והיה כי תבא אל הארץ וגו'...ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך , “It will be when you enter the Land …..and you will take from the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in, etc.” Ibn Ezra writes that seeing that the last paragraph had concluded with the statement that the commandment to wipe out Amalek would not become operative until we were no longer surrounded by and threatened by enemies, the Torah now had to stress that there are commandments which become operative as soon as we had established ourselves on our ancestral heritage in the Land of Israel, formerly the Land of Canaan. Such laws include the bringing of the first ripe fruit to the Temple, observing the laws of tithing, and a host of others. Nachmanides explains that the wording of the commandment here indicates that the first ripe fruit is designated as such while still in the field or on the tree it grew on, and that it becomes sacred in accordance with such a designation. The owner then places the fruit in an appropriate container takes it home and keeps it until he makes the next pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

והלכת אל המקום, “you will go to the place, etc.” Nachmanides writes that taking the verse at face value, the meaning is that once the Temple has been built we are not to take the bikkurim to any city of our liking. Just as the Torah has legislated in connection with the permission to eat non consecrated meat once the people were settled on their land, that any consecrated animal could be offered up only at a central location, i.e. in the Temple in Jerusalem, [once that city had been captured. Ed.], similarly, the consecrated bikkurim have to be brought to that same central location. [During the first 390 years, that location proved to be Shiloh during most of those years. Ed.] In the Sifri we are told that what is meant is Shiloh and the permanent Temple, which may lead one to believe that neither Nov norGiveon ever served as a place where bikkurim were offered up. In other words, those two towns, though the Tabernacle stood there for a number of years, had not been chosen by G’d especially for that purpose, but were considered ad hoc solutions to the problems of “altars,” במות. Nachmanides does not think that this would be the correct interpretation, but thinks that the words: אשר יבחר וגו', were intended only to prohibit the offering of bikkurim on private altars. On the other hand, the words תביא בית ה' אלוקיך is meant to exclude offering these gifts in a temporary, collapsible, portable structure, such as the Tabernacle.

אל הכהן אשר יהיה בימים ההם, “to the priest who is on duty during the years in question.” Rashi explains the verse as a reminder that only the officially ordained religious authority in each generation is authorized to hand down rulings, -on the basis of Torah laws, of course- and that one must not rely on rulings made at different times in different circumstances. (Compare Rosh Hashanah 25.) Nachmanides questions that if the Torah had written that “you shall come to the elder who is the wisest in his time,” this would be easy to understand, as the message would be that seeing that not every generation produces brilliant men, there is no choice but to turn to the relatively most learned man, instead of relying on decisions by sages who had lived in different countries, in different conditions. But, when it comes to performing duties in the Temple, why would the Torah have to mention that the first ripe fruit have to be brought to the priest performing his duties at that time, surely the fruit could not be presented to priests who had already died? If the Torah were speaking of חוקים, statutes, not given to interpretation, a reminder that one must go to the priest of one’s own generation would also make sense, the Torah agreeing that we must abide by the present authority’s decision even if these priests, sages, are known to be less learned than their predecessors. So what is the true meaning of what Moses has said here? It means that they have to be given to the roster of priests on duty at the time when the farmer arrives with his gifts, he cannot wait to hand it over until the roster changes in the week following. Neither is the farmer allowed to bring a local priest from his neighborhood with him to Jerusalem in order to ensure that that particular priest is the recipient of his gifts. According to Kiddushin 66, the meaning is that even if it turns out in retrospect that the presiding priest at the time was disqualified from receiving these gifts, as he was the son of a forbidden marriage, the ritual is not declared invalid retroactively.

ארמי אובד אבי, “An Aramean tried to destroy my father;” the reference is to Lavan who chased after Yaakov and his family intending to kill them all. Ibn Ezra writes that the ארמי described here was Yaakov himself, so that the meaning of the verse would be: “when my forefather Yaakov arrived in Aram he was penniless, on the brink of death.” The word אובד only appears in an intransitive mode, so that it cannot mean that Lavan tries to kill him. Furthermore, the word appears in the context of someone being close to death Proverbs 31,6: תנו שכר לאובד ויין למרי נפש, “give liquor to the one who is about to perish or wine to the embittered.” Verse 7 in that same chapter of Proverbs is proof of that meaning, as Solomon continues with: ישתה וישכח רישו ועמלו לא יזכר עוד, “so that he may forget his poverty, and will no longer remember his suffering.” The meaning of the whole recital by the farmer is: “I did not inherit my wealth from my father who was extremely poor when he came to Aram, and subsequently my forbears were strangers and slaves in Egypt, few in numbers; afterwards my fortunes improved when Hashem redeemed us from slavery and brought us to this wonderful land from the produce of which I bring the first ripe fruit as a symbol of my gratitude.” Do not try to argue that an Israelite cannot be called a “Aramean;” we know both from Samuel II 17,25, and Chronicles I 2,17 that Avraham, Ishmael, who were refugees from Aram at one time are still referred to as Arameans on occasion.

לא אכלתי באוני ממנו, “I have not eaten from it while in a state of intense pre-mourning;” Nachmanides comments on this that although the confession applies to all the different kinds of tithes, some of which are secular in terms of religious law, here the words apply only to the kinds of gifts that have a sacred character. Produce that has been labeled מעשר שני or נטע רבעי, the second tithe, or the grapes grown in the fourth year after the vineyard has been planted, do possess such a degree of sanctity, and may not be consumed while in a state of impurity or intense mourning, immediately before the burial of the next of kin.

ולא נתתי ממנו למת, “neither did I give from any of it to the dead.” Rashi explains the letterל in the word למת, as meaning “for,” i.e. to be used to purchase either a coffin or the garments the dead are buried in. Nachmanides questions this, as produce having a sacred character such as the ones mentioned, may not be traded to purchase coffins or ordinary clothing for use by the living either. The second tithe may not be redeemed to become secular outside the city of Jerusalem, for instance, except for coin of the realm. The proceeds must be used to purchase food and drink and other items but these are to be consumed inside Jerusalem by the owner and his family. Maimonides (Sefer hamitzvot 152) understands the term למת as a simile for something of no benefit to a living human being, the farmer stating that he has spent the proceeds only for items of benefit to the living. Some commentators interpret this “confessional” to mean that the farmer has not used the proceeds even to fulfill a commandment such as burying and providing the wherewithal to a dead person who had no family that would assume the burden of burying him in a dignified manner.

אשר נתת לנו כאשר נשבעת לאבותינו, “that You have given to us as You had sworn to our forefathers.” Rashi understands this as if the Torah had written: “as You have sworn to our forefathers to give to us, and you thus kept Your promise.” It also includes the acknowledgment that the land in question does indeed flow with milk and honey. Nachmanides writes that if we were to accept Rashi’s interpretation, the words ואת האדמה אשר נתתה לנו ארץ זבת חלב ודבש וקיימת, would mean: “that the land that You have given us is a land flowing with milk and honey, and You kept Your promise.” [Rashi wanted to avoid the impression that the promise of giving us the land was the substance of G’d’s blessing for which the farmer prays in this verse. Ed.] Ibn Ezra writes that the thrust of the farmer’s prayer is that G’d should bless the land to continue to give its generous yield also in the future, just as it had done up until that year. There is no need for all of these explanations as G’d’s oath included the realization of it, i.e. the giving of the land to the generation G’d had selected for this. He had promised to Moses in Exodus 3,8 that the land of the Canaanites, which would be given to the Jewish people, was at that time a land flowing with milk and honey. [It could hardly have been less, as the Torah had described it in Genesis 13,10 already as comparable to “the garden-like nature of the land of Egypt.” Ed.]

היום הזה, “on this day, etc.” Nachmanides writes that this verse completes the review of the Torah by Moses and the revealing by him to the people of commandments not revealed to them thus far. This is why he concludes the verse with the exhortation to the people to observe all the commandments.

את ה' האמרת, “You have exalted Hashem,” by accepting the entire Torah in all its details you have exalted Hashem this day; you have adopted Him as your exclusive G’d, eschewing all others.

וללכת בדרכיו, “and to walk in His ways.” To not only perform His commandments to the letter, but also to model yourself according to what He has revealed about Himself, i.e. to go beyond the letter of the law and to honour the spirit upon which the law has been based.

ולשמוע בקולו, “and to hearken to His voice.” Any other matters He will command you through me, even if they are not part of the basic 613 commandments.

וה' האמירך היום, “and Hashem on His part has distinguished you today, etc.” Moses tells the new generation that this day on which he concludes the review of the Torah for them is for them as if they themselves had participated in the revelation at Mt Sinai almost 40 years previously. G’d granted them an opportunity to consider themselves as having been present at that time when their parents had become Hashem’s “special” people.

ולתתך עליון וגו', “and to make you supreme, etc.;” to set you up as an example that all the other nations praise and wish to emulate. They do so because they realize that you evoke immediate responses when you call upon Hashem.

ולשם, “and for renown,” to enhance your reputation all over the world.

ולתפארת, “and for splendour;” you will be able to boast that whatever enterprise you are embarking on will be crowned with success.

ולהיותך עם קדוש, “and for you to be a holy nation.” You will have attained the דבקות, close attachment, a state of relationship with your G’d which is the ultimate level of closeness to Hashem that man is capable of attaining. Rabbi Yehudah the Spaniard explains that the word האמרת in verse 17 is derived from the word ויאמר, “he said,” and its meaning in that verse is that you have done what is good in His eyes to such a degree that it is said about you or of you that He is surely your G’d, and He in turn will do for you in accordance with what you say (request) so that you can truly say that you will be His special people.