell it at a profit), he has acquired an outstanding merit. Our sages (Menachot 30) went as far as describing a person who wrote a Torah scroll from such motives as comparing him to someone who had literally received the Torah from heaven (at Mount Sinai). The same applies to people who possess exceptional skill in performing the art of circumcision. Such people should strive to use their skill regularly, seeing that the performance of that commandment is linked to 13 covenants between G’d and His people. All people endowed with exceptional skills or talents are duty bound to place it in the service of the Lord as a form of acknowledging that their talent is G’d-given. The words ומראשית כל תבואתך quoted in Proverbs 3,9 are reminiscent of the fact that the Jewish people are described by G’d as “His first harvest (ראשית),” such as in Jeremiah 2,2. It behooves them therefore more than any other nation to know and acknowledge the Lord Who is the First of all Firsts. They must therefore honor the Lord by offering Him the very first of their respective harvests. This is what the Torah had in mind with the commandment governing the bringing of Bikkurim to the Temple as spelled out already in Exodus 23,1. The Torah commanded the Jewish people who have been called ראשית to go to Jerusalem, a place which is known as the first in the universe, i.e. ranking first in beauty, as described in Psalms 50,2 and to offer these firstlings of their harvest to the First, i.e. to the Lord of the universe. They deliver these gifts to the priest who represents the “first” of the nation performing service to the Lord in that capacity, etc. This is the meaning of the opening verse of our Parshah,

והיה כי תבוא אל הארץ אשר ה' אלוקיך נותן לך נחלה וירשתה וישבת בה, ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה, “it will come to pass when you arrive in the land which the Lord your G’d is about to give to you as an inheritance and you will inherit it and be settled in it, then you will bring of the first fruit of all the soil, etc.” The commandment to offer the bikkurim does not apply to all categories of harvest produced in the land of Israel. It is applicable only to the seven species for which the land of Israel is famous, This is the understanding of the sages in Sifri Ki Tavo item 297. This is arrived at by the fact that in our verse the Torah writes: “which you will bring from your land,” whereas in Deut. 8,8 the Torah wrote: “a land of wheat, barley, grape, fig and pomegranate; a land of oil-olives, and date-honey.” The seven species mentioned in that verse determine what is meant in our verse here. The seven species mentioned in Parshat Eykev represent the species of farm-products which serve as the staple foods of the Jewish people. The commandment is applicable only at times when the Temple is standing (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 2,1). The reason that the Torah writes the words: “when you inherit it and dwell in it,” is to inform us that the commandment becomes effective only at that time, i.e. 14 years after the Israelites entered the Holy Land.

ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה, “You shall take from all the first fruit of the soil, etc.” our sages (Bikkurim 3,1) in describing the exact procedures to be followed when performing this commandment, wrote as follows: “a farmer goes into his field or orchard to check on the progress of the fruit or grain and when he observes a fig or cluster of grapes which has (almost) ripened, he attaches a string to it (to mark it) and declares that particular fruit as bikkurim.” Once he has made such a declaration the fruit becomes sanctified even while still on the tree although it has not yet completed its growth process completely. When the fruit is fully developed and cut from the tree it does not need to be sanctified again. Bikkurim are brought only from the choicest of one’s fruit. This is the meaning of the term מראשית, i.e. “from the best “(not necessarily from the first). The term ראשית also appears in that sense in Amos 6,6, where it means: “they anoint themselves with the choicest oils.” This is a principle that applies to the performance of all the commandments, i.e. one uses the choicest materials available when performing the commandment, not something of average or inferior quality. This was the difference between the offering of Hevel and that of Kayin, his older brother. The Torah reports of Hevel that he used the choicest of his animals as a sacrifice; hence G’d turned with goodwill to his offering while rejecting that of Kayin who had used inferior material. (Genesis 4,4)

אשר תביא, “which you are to bring;” if someone has set aside his bikkurim in order to bring them to the Temple and they have been lost or stolen he is liable for replacing them; We derive this from the text here where the word תביא implies a personal obligation for the owner to present this fruit to the priest in the Temple. It is one of the few commandments which cannot be performed by means of a “messenger, שליח, the task cannot be delegated. If at the time of taking the fruit from the tree the farmer had made a condition saying that he would delegate the task of transporting this fruit to the Temple such a condition is acceptable (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 2,21). Farmers living in the proximity of Jerusalem, must bring fresh grapes or figs as their bikkurim, whereas those living far away may bring dried grapes or dried figs instead. Bikkurim are not to be presented in the Temple before the festival of Shavuot, seeing the Torah wrote (Exodus 23,16) “the festival of cutting (grain harvest) the time of the bikkurim of your labor.” If a farmer did bring his bikkurim before that date the priest does not accept them but they have to remain in escrow until that festival and only at that time can they be designated as bikkurim (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 25-6). Concerning such situations the Torah writes in verse 11 of our chapter: “you shall rejoice with all the goodness, etc.,” etc., i.e. that the time of year when bikkurim are acceptable is the season when people are happy seeing that they started bringing in the year’s harvest. Traditionally, this period extends from the festival of Shavuot through the end of the harvest season. If the bringing of the bikkurim occurs later than the festival of Sukkot, the offering is accepted but the accompanying scriptural verses may not be recited (Sifri Ki Tavo item 297).

מארצך, “from your land.” The sages in Sifri Ki Tavo 297 write that that as long as the particular species which qualifies as bikkurim is still in evidence on the land (unharvested) and the beasts of the field have not yet consumed any leftovers of such species, bikkurim are still acceptable. This prompted our sages to rule that after Chanukah one may no longer offer bikkurim, seeing that any fruit which ripens after that date is considered as part of the following year’s crop and must therefore be stored until the following Shavuot if it already ripened at such an early time of the year. (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 2,6)

ושמת בטנא, “and you shall place it in a basket.” According to the plain meaning of the text the bikkurim were a distinctive present for the priest, an honor for the Almighty, and its presentation was of great practical use for the people of Israel. It was a present of great distinction for the priest seeing that the farmer personally carried the gift all the way to Jerusalem from whatever part of the country he lived in. It was an honor for the Almighty seeing that the farmer came all the way to offer prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord in connection with the bikkurim. The farmer acknowledged that all blessing originates with the Lord. The bikkurim procedure was of practical use to the Jewish people seeing that fulfillment of this commandment resulted in the bounty of the fields and orchards being greatly increased as G’d’s response to fulfillment of the commandment. The word טנא means the same as סל, “basket.” It serves as a receptacle for the fruit. This verse is the source for the ruling that the bikkurim must be presented in a receptacle (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 3,7). This is one of seven different parts of the procedure of bringing the bikkurim. They are: 1) bringing them to the designated site, 2) presentation in a suitable receptacle; 3) reciting the appropriate verses from the Torah; 4) the actual presentation to the priest; 5) an accompanying song, 6) the “heaving” of the fruit. 7) The remaining of the owner inside Jerusalem on the night following presentation. Let us describe the stages in detail: Bringing the fruit to a designated place, i.e. Jerusalem, is based on the line: “you will proceed to the place designated by the Lord to make a residence there for His name” (26,2). The need to deposit the bikkurim in a receptacle is based on the words ושמת בטנא, the same verse. The best way to comply with this instruction is to present each species of bikkurim in its own receptacle. However, if the various species have all been presented in the same receptacle this is acceptable. They must not, however, be mixed inside that receptacle but inferior species must be placed below superior species, such as the wheat which must be on top of the barley. Dates would have to be placed on top of both species of grain, etc. The figs are to be on top of all the other species. There is not to be a foreign substance intervening between the various layers of the fruit if they are all presented in the same receptacle (basket). It is best to surround the figs with grapes (Maimonides ibid.). The donor brings pigeons and turtle doves at the same time as a sacrificial offering seeing the Torah writes: “you shall rejoice with all the goodness” (and there is no true enjoyment unless accompanied by the eating of some kind of meat (Pessachim 109). These birds were suspended on the sides of the basket in order to decorate the bikkurim. The birds attached to the baskets were offered as burnt-offering, whereas the ones carried by the donors in their hands served as peace-offerings, and they were given to the priests of the respective roster. The priests divide them among themselves as they do with other offerings (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 3,1). The recital of the verses pertaining to this commandment consisted of the reading of verses 5-to the middle of verse 10. This recital is to be in a loud voice and in Hebrew (the text of the verses of the Torah in its original). This requirement is based on the words of Deut. 31,21 וענתה השירה הזאת, “this song shall speak up as...” Just as that song has to be recited in the original Hebrew, so the acknowledgment of G’d’s bounty when bringing the bikkurim has to be in the original Hebrew. Both the passages employ the word וענית when introducing the obligation. We find that expression also in connection with the recital of the confession of the elders that their hands are free from guilt of the unidentified victim of murder described at the end of Parshat Shoftim (Deut. 21,7). This declaration also has to be made in Hebrew(Sotah 44). קרבן, the presentation of the offering; every person offering bikkurim must also offer a peace-offering. Song; the need to accompany the offering by a “song” is based on the verse: “you shall rejoice with all the goodness,” and joy is traditionally expressed as a form of song. Our sages base this on Psalms 33,3: הטיבו נגן בתרועה, “play sweetly with shouts of joy.” This is what the Levites did, beginning when the donors brought the bikkurim to the lobby of the Temple (עזרה). The “heaving,” waving of the basket with its contents. This is derived from the word והנחתו, “you are to deposit it,” implying that prior to being deposited it was “lifted, waved,” etc. The procedure consisted of the priest placing his hand under the hand of the owner and waving it to and fro (Sukkah 16). This is the meaning of the words (verse 4) “and the priest shall take (accept) the basket from your hand and place it in front of the altar of the Lord your G’d,” i.e. to swing it in front of the altar. לינה, the requirement for the donor to spend the following night in Jerusalem. This rule is derived from Deut 16,7: “and you will turn in the morning (after the Passover) and return to your tents.” It is forbidden to depart from Jerusalem except on the morning after (or later). (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 3,14) The bikkurim are forbidden to non-priests as the Torah has compared them to תרומה, describing them as תרומת ידך, “the gift of your hand,” in Deut. 12,17. Our sages in Makkot 17 base this inference on the word מידך which follows the word הטנא in verse 4 of our chapter. Just as a non-priest must not eat תרומה, so he is also forbidden to eat bikkurim. A priest who is in pre-mourning for close relatives (אונן) is also forbidden to eat the bikkurim while in that state. Clearly, he is not in a joyous frame of mind, a prerequisite for eating bikkurim as we have explained (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 3,6).

Someone offering his bikkurim may have his servant carry same while he is on the way to Jerusalem as far as the Temple Mount. Once he reaches that mount, he must place them on his own shoulder and carry them forthwith. This ruling applies even to the king. The recital of the passage from the Torah has to take place while the basket with the fruit is still on his shoulder. When he reaches the words (verse 10) “the earth which You have given to me,” he may deposit the basket, take hold of it with his hand, and the priest will then place his hand beneath his own and begin the weaving motion. If someone does not own any soil (farmland) but has bought a tree and wishes to offer the first fruit ripening on his tree he may do so without reciting the “confessional” (the term refers clearly to the passage from verse 5-10). This is because if he were to speak of the fruit of “his” soil he would make a liar of himself. A proselyte also may not recite the relevant passage seeing he cannot acknowledge that his forefathers cried out to the Lord while enslaved in Egypt (verse 7). There is an opinion in the Talmud according to which such a proselyte may recite the relevant passage seeing that Avraham is perceived as being the “father” of all proselytes. The author of that opinion cites as proof that G’d said to Avraham (Genesis 17,5) “here I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” This means that Avraham is the adopted father of all those who decide to take shelter under the benevolent wings of the Shechinah (convert to Judaism). Maimonides adopts this interpretation as halachically valid (Hilchot Bikkurim 4,3). Perhaps we may even detect a hint in the language of the text that proselytes may recite the passage, seeing that the Torah writes: “you as well as the proselyte and the Levite in your midst.” (verse 11) This appears to show that the Torah treats all three categories of Jews mentioned in that verse as equal in respect to the bikkurim legislation. Priests and Levites who have planted orchards within their cities in the outer rim reserved for gardens, etc., are subject to he law of bikkurim in every respect of that law. This is why the Torah wrote: “you as well as the Levite.” In the olden days the rule was that farmers who were able to read Hebrew would recite the passage unassisted, whereas those unable to read Hebrew would have it read for them and they would repeat it. It was found that as a result of this practice farmers who were illiterate would cease bringing their bikkurim to save themselves embarrassment. The Rabbis therefore decreed that the passage is to be read before everyone who brings bikkurim and will be repeated word by word by the farmer in order to save the illiterate farmers any possible embarrassment. (Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 3,11) This practice was similar to the practice nowadays not to allow individuals to read the passage from the Torah to which they have been called up so as not to put to shame those who are unable to read it by themselves.

Maimonides Hilchot Bikkurim 4,16-17 describes the bringing of the bikkurim to Jerusalem in these words: “the notables of the respective towns along the route to Jerusalem would accompany the donors so that these would not appear as being solitary individuals bringing these gifts.” They based themselves on Proverbs 14,28 that “a throng of people constitutes honour for the king (the Almighty).” The donors would spend the night in the public square of the respective town they were passing and would not enter private houses so as to avoid entering an area which might house ritual impurity capable of being conferred upon them. On the morrow, early, the person appointed for this task would address them and say: “arise and let us ascend to the Lord our G’d.” The ox representing their peace-offering would precede them, its horns decorated with gold leaf, a laurel of olive (leaves) on its head. This was to alert people to the fact that the bikkurim consisted of the seven species which we mentioned earlier. A flute would play in front of them until they came close to Jerusalem. They would walk all along the way (not ride or travel in a coach) proclaiming the verse from Psalms 122,1: ”I rejoiced when they said to me we are going to the House of the Lord.” They would not walk all day long but only for two “hours” daily (points on the sundial). As soon as they approached Jerusalem they would dispatch messengers ahead to inform the people of Jerusalem of their impending arrival. They would decorate the bikkurim at that time with kinds of crowns. If the bikkurim contained both fresh fruit and dried fruit they would place the former on top. The various dignitaries of Jerusalem would come out to welcome these donors of bikkurim. The welcoming committee would correspond to the size of the delegation of people bringing their bikkurim at that time. As soon as they entered the gates of Jerusalem they would chant the verse from Psalms 122. All the skilled artisans (who would not be required to interrupt their work to welcome Torah scholars) did come out to welcome these farmers honouring them for performing this commandment. When the processional reached the Temple Mount, each farmer would place his basket on his shoulder and proclaim the verse from Psalms 122,1. This would be followed by the recital of Psalms 150,1: “Praise the Lord in His holy Sanctuary” until the end of this hymn, i.e. “let all that breathes praise the Lord, Hallelujah.” When the procession reached the foyer of the Temple the Levites would commence their song commencing with Psalms 30,2: “let me extol You O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.”

A Midrashic approach to the subject of bikkurim and the words: “and you will place it in a basket.” The wealthy farmers would bring their bikkurim in baskets made of silver threads, whereas the poorer farmers would make the baskets out of bark peeled from the willow tree. Both the fruit and the basket would be presented to the priests as it is written: “the priest will take (accept) the basket from your hand.” You should pay especial attention to the spelling of the word הטנא, as its numerical value equals that of the name of G’d spelled א-ד-נ-י, =65. I will refer to this allusion and its meaning still later. The sages of the Midrash also explained (Tanchuma Ki Tavo 1) that it behooves us to compare the tremendous impact of the performance of the commandment of bikkurim in securing G’d’s goodwill with other efforts made by man to secure the grace and goodwill of his monarch. When one has a request to make of one’s king (flesh and blood), one may have to bribe liberally in order first of all to secure an audience. Even when one has spent all this money to secure the audience one does not have a guarantee that the king will grant one’s request. Compare this with the performance of the commandment of presenting the bikkurim to one’s King (G’d). Not only is a single fig, date, or stalk of grain an adequate price of admission to the presence of the Almighty in the Temple, but G’d assures us of His goodwill, seeing that the sages interpreted the wording of verse 15 in our chapter to mean that the petitioner is saying to G’d that he will not leave from the Temple precincts until he has been assured that his plea has been answered. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said that a heavenly echo would be heard assuring the petitioner that in the following year he would again be able to fulfill this commandment just as he had done on the present occasion. This is implied by the words of verse 16: “on this day the Lord your G’d commands you to perform these statutes, etc.” [If G’d were not willing to accept future bikkurim from the farmer why would He command him to do so again? Ed.]

A Kabbalistic approach: In the words ושמתא בטנא, the vowel patach under the letter ב which is unusual as we had not heard about this basket previously, is a reference to the last letter ה in the tetragram. The bikkurim are called ראשית, a reference to the first three letters which represent the beginning of the universe and its creation. These first three letters of the tetragrammaton are found in association with the word ראשית in Jeremiah 26,1 בראשית ממלכת יהויקים, the name of that king being an allusion to when G’d created =יקים the universe, using the previous three letters י-ה-ו. These first three letters are perceived as enabling the last letter to serve as a receptacle of the universe, holding it together, so to speak. This is somewhat similar to the basic element earth or dust, which enables the three preceding elements fire, water, and air to be joined together and retained as a whole. Similarly, the basket in our passage represents an integral part of the whole bikkurim procedure. The words ולקח הכהן הטנא [instead of את הטנא, Ed.] suggests that the priest is the representative of G’d, here described as the One holding all the components of the universe together to ensure that they do not disintegrate. The universe is maintained due to its constant motion, the planets being in unending orbit. The weaving, תנופה, which is part of the bikkurim procedure, symbolizes this element. Furthermore, these steps are to alert us to the fact that G’d not only supervises the motions and movements in His universe in general, but also in their very detailed movement; He is perceived as standing inside the טנא looking at the periphery to ensure that all is well in His universe. Our author uses the verse in Song of Songs 2,9: “He was standing behind our wall, observing through the windows, peering through the lattices” as the way he describes G’d’s function.

הגדתי היום לה' אלוקיך, “I have declared today to the Lord your G’d, etc.” The word “your G’d,” instead of “our G’d,” seems incomprehensible here. How could the person making this declaration be allowed to exclude himself from the community by using such wording (grammar)? It appears as if he did not share the same belief in G’d as his compatriots! However, consider that if the wording had been לה' אלוקינו, it would not have been clear whom he considered as the Lord. Now that he uses the wording written by the Torah it is clear that when he addresses the High Priest he speaks of the Lord on whose behalf this Priest officiates. The moment he associates the Lord with the one in whose service the Priest serves, there can be no doubt that the donor also serves the same Lord, else why present the gift to the High Priest of that G’d? It is clear now that whoever is the G’d of the High Priest is also the G’d of the person bringing the bikkurim.

It is possible that the expression introducing this declaration, i.e. הגדתי, represents sort of a continuation such as in Psalms 51,17 ופי יגיד תהלתך, “and let my mouth express Your Fame,” i.e. continue, extend the power of You G’d which is already evident in the world. The person engaged in prayer effectively extends G’d’s power, seeing that the very fact that he turns to G’d in supplication proves that he acknowledges G’d’s power to grant his requests. When we find the line הוא תהלתך והוא אלוקיך in Deut. 10,21, this implies that what the generation of the Exodus experienced in their lifetime was a continuation, an extension of the power of the Lord which had been not quite so manifest previously. The whole formula לה' אלוקיך, so typical of משנה תורה, the Book of Deuteronomy, which is itself a continuation of what preceded it, is therefore appropriate as an introduction to this declaration by the farmer bringing the bikkurim.

ארמי אובד אבי, “my father (Yaakov) was a wandering Arami.” The Torah here refers to Yaakov as an ארמי (as if he had been a person born in Aram) The meaning of the line is: “my father had become a poor Arami.” In other words, by the time my father arrived in Aram he had become impoverished. The word אובד also appears in hat sense in Proverbs 31,6 where the words תנו שכר לאובד mean: “give liquor to the poor person.” We know that Yaakov endured much pain while serving Lavan. He himself testified to this when he said (Genesis 31,40) “by day scorching heat consumed me.”

וירד מצרימה, “he descended to Egypt.” Here too the meaning is that at the time Yaakov descended to Egypt he had once again become impoverished so that the farmer reciting this prayer acknowledges that seeing he had not inherited anything from his father he owes all to the Lord. He (Yaakov) resided in Egypt, a small clan, few in numbers. Subsequently, the descendants of Yaakov developed into a numerous and great nation. Whereas the name Yisrael had once referred to an individual, it then became an appellation for a whole people. You O Lord have redeemed us from hard labour and have set us free by performing supernatural miracles and have given us a land flowing with milk and honey. The moral lesson implied in this whole recitation is that precisely at a time when one is prosperous and free from worry one has to look back upon what preceded this success and acknowledge who it is that enabled one to achieve this well-being. This is what Kohelet 7,14 spelled out when he said: “be pleased when things go well, but in a time of misfortune reflect.” He meant that on a day when everything is going well reflect on the days of misfortune which preceded the present. Only by reflecting that one had not always been so well-off, does one learn to appreciate one’s present good fortune. This is why it is incumbent upon us to thank the Lord on days when everything is going well.

Onkelos understands the word אובד as a reference to Lavan who is described as ארמי אובד, meaning that Lavan wanted to exterminate Yaakov (להאביד) and would have succeeded had not G’d warned him during the night before he caught up with Yaakov not to harm him (Genesis 31,29). Our sages, following Onkelos, teach that when a pagan intends to perform a forbidden act, this very intention is already accounted for him as if he had carried out his evil plan. After all, how else could the Torah describe Lavan as destroying Yaakov seeing he never laid a hand on him! The word אובד therefore reflects Lavan’s intent rather than his deed. If a pagan intends to perform a good deed but does not get around to carry it out, he is not given credit for the mere intention of performing the good deed in question. This is based on Daniel 6,15: ”and until the sun set made every effort to rescue him.” G’d did not give the king credit for his efforts until he had actually carried them out. When an Israelite intends to commit a sin but did not carry it out, G’d does not record the thought as a deed until after it has been carried out, seeing we read in Micah 2,1: “Ah, those who plan iniquity and design evil on their beds, when morning dawns they do it.” In other words, they are not debited with the plan until it has been carried out. David said in Psalms 66,18: “Had I an evil thought in my mind, the Lord would not have listened.” On the other hand, when David had a plan such as to build the Temple, he was given credit for it though he was prevented from carrying out his plan. This is why we recite psalm 30,1: “a hymn on the occasion of the inauguration of the House (Temple) by David” [instead of by Solomon, Ed.] (compare Midrash Tehillim 30).

בערתי את הקודש, “I have removed the holy things, etc.” This is a reference to Terumah gedolah, which is sacred and generally amounts to 2% of the farmer’s grain harvest (Terumot 4,3). מן הבית, “from the house.” This refers to challah, something sacred prepared in the house and given to the priests. וגם נתתיו ללוי, “I have also given (it) to he Levite.” This is a reference to the first tithe, i.e. 10 per cent of the grain harvest remaining after the Terumah of the priest has been set aside. The letter ו in front of the word גם refers to the second tithe, the one consumed in Jerusalem by the farmer and his family. לגר, ליתום,ולאלמנה, “to the proselyte, the orphan and the widow.” This is a reference to what is known as מעשר עני, “the tithe for the poor,” applicable in years when the second tithe is not applicable. The various gifts fell due in the following sequence: first the farmer sets aside the תרומה גדולה which is given to the priest. It is called ראשית, as the Torah (Deut. 18,4) speaks of ראשית דגנך. After that the farmer sets aside the first tithe intended for the Levite, as the Torah writes: “I have given to the Levite all the tithes of Israel” (Numbers 18,21). The Levite in turn has to set aside 10% of what he received as tithe from the farmer as a “tithe from the tithe,” and give it to the priest. After that, the farmer sets aside for his own use the second tithe which he took with him to Jerusalem and consumed there. This is the meaning of עשר תעשר את כל תבואת זרעך ואכלת לפני ה' אלוקיך in Deut. 14,22. The reason the Torah repeated the words עשר תעשר is because two different tithes are referred to. After that, in the third and sixth year of the שמטה cycle, the farmer set aside the tithe for the poor and distributed it according to how he saw fit. This is the meaning of Deut. 26,12: “to the proselyte, the orphan, and the widow, you shall give it,” as these categories of people are presumed to be most likely the ones having a claim to it. This is what the Torah speaks of in the paragraph commencing with verse 12 “when you have completed the tithing of your harvest in the third year, the year of the tithe.” The Torah teaches that at the end of the third year of the cycle a new kind of tithe has to be set aside, the tithe specifically intended for the poor. In the years that this tithe applies the second tithe does not apply, i.e. the farmer does not have to take it to Jerusalem in order to consume it there but he hands it out locally. After having properly observed all the commandments pertaining to gifts to the priest, the Levite, to the poor (and consuming the second tithe in Jerusalem), he is to recite the declaration recorded here affirming that he has done his duty and that as a result he looks forward to being in G’d’s good graces (verse 15). He is not allowed to recite this “confessional” until after he has completed the whole series of gifts prescribed in the Torah. The declaration in question is recited on the last day of Passover of the fourth and seventh year of the shemittah cycle respectively, seeing that the words תכלה לעשר imply “on the festival when all the tithes have to come to an end.” The harvest from many trees is still collected long after the Sukkot festival, so that the confessional cannot be recited until the following festival, i.e. Pessach. Anyone who has failed to distribute the various tithes by that time must remove them from his house (destroy them). This is why we are told in Avot 5,9 that certain disasters (pestilence) which occur in the fourth year of the cycle are due to the failure of the farmers to discharge their obligations of tithing properly. (a plague in the fourth year indicates failure to distribute the tithe to the poor in the third year, whereas a plague in the seventh year is indicative of the tithe for the poor not having been distributed during the sixth year of the cycle). The destruction of the leftover tithes occurred on the penultimate day of the Passover so that the confessional could be recited on the afternoon of the last day (Maimonides Hilchot Maasser Sheyni 11,7).

ככל מצותך אשר צויתיך, “in accordance with all of your commandments which I have commanded you.” A reference to the setting aside of all the aforementioned tithes. Our sages in the Mechilta Mishpatim 19 state that the words imply that not only have the tithes been given but that they had been given in the required sequence. They base the requirement to do so on Exodus 22,28: מלאתך ודמעך לא תאחר, “do not be late in giving your respective offerings.” לא עברתי ממצותיך, “I have not infringed on any of Your commandments.” The farmer declares that he did not use an excess contribution from one species to save himself part of the contribution of another species. Neither did he use produce which had already been harvested to be part of the tithe for produce which had not yet been harvested. He had not used last year’s harvest to discharge the duty to tithe from this year’s harvest, nor vice versa. ולא שכחתי, “and I did not forget.” This means that when giving (setting aside) the respective tithes the farmer did not omit mentioning the name of the Lord. We know that any benediction which does not include mentioning the name of the Lord and His kingdom is as if it had never been recited at all (Berachot 12).

לא אכלתי באוני ממנו, “I have not eaten of it while in a state of (pre)mourning.” A person engaged in preparing for the funeral of near relatives is forbidden to eat any sacred foods (Sifri). ולא בערתי ממנו בטמא, “and I have not removed or used up any of it while in a state of ritual impurity.” I did not set it aside while I was contaminated. ולא נתתי ממנו למת, “neither did I give any of it for a dead person.” I did not use it to buy a coffin or other necessities for the dead person’s burial from the proceeds of the produce designated as tithes (Sifri 303 on this verse). The reason that the Torah makes the farmer recite this is that not only did he not use the proceeds from such produce for something merely permitted, but even if he had “misused” it in order to fulfill a commandment such as a burial from the proceeds this is also forbidden and he has to declare that he had not done so. In other words, one must not appear as if one pays one’s debts by diverting funds destined for another commandment in order to do so. The tithes must be used only for food and drink. One must not even buy clothing from the proceeds. שמעתי בקול ה' אלוקי, “I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my G’d.” I did so when I brought the tithes to the Temple. עשיתי ככל אשר צויתני, “I did in accordance with all that You commanded me.” I rejoiced and made others happy with it (Maaser Sheni 5,11); this is based on the instruction: “you shall rejoice with all the goodness” (verse 11).

השקיפה ממעון קדשך, “Please look down from the holy site where You reside.” The farmer concludes as if to say: “we have done what we have to do, now do what You have promised, please” (Maaser Sheni 5,13). וברך את עמך, “and bestow blessing on Your people,” sons and daughters; ואת האדמה אשר נתתה לנו, “and the earth which You have given to us;” in the form of beneficial rain expressing Your goodwill. כאשר נשבעת לאבותינו ארץ זבת חלב ודבש, “as You have sworn to our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Your promise was that the rain would make the produce of the land tasty. (Maaser Sheni 11,16). Elsewhere, according to Rashi, this verse is understood to mean: “seeing that we have done what is obligatory for us, You ought to do what is obligatory for You.” The reason the Torah uses the expression מעון קדשך, instead of the word מכון, as Solomon used in his prayer at the inauguration of the Temple (Kings I 8,39), is that the farmer acknowledges that he has rejoiced in fulfilling G’d’s commandments and the heaven known as מעון is traditionally perceived to be the area in which joy resides and originates (Chagigah 12). This is why Moses chose to refer to the term מעון when formulating this declaration/prayer. The term השקיפה used here for “looking down,” a word never used elsewhere except in connection with disaster (Jerusalem Talmud Maasser Sheyni 5,5) is to teach how great is the reward for fulfillment of a commandment when it is fulfilled joyfully. It has the power to convert a normally negative virtue into becoming a positive virtue. Rabbi Chanina, son of Papa, is on record as saying: “come and observe the powerful effect of giving alms to the poor. Every time the word השקפה, i.e. וישקף appears in the Torah it is always a preamble to something destructive occurring. Here it is a preamble to blessing being bestowed.”

If you will analyse the subject of giving alms to the poor more profoundly you will find that the תרומה which has been described as ראשית, is an allusion to the emanation חכמה which comprises within it the emanation בינה so that it completes the cycle of the 50 “gates” of wisdom which exist in the universe. This is why (generally) תרומה represents one 50th part of the harvest. This is why the sages when defining תרומה referred two it as “2 parts in 100.” The מעשר ראשון which consist of ten per cent alludes to the tribe of Levi (the original Levi) whom we proved to have been the “tenth” son of Yaakov [starting the count from Binyamin, compare Korach 18,19]. The מעשר שני also represents the same principle; seeing it is the first tithe which we retain, it is in reality also a kind of “first tithe.” It is the first tithe of the original tithe. The tithes for the poor which are being set aside in the third and sixth year of the שמטה cycle are an allusion to the emanation יסוד, so called because it is of decisive influence on events in our world and is “distilled” from the seventh emanation. It occurred precisely in the middle of the seven year שמטה cycle. With the setting aside (and distributing) the מעשר עני, the tithe for the poor, all the various tithes have been concluded whether in respect of higher emanations or lower emanations. This is the meaning of the words: “when you have completed all the tithe(s) of all of your harvest in the third year” (verse 12). It is why the Torah chose the expression כי תכלה [an expression reminiscent of when G’d had concluded the creation of the universe in Genesis 2,1, Ed.]. The tithe to the poor represents the essence and hence the final tithe of the various tithes legislated here. This also accounts for the otherwise unusual wording of Deut. 14,22 עשר תעשר, [which sounds at first glance as if a tithe could be given repeatedly. Ed.] This is why in that chapter the Torah legislated that at the end of three years the farmer is to remove from his house all the tithes of that year and deposit it in “your” gates, (Deut. 14,28). The word “your gates” in that connection is an allusion to the “gates of prayer. Just as in a physical sense these tithes which had not yet been distributed must be made available to all in a public area of the town, so in a spiritual sense, by doing so, the farmer’s accumulated merits due to his fulfilling these commandments are concentrated in the spiritual domain known as the gateway to prayer, to the regions in heaven where prayer is heard and answered. This is why the declaration listed in our chapter must be recited in Hebrew and audibly. [Although, according to Maimonides Hilchot Maaser Sheni 11,16 this declaration may be recited in any language, the concluding verse commencing with the word השקיפה has to be said in Hebrew, seeing it is a prayer, i.e. a petition. Ed.] When reciting the whole of this declaration the farmer acknowledges the sum total of what Judaism is about, it is a declaration of faith including a statement that he has not only not deviated from the מצות מעשיות, the performance of the deeds prescribed, but that he is in full agreement with the theological/philosophical symbolism represented by these commandments. [I paraphrased this passage somewhat. Ed.] The author understands the words אדמה and ארץ in this passage as also referring to the celestial counterparts of these regions.

היום הזה ה' אלוקיך מצוך לעשות, “This day, Hashem your G’d commands you.” When Moses said these words, this was during the fortieth year. How could this be since 40 years had elapsed since the Torah had been given, and nothing new had been added to the Torah since? The wording (this day) teaches that Torah legislation is to be considered as beloved as if it had only been given on that very day at Mount Sinai (Tanchuma Ki Tavo 1).

Regarding a similar statement in the wording of the Kriyat Shema (Deut. 6,6) where we read: “which the Lord your G’d has commanded you this day,” our sages (Pessikta Zutrata) comment “they should be as fresh for you as if they had been received from Mount Sinai on this very day.” There is a reason why once the Midrash uses the word “new, fresh,” and another time it uses the term “beloved” as the manner in which we are to relate to Torah legislation. People’s reactions to certain phenomena vary not only individually, but are also affected by prevailing attitudes in different generations and environments. Man’s heart has a tendency of being governed by what his eyes behold. When something is within his range of vision he is liable to remember it, whereas as soon as it is out of sight he tends to no longer focus on it and to forget it. Miracles, etc., do not continue indefinitely and therefore are apt to be forgotten. The Torah therefore has to warn us not to allow this natural process to affect us and to insist that just as the people at the time of the miracles were firm in their faith and belief, we in our respective generations must be no less so. This lesson applies particularly to periods when the Jewish people are in exile and miracles do not manifest themselves. We are therefore exhorted by the Torah to relate to the Torah with the same degree of fondness as we did when we were a sovereign nation in our own land. At the same time, we have to be urged to view the Torah legislation as something new, reminding us of all the miracles that preceded the giving of the Torah. In other words, the very experience of the revelation at Mount Sinai is to be recalled by us every time we study any of the laws of the Torah.

One may view this subject as if our verse here commenced with the words היום הזה, and concluded with the words ובכל נפשך, i.e. the last words in the first paragraph of the Kriat Shema. This is to teach that we are to dedicate ourselves to such a degree to all the commandments of the Torah that just as we would have been prepared to lay down our lives for any of these laws on the day they were commanded at Mount Sinai, so we are prepared to lay down our lives for them if called upon at the present time, as if we were still under the psychological impact of the revelation at Mount Sinai.

את ה' האמרת היום, “You have distinguished Hashem today, etc.” The word האמרת means “to elevate, to distinguish” (Ibn Ezra). It is found in this context in Isaiah 17,6 בראש אמיר, “on the topmost branch.” Onkelos also understands the word in that sense when he renders it as חטבת, similar to Proverbs 7,16: חטובות אטון מצרים, “colored sheets of Egyptian linen, (excellent linen).” It is reported in the name of Rabbi Yehudah Halevi that he understood the word האמרת as a derivative of ויאמר, “he said,” in which case the meaning would be that “you have done the right thing in the eyes of the Lord by accepting His Torah until you turned around and proclaimed that He was to be your G’d.”

וה' האמירך, “and the Lord reciprocated with similar sentiments towards you.” In other words, just as you accepted Him as G’d, so He performed so many miracles on your behalf that as a result you agreed to view yourself as exclusively His people. G’d confirmed this at Mount Sinai when he said in Exodus 19,5: “if you will surely hearken to My voice and be loyal to My covenant, then you will become a treasured people for Me, more so than any of the other nations.” ולשמור את כל מצותיו, “and to observe all His commandments.” This means that the statements about Israel’s status which we just described are contingent on the people observing the Lord’s commandments. A Jewish people who fails to observe these commandments does not qualify for the distinctive title עם סגולה.

על כל הגוים אשר עשה לתהילה ולשם ולתפארת, “over all the nations that He made, for praise, for renown, and for splendour.” Whereas the Lord will make the Jewish people supreme in these respects, He does not do so with any of the other nations as they have been assigned to the various planets which govern their fates. לא כאלה חלק יעקב כי יוצר הכל הוא, “not like these is the portion of Yaakov, for it is He Who formed all things” (Jeremiah 10,16). This difference is meant when the Torah describes the Jewish people as being לשם ולתהילה. Israel’s fame is its praising the Lord and His great name. He is Israel’s G’d in a somewhat exclusive manner.