Commento su Bikkurim 2:4

נקנים במחובר לקרקע – As it is written (Numbers 18:13): “The first fruits of everything in their land [that they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat them].” At the time when they are attached [to the ground] in their land they are “First Fruits,” and such is taught in the Mishnah (Chapter 3, Mishnah 1) further on, “A person goes down into his field, etc. and ties it with bulrushes/reed-grass and says: ‘Behold these are First Fruits’.”

Introduction Sometimes bikkurim has unique laws that apply only to it and not to terumah or maaser.

ועושה אדם כל שדהו בכורים – as it is written (Numbers 18:13): “The first fruits of everything [in their land]…”

And there are [laws] which apply to bikkurim which do not [apply] to terumah or maaser sheni:
For bikkurim can become acquired while still attached [to the soil]. One can designate produce to be bikkurim while it is still attached to the ground. That would not work when it comes to terumah or maaser. These can only be designated as such once they have already been harvested.

וטעונים קרבן – It is stated with regard to First Fruits: “joy” [as written in Deuteronomy 26:11): “And you shall enjoy (literally, “you shall rejoice”),[together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst…].” And it states further on (Deuteronomy 27:7): “And you shall sacrifice there offerings of well-being and eat them, rejoicing before the LORD your God.” Just as there (Deuteronomy 27:7), [it speaks about] offerings of well-being, so too here (Deuteronomy 26:11).

And a man may make his entire field bikkurim; One can make one’s entire field into bikkurim, but one cannot make one’s entire threshing floor into terumah or maaser (see Hallah 1:9). Perhaps this is a result of terumah and maaser having set amounts since there is a set amount, one cannot make the entire crop into terumah or maaser.

ושיר – It is stated here (Deuteronomy 26:11): “You shall enjoy…all the bounty” and it is stated further on (Ezekiel 33:32): “[To them you are just] a singer of bawdy songs, who has a sweet voice and plays skillfully; [they hear your words , but will not obey them].”

He is responsible for them; As we learned in 1:9, one is responsible for his bikkurim until they get to the Temple Mount. In contrast, if one sets aside terumah or maaser and they spoil or are lost, he is not responsible to replace them.

ותנופה – It is written here (Deuteronomy 26:4): “The priest shall take the basket from your hand;” and it is written there (Leviticus 7:30): “His own hands shall present the LORD’s offerings by fire. [He shall present the fat with the breast, the breast to be elevated as an elevation offering before the LORD].” Just as there is an elevation offering, so also here an elevation offering.

And they require a sacrifice, a song, waving and spending the night in Jerusalem. When one brings bikkurim to the Temple, he must also bring a well-being sacrifice. This is derived from Deuteronomy 26:11, which states, “And you shall enjoy, together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that the LORD your God has bestowed upon you and your household.” The rabbis understand this mitzvah as being a mitzvah to bring a sacrifice and rejoice in eating it. There is also a Psalm, called by our mishnah a song, that accompanies the bikkurim (we will see this in chapter three, mishnah four). When one presents the basket to the priest, he waves it as if it was a sacrifice (more on this below in 3:6). Finally, one who brings bikkurim to Jerusalem must spend the night there. This was probably done in order to help the innkeepers of Jerusalem make a living, and in order to aid in the festive atmosphere of the bikkurim procession. Funnily, I grew up in Atlantic City and one of the big complaints there was that people would come to gamble for the day and not stay the night. Perhaps the hoteliers should have had some rabbis help them out!

ולינה – It will stay over in Jerusalem the entire night after the day that he brought the First Fruits, as it is written (Deuteronomy 16:7): “[You shall cook and eat it at the place that the LORD your God will choose;] and in the morning you may start back on your journey home.” Therefore all “starting back” that you do only take place in the morning.