Commentaire sur Bikkurim 1:18

There are those who bring and recite. [They recite] the reading of bikkurim, from "...My father was a fugitive Aramean..." (Devarim, 26:5) to the end of the passage.

There are some who bring bikkurim and recite [the declaration]; others who only bring, but do not recite; and there are some who neither bring nor recite.
The following are those that do not bring: one who plants [a vine] on his own property, but buries [a shoot in the ground] so that [it] grows on property belonging to [another] individual or to the public.
And similarly if one buries [a shoot in the ground] of another person’s private property or in public property, so that it grows on his own property;
Or, if one plants [a vine] on his own [property] and [buries it in the ground] so that it still grows on his own property, but there is a private or public road between, such a one does not bring [bikkurim.]
Rabbi Judah says: such a one has to bring bikkurim.
There are two mitzvoth when it comes to bikkurim: bringing them and making the formal declaration. Our mishnah clarifies that some people are obligated to bring the fruits and make the recitation, whereas others bring the fruits but don’t make the declaration and there are yet other types of people who need not bring bikkurim at all.
Section one: The mishnah describes a practice of grape-farmers to bury a vine into the ground in one place and then bring it up in another place. This would give the vine another place to derive water and nutrients from the ground without having to plant a whole new vine. The “new” vine looks new because it is coming out of the ground. However, it is not in reality new it is just the same vine as before coming up in a new place.
If a person puts a vine that begins on his property into the ground and then brings it up on property that is not his, he does not bring bikkurim. We will learn the reason why not in mishnah two.
Section two: The same is true if the vine begins on another’s property or on public property and he then brings it up out of the ground on his property. Even though the grapes will be harvested from his own property, he does not bring bikkurim.
Section three: In this case, the vine begins on his property, travels underneath another person’s private property or public property and then is brought up again on his property. The sages say that even though the vine begins and ends on his property he still does not bring. Rabbi Judah disagrees in this case (but not in the cases in sections one and two) and says that he does bring. Some commentators explain that Rabbi Judah disagrees only concerning a case where the vine traveled underneath public property. Rabbi Judah holds that a person can use the ground underneath public property for his own private use and therefore this is like a case where the entire vine grew on his property. The other rabbis hold that one cannot use the ground underneath public property and therefore, this is a case where the vine grew on property that did not belong to him. Rabbi Judah agrees that if the vine traveled underneath another’s private domain, he cannot bring bikkurim.

But [the tree] leans into [another's] private property. [Someone who] dug a hole and inserted in the ground a shoot from a tree [to propagate the tree and create a new one], but the top of the shoot comes out in the field of his neighbor, or in birshut harabim. And in the same way, if the plant stands in the field of his neighbor or in the birshut harabim, and the top of the shoot comes out in his field; [in these cases] he does not bring, as explained next (Mishnah 2), because not all the growth is in his land.

But a road for an individual or a public road is in the middle . For example, he has two gardens on the two sides of some road; he doesn't bring, because not all the growth is in his land.

כזה מביא – since he has permission to do this, that it is permitted to make a cavity under the public domain and that does not do damage to the public area at all. As we read (Deuteronomy 28:11): “[and the produce of] your soil [in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to assign to you].” But nevertheless, Rabbi Yehuda holds that even though one brings [the First Fruit] but does not recite the passage (Deuteronomy chapter 26:5-10). But the Halakah does not follow [the opinion of] Rabbi Yehuda.

האריסין – who receives the field [for personal use] for one-half, one third or one-fourth [of the produce].

Introduction Our mishnah brings scriptural support (meaning a midrash) for the rules found in yesterday’s mishnah.

חכירות – receives the field [for personal use] for a fixed amount – so-and-many Kor per year, whether it [the field] produces a lot or whether it [the field] produces a little.

For what reason may he not bring them? Because it is said, “The first-fruits of your land” (Exodus 23:19) until all of their growth is on your land. The Torah states that one brings first fruits from “your land.” Since in all of the cases in yesterday’s mishnah a person used ground that did not belong to him for it was either public property or private property, in all of those cases he does not bring bikkurim.

סקריקון – someone who murders people – and he [the owner of fields] gives him land in order that he not kill him; and the word סקריקון/Sikrikon – [is an acronym which] comes from “Take this land and leave me [alone]. And even though he gives [it] to him for temporarily, he does not renounce [his ownership] over it, as he holds that today he takes it [away], but tomorrow, I will make a claim against him in court.

Sharecroppers, leasers, or occupiers of confiscated property (, or a robber does not bring them for the same reason, because it says, “The first-fruits of your land.” The same verse explains why a person doesn’t bring bikkurim if he doesn’t own the land on which the fruit grew. “Sharecroppers” receive the land from its owner and in return they give him a percentage of the produce. “Leasers” give the owner a fixed sum, no matter what the level of produce is. An “occupier” refers to a person who bought land that the government had confiscated from its legal owners (see Gittin 5:6). Such a person does not own the property until he compensates the original owner. Since none of the people listed in this section own the land on which they have grown the fruit none of them bring bikkurim.

אלא משבעת המינין – As it is written (Deuteronomy 26:2), “And you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil,” and not all of the first [fruit], for all of the fruits are not required for [the ceremony of] First Fruits, other than the seven species through the land of Israel is praised: wheat, barley, [vines, figs, and pomegranates, olives and honey – see Deuteronomy 8:8]; and [the] honey [referred to] is the honey of the date-palm.

Introduction The Torah never directly states that first fruits are to be brought only from the seven species in which Israel was blessed (Deuteronomy 8:8), wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and date-honey. Nevertheless, our mishnah teaches that bikkurim are brought only from these species and only from quality types of these species.

מתמרים שבהרים ופירות שבעמקים – because they are inferior [in quality]

Bikkurim are brought only from the seven species. As stated in the introduction, the laws of bikkurim apply only to these species.

ולא מזיתי שמן שאינם מן המובחר – as it is written, (,Deuteronomy 8:8), “a land of olive trees and honey”; olives fit for storage (medium size – see Mishnah Kelim 17:8), upon which rain comes and stores up its oil in it (i.e., does not let it trickle out) and It is the best and praiseworthy.

Not from dates grown on hills, nor from [the other species] grown in the valley, nor from olives that are not choice. Choice dates grow in the valleys, whereas when it comes to the other species, the choice types grow in the hilly country. Therefore, one can bring dates only from trees that grow in the valleys and from the other species when they grow in the hills. Similarly, one can only bring choice olives.

אין מביאין בכורים קודם לעצרת – The two loaves that we bring on Shavuot are called “Bikkurim”/First Fruits, and these permit [the usage] of new grain in the Temple.

Bikkurim are not to be brought before Shavuot. The Torah does not actually state when one is to bring bikkurim. However, it alludes to this when it calls Shavuot “the festival of the harvest, the first-fruits of your labors.” From this verse the rabbis learned that one cannot bring bikkurim before Shavuot, although one can bring them after Shavuot.

The people from Mt. Zevoim brought bikkurim prior to Atzeret (, but they did not accept from them, on for it is written in the Torah: “And the festival of the harvest, the first-fruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field” (Exodus 23:16). This final section was found also in Hallah 4:10. The people from Mt. Zevoim evidently thought that it was okay to bring first fruits before Shavuot. When they got to the Temple, the priests did not accept them.

שאינו יכול לומר "אשר נשבע לאבותינו לתת לנו" – Since his ancestors were not from Israel and converts did not take a portion in the land. But Maimonides wrote that the Halakha is not like this Mishnah; rather, the convert brings [the First Fruits] and recites [Deuteronomy 26:5-10] and is able to say, “to our fathers to assign us” (Deuteronomy 26:3), because the Land was given to Abraham and he was the father of converts, as he was for Israel, as it states (Genesis 17:5): “for I make you the father of a multitude of nations.” But we [the Rabbis] expound upon it {Berakhot 13a): “In the past, you were the father of Aram; now you are the father of the entire world.” And similarly, when he [the convert] prays, whether on his own or in the synagogue, he says, “the God of our fathers” even if his mother was not an Israelite.

Introduction Our mishnah continues to explicate mishnah one by providing an example of someone who brings the bikkurim but does not read the declaration when he gives them to the priest.

These bring [bikkurim] but do not read the declaration:
The convert, since he cannot say: “Which the Lord has sworn to our fathers, to give to us” (Deuteronomy 26:3). The first example of a person who brings but does not recite is a convert. This mishnah might shock the reader who is accustomed to the attitude that a convert is a “full Jew” and that the law does not discriminate against him/her. While this is largely true, and when it comes to legal rights, one cannot discriminate against a convert, the Mishnah does not accord full liturgical equality to the convert. The convert cannot recite “the Lord has sworn to our fathers” because his father was not an Israelite.

If his mother was an Israelite, then he brings bikkurim and recites. If his mother was an Israelite then he can make the declaration because he is not really a convert. It is interesting to note that the Mishnah does not take for granted that the reader knows that a person whose mother is Jewish is not a convert. It needs to clarify the matter perhaps because this law was not yet firmly established at the time when the Mishnah was composed.

When he prays privately, he says: “God of the fathers of Israel,” but when he is in the synagogue, he should say: “The God of your fathers.” The liturgical inequality extends to prayer as well. The convert cannot state “Our God and the God of our fathers” which is in the opening lines of the Amidah because our God was not the God of his fathers. Rather, when he prays on his own he should say “our God, God of the fathers of Israel” and when he prays in the synagogue, probably as the prayer leader, he should say, “The God of your fathers.” I should note that this is no longer practiced. A convert recites the same Amidah as does every other Jew.

But if his mother was an Israelite, he says: “The God of our fathers’. Again, if his mother was an Israelite he is not a convert and therefore he can say “Our God, and the God of our fathers.”

לא תנשא לכהונה – As it is written in Ezekiel (44:22): “…they may marry only virgins of the stock of Israel.” And when her mother is from the seed of Israel, we call her, “from the stock of Israel,” for it implies even a part of the [stock] of Israel, and the law follows ab initio according to Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov, but de facto, if he married [a divorcee or a widow], we don’t remove the wife from him, and her children are valid even to become High Priests.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: a woman who is a daughter of a convert may not marry a priest unless her mother was herself an Israelite.
[This law applies equally to the offspring] whether of proselytes or freed slaves, even to ten generations, unless their mother is an Israelite.
A guardian, an agent, a slave, a woman, one of doubtful sex, or a hermaphrodite bring the bikkurim, but do not recite, since they cannot say: “Which you, O Lord, have given to me” (Deuteronomy 26:10).
The first part of today’s mishnah continues to deal with some halakhic differences between converts and those born Jewish.
The second part of the mishnah provides more examples of a person who brings bikkurim but does not make the declaration.
Section one: In order to be able to marry a priest, a woman must have been born to a Jewish mother or at least to a Jewish father. In other words, a daughter of two converts cannot marry a priest. The same is true with regard to the daughter of freed slaves. Furthermore, the same law applies for all subsequent generations. This means that if the daughter of two converts marries another convert, their daughter cannot marry a priest.
The main place for this halakhah is Mishnah Kiddushin 4:7. In that mishnah R. Yose disagrees and holds that the daughter of two converts can marry an Israelite. This is the accepted halakhah. The priest is only restricted from marrying an actual convert. The source of this law is probably Ezekiel 44:22 which states, “For they (priests) shall take for themselves as wives a widow or a divorcee, but rather a virgin from the seed of Israel.” To Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov, the daughter of converts is not considered to be from the seed of Israel.
Section two: One can bring bikkurim and make the recitation only if the land on which the fruit grew belongs to him. The guardian, the agent and the slave are all bringing bikkurim on behalf of another person. This is a legitimate way to send one’s bikkurim to the Temple but the person bringing fruit on behalf of another cannot recite the declaration.
A woman, a person of doubtful sex (meaning they don’t have physical signs of being either male or female) and a hermaphrodite (has both male and female genitalia) can all own land. However, they were not a part of the original inheritance of the land in the time of Joshua. At that point, according to rabbinic tradition, the land was only bequeathed to men, more specifically to men who could demonstrate that they were certain men. This is derived from the verse “Which You, O Lord, have given to me.” The “giving” here does not refer to the current status of the land all of these people can own land. Rather it refers to the original division of the Land. Since they cannot recite this line, they don’t make the recitation.

האפוטרופוס – who is appointed over the orphans, whether the Jewish court appointed him or the father of the orphans appointed him. אפוטרופוס – The father of the minors. In the language of the Romans, we call the father PATER and the Minors are called POS.

והשליח – that harvest them from the beginning to send them by the hand of another, then he is able to send them, but if he harvest them to being them in himself, he cannot send them via an agent, for all First Fruits that appear for the recitation [of the Biblical verses] , are not given other than through recitation of [the Biblical verses – Deuteronomy 26:5-10].

והאשה – but if she has a husband, her husband brings [the First Fruits] and recites [Deuteronomy 26:5-10], as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:11): “that the LORD your God has bestowed upon you and your household,” teaching that a man brings the First Fruits of his wife and recites {Deuteronomy 26:5-10).

שאין יכולין לומר "אשר נתת לי" – for land was not apportioned for females, as it is written (Numbers 26:54): “…Each/איש is to be assigned its share [according to its enrollment],” until it will be definitely be a man.

מביא ואינו קורא – It is doubtful to the first Teacher [of our Mishnah] if he purchased the land or not,=; therefore, it is doubtful that he brings [the First Fruits] and he does not recite [the formula] {Deuteronomy 26:5-10) when there is a doubt. And specifically [referring to] two trees, but concerning three trees, everyone admits that he brought the land and that he brings [the First Fruits] and recites [the formula]. (Deuteronomy 26:5-10), as is taught at the end of this chapter.

Introduction Today’s mishnah contains three more instances of a person who brings but does not recite. In each of these cases one of the other rabbis disputes the sages’ opinion and says that the person both brings the bikkurim and makes the recitation.

רבי מאיר אומר: מביא וקורא – For he thinks that a person who purchases two trees also purchased the land that is underneath them and outside of them as far as the light and his basket, and the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.

One who buys two trees [that had grown] in property belonging to his fellow brings bikkurim but does not recite the declaration. Rabbi Meir says: he brings and recites. When a person buys two standing trees from his friend, the land is not de facto included in the sale (see Bava Batra 5:4). Since he does not own the land and he just owns the fruit, he doesn’t recite the declaration. Rabbi Meir says that he does acquire the land when he buys two trees and therefore, he does make the declaration.

יבש המעין – If the tree is alive and growing from it.

If the well dried up, or the tree was cut down, he brings but does not recite. Rabbi Judah says: he brings and recites. If the well from which he watered his trees dried up, it is as if he doesn’t have land. Water seems to have been so scarce and valuable that without water, the land really doesn’t mean very much. In such a case he will bring bikkurim, but not make the declaration. Similarly, if the tree from which the fruit grew was cut down, he doesn’t recite the declaration because the tree is not attached to the land anymore. It is as if the fruit no longer has land. Rabbi Judah disagrees and says that in both of these cases he does make the recital because after all, the land does still exist and he still owns it.

נקצץ האילן – And it became dry and was cut prior to separating out the First Fruits. But if he first separated out the First Fruits, since they appeared [ready] for the reading (of Deuteronomy 26:5-10), and it was postponed, the fruit will rot.

From Atzeret ( until the Festival (of he brings and recites. From Shavuot until Sukkot, which is the harvest time in the land of Israel, is the preferred time for bringing first fruits. One who brings at this time can make the declaration.

ר' יהודה אומר: מביא וקורא – Since the land exists, we don’t worry about the tree. And the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

From the Festival (of and until Hannukah he brings, but does not recite. Rabbi Judah ben Batera says: he brings and recites. Between Sukkot and Hannukah, which is about two months, some fruits are still left over in the trees. Therefore, he can bring bikkurim, but he can’t make the declaration. Rabbi Judah ben Batera says that as late as Hannukah, he can still bring the first fruit. After Hannukah, one can’t bring bikkurim until the following Shavuot.

מן החג ועד חנוכה מביא ואינו קורא – As is it written in the portion of the First Fruits (Deuteronomy 26:11): “And you shall enjoy, [together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst], all the bounty that LORD your God has bestowed upon you and your household.” There is no recitation [of the First Fruits formula] other than at the time of joy – from Shavuot up until The Festival (Sukkot), when a person collects his grain and fruits and rejoices in them. From Sukkot and onwards, even though much fruit is collected until Hanukkah, nevertheless, the “rejoicing” of that year has already been completed during Sukkot. Therefore, he rings the fruit, but does not recite [the First Fruit passage], and from Hanukkah onwards, he does not bring [the First Fruits] at all, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:2): “…which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you…” All the while that they are found on the land [they bring], and until Hanukkah they are found [on the land].

ר"י אומר: מביא וקורא – For he (Rabbi Yehuda) does not expound on “and you shall enjoy” (Deuteronomy 26:11), at the time of enjoying/rejoicing. And the Halakha does not follow the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda.

והשני מאותו המין אינו מביא – The individual who purchases the field does not bring First Fruits from the same field, from the same seed/species that the seller had brought from, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:3): “…I acknowledge this day [before the LORD your God that I have entered the land].” One time a person acknowledges, but he does not acknowledge twice.

Introduction Our mishnah deals with a situation in which a person sets aside his bikkurim and then sells his field before he is able to bring them to the Temple.

ר"י אומר: אף מאותו המין מביא וקורא – That which we said that one time a person acknowledges, but he does not acknowledge twice, these words concern one individual, but with two people, he acknowledges and then [the other] acknowledges again. But the Halakha does not follow Rabbi Yehuda.

If one set aside his bikkurim and [afterwards] sold his field, he brings but does not recite. One who sold his field before he brought his first fruits cannot make the bikkurim declaration because he doesn’t own land when he brings them to the Temple.

The second one [who bought the field] does not bring [bikkurim] of the same species, but of another species he brings and recites. The second owner cannot bring bikkurim from the same species that the first person already set aside, because bikkurim cannot be brought twice in one year from the same species. However, he must bring bikkurim from another species and he makes the declaration as well.

Rabbi Judah says: he may also bring of the same kind and recite. Rabbi Judah holds that the obligation to bring bikkurim falls on the person who owns the land. Since the second owner now owns the land, he must bring bikkurim even though they have already been brought from that species. In contrast, the other sages holds that bikkurim is an obligation that falls upon the fruit if the obligation has already been fulfilled then it cannot be filled again. ‘ ‘

נמקו – to be rotted and decayed, such as (Leviticus 26:39): “they shall be heartsick [over the iniquities of their fathers].”

Introduction This mishnah deals with a person whose bikkurim are either lost or ruined.

נבזזו – they were stolen from him, such as (Deuteronomy 2:35): “We retained as booty [the cattle and the spoil of the cities that we captured].”

If one set aside his bikkurim and they were robbed, or rotted, were stolen or lost, or became unclean, he must bring others in their place, but does not recite [the declaration]. Once a person sets aside his bikkurim he is responsible for them and if they are lost or ruined by either rotting or becoming impure, he must bring new bikkurim in their place. We shall learn the reason for this in tomorrow’s mishnah. However, when he brings the second set of bikkurim he cannot make the recitation because these are not actually “the first of his fruits.”

אין חייבין עליהם חומש – A foreigner (i.e. non-Kohen) who ate of them does not pay the additional fifth. But this Mishnah is that of an individual opinion and is not the Halakha, but the Halakha is that they are obligated to pay the additional fifth.

These others are not subject to the law of the [added] fifth. The rules governing bikkurim are like the rules governing terumah. If a non-priest eats them he must bring an added fifth. We will return to this subject in 2:1. Our mishnah teaches that this is so only with regard to the original first fruits. If a non-priest eats the replacement fruits, he is not liable to replace what he ate, but not to bring an added fifth. In essence, what the mishnah is saying is that the replacement fruits are not really bikkurim.

If they become unclean while in the Temple court, he must scatter them and he does not recite. Once he brings the fruit to the Temple court he is no longer responsible to replace them if they are lost or stolen. If they are become impure he cannot present them to the priest so what he should do is shake out the basket.

נטמאו בעזרה נופץ ואינו קורא – which is our reading, that is to say, to empty and pour out the fruit from the basket since they have become defiled. But the basket is given to the 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 your God].” There are times when the Kohen takes nothing other than the basket. But he is not obligated to bring other First Fruits in their place, for since they came to the Temple Mount , they are not obligated any further surety.

הרי שהביא ממין אחד וקרא – It was not necessary other than for Rabbi Yehuda who said above (in Mishnah 7) that he recites the formula (Deuteronomy 26:5-10 and then recites it again [when it is resubmitted], which comes to teach us that one person does not recite the formula (ibid.) and then recite it again [when it is resubmitted].

Introduction The first part of our mishnah explains the scriptural source for yesterday’s mishnah where we learned that one is responsible to bring replacement bikkurim if his original bikkurim were either lost or ruined. The second part of the mishnah deals with a person who brings bikkurim on two separate occasions.

From where do we know that one is responsible [for his bikkurim] until he brings them to the temple Mount? Because it says: “The first of the first-fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God” (Exodus 23:19) this teaches that he is responsible until he brings them to the Temple Mount. According to the rabbinic reading of this verse, it is not sufficient to just set aside one’s first fruits, one must bring them to the Temple in Jerusalem. If one cannot because they were lost or ruined, then he must set aside new first fruits in their place, as we learned in yesterday’s mishnah.

If he brought [bikkurim] of one kind and made the recital and then brought of another kind, he does not make a [second] recital. If he brought bikkurim of one kind on one occasion, and then came back to the Temple on another occasion with bikkurim of another kind, he cannot make the declaration again. The declaration can be made only on one occasion. Even Rabbi Judah, who said in mishnah seven that if a person sells his field, the purchaser can bring bikkurim from the same species that the previous owner already brought, would agree here that one person cannot make the recital twice.

הכי גרסינן: מפירות שבהרים ומתמרות שבעמקים ומזיתי שמן מעבר לירדן. ר"י הגלילי אומר: אין מביאין בכורים מעבר הירדן שאינה ארץ זבת חלב ודבש – And this is its explanation: Fruit that is in the mountains is more tasty than fruit in the valleys. Therefore, we bring First Fruits from fruit that is in the mountains. But the date-palms are the reverse of this, as the date-palms in the valleys are fuller than honey and are more desirable than the date-palms is the honey within them, for the Torah called the date-palms “honey”; therefore, we bring First Fruits from the date-palms in the valleys and not from the mountains.

Introduction This mishnah lists those who bring bikkurim and make the declaration.

These bring and recite:
[One who brings bikkurim] from Atzeret until the Festival [of Sukkot], from the seven species, from fruit grown on the mountains, or dates grown in the valleys, from oil-olives, and from [produce] from the other side of the Jordan. Most of this list is just the opposite of those cases found in mishnah three, where we learned who doesn’t bring bikkurim. The one new piece of information in this mishnah is the issue of produce from the other side of the Jordan (also called Transjordan). According to the first opinion, since the Transjordan is “the land the Lord promised to our ancestors” (Deuteronomy 26:3) one can and must bring produce from this region.

ומזיתי שמן – from olives that produce oil.

Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: one does not bring [bikkurim] from transjordania, since that is not a land flowing with milk and honey. In contrast, Rabbi Yose the Galilean holds that one does not bring bikkurim from the other side of the Jordan because that is not considered to be a “land flowing with milk and honey” and in his recitation he mentions these words (verse 9).

מעבר הירדן – From the fruit of the other side of the Jordan [River Valley] , we also bring First Fruits, even though they are not from “a land flowing with milk and honey.” And since the Holy One, blessed be He gave it to Israel, we call it, “the fruit of the land that the LORD has given me.” And Rabbi Yosi HaG’lili disputes this and says that we don’t bring First Fruits from the other side of the Jordan River. And the Halakha does not follow Rabbi Yosi HaG’lili.

הקונה שלשה אילנות – undefined, and it doesn’t explain if he purchased the land [as well] or not.

Introduction The final mishnah of this chapter relates back to mishnayot two and six.

מביא וקורא – as is undefined. If he purchased the land under them and outside of them, but less than three trees undefined, he did not purchase the land. But Rabbi Meir disputes this and says that even [if he purchased] two trees, he also purchased the land [underneath]. But the Halakha does not follow Rabbi Meir.

One who bought three trees in another’s field, he brings [bikkurim] and recites. Rabbi Meir says: even [if he bought] only two. In mishnah six we learned that if a person buys two trees, he is not considered to have bought the land on which the trees grow. He brings bikkurim but he doesn’t recite. We learn today the obvious inference: if he buys three trees the land is his and he must bring and recite. Rabbi Meir says that even one who buys two trees is considered to have bought the land and he brings and recites. The same opinion was found in mishnah six.

If he bought one tree with its land, he brings [bikkurim] and recites. The above section dealt with a person who bought the trees but did not explicitly buy the land. If he explicitly buys the land that the tree grows on he brings and recites, even if he only bought one tree.

אף בעלי אריסות וחכירות מביאין וקוראין – For Rabbi Yehuda holds that tenant who tills the owner’s ground for a certain share {percentage) in the produce and a tenant farmer who pays the landlord a certain rent in kind (whether the year is a good one or not, fiscally), there is purchase of the land as if he has a portion in it. But the Halakha does not follow Rabbi Yehuda.

Rabbi Judah says: even sharecroppers and leasers bring and recite. Rabbi Judah disagrees with the opinion found in mishnah two, that one who doesn’t own the land on which the produce grows does not brings the bikkurim. Rabbi Judah holds that a sharecropper’s and a leaser’s grasp on the land is sufficient enough to cause them to be liable to bring bikkurim and make the declaration as well.