Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L
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First Fruits
The chumash teaches us here that the commandment regarding "bringing the first fruits" (i.e bikurim) only applied once they both conquered the Land of Israel and divided it.
The obligation of bikurim only applies to fruits of the "seven species" for which the land of Israel is known for, namely: wheat, barely, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey.
The way bikurim is carried out is that upon seeing a fig (for example) ripening in their field, they are to wrap a reed around it as a sign and declare that that is a "first fruit" (AKA "bikuirim") and put these bikurim into a basket and bring it to the Temple.
One is then to approach the Kohen who is serving in that time and declare that you are not ungrateful for all that G-d has done for him by saying "I declare this day to the Lord, your God, that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our forefathers to give us."
This declaration needs only to be made once per year, even if one returns at other times that year to bring more first fruits.
Even if the Kohen at that time is not as wise or holy as the Kohanim of previous generations, one is still to address with the appropriate respect one should give to an agent of G-d as he is.
The Kohen is then to place his hand under the one who brought the bikurim's basket, whilst the owner holds on the rim of the basket above so that they can wave it together in front of the altar.
After waving the basket together, the owner of the bikurim takes the basket from the Kohen and raises his voice and calls out a remembrance of:
G-d's kind deeds regarding how G-d saved Yaakov from Lavan when Lavan chased Yaakov and Lavan, as well as others, wanted to get rid of all the Jews. Instead, the Jews went from being only seventy in number when they dwelled in Egypt to becoming a great and numerous nation. Even though Lavan didn't actually succeed in eradicating the Jews, G-d considered it as if he did in regards to judging him, as when it comes to the pagan nations, G-d judges the mere intention of performing an evil deed as if they carried it out.
The owner of the bikurim is also to recall how cruelly the Egyptians treated the Jews and the hard labor they imposed on us and how the Jews cried out to G-d and how G-d listened to them and saw their suffering and took them out of Egypt with a "strong hand" and "outstretched arm" and "great awe" and "signs and wonders".
The owner of the bikkurim is also to recall how G-d brought the Jews to the Temple and how G-d gave them the Land of Israel a land "flowing with milk and honey".
And then finally the owner of the bikurim is to declare how he is bringing his first fruits to G-d and he is to then repeat the waving ceremony that the Kohen had previously done.
The first fruit ceremony is only done during the "time of rejoicing", i.e between Shavuos to Sukkos, which is when a person gathers their grain, fruit, wine and oil (over which they rejoice).
After Sukkos, first fruits are still brought to the temple but the declaration recounted above is not recited.
Levites are also obligated in the bringing of first fruits if they planted trees within their 48 cities.
Converts are also obligated in the bringing of the first fruits however they do not recite the declaration as one section involves saying “I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our forefathers to give us” and these were not his "forefathers".
Ki Tavo, 1st Aliya