Chumashחומש

והיה כי תבוא … וירשתה וישבת בה. מַגִּיד שֶׁלֹּא נִתְחַיְּבוּ בְּבִכּוּרִים עַד שֶׁכָּבְשׁוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְחִלְּקוּהָ (עי' קידושין ל"ז ע"ב):

והיה כי תבוא … וירשתה וישבת בה AND IT SHALL BE, WHEN YOU COME IN [UNTO THE LAND …] AND POSSESS IT AND SETTLE THEREIN — This tells us that they (the Israelites) were not under the obligation to bring first fruits until they had conquered the land and divided it (cf. Kiddushin 37b).

מראשית. וְלֹא כָל רֵאשִׁית, שֶׁאֵין כָּל הַפֵּרוֹת חַיָּבִים בְּבִכּוּרִים אֶלָּא שִׁבְעַת הַמִּינִין בִּלְבַד, נֶאֱמַר כָּאן "אֶרֶץ" וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן (דברים ח') "אֶרֶץ חִטָּה וּשְׂעֹרָה וְגוֹ'", מַה לְּהַלָּן מִשִׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּחָה בָהֶן אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַף כָּאן שֶׁבַח אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהֵן שִׁבְעַת מִינִין (ספרי; מנחות פ"ד):

מראשית [THEN THOU SHALT TAKE] OF THE FIRST [OF ALL THE FRUIT OF THE GROUND] — of the first fruits, but not all the first fruits, for not all fruits are subject to the duty of bringing to the Temple their first-fruits, only the seven chief kinds of products of Israel alone, for there is mentioned here ארץ, “the land” (אשר תביא מארצך) and it states there (Deuteronomy 8:8) “a land (ארץ) of wheat, and barley, etc.”, (thus suggesting an analogy — that the fruits of the land referred to here are those enumerated there). What is it that Scripture is speaking of there? Of the seven products through which the land of Israel is distinguished! So, too, here it speaks only of the distinguished products of the land of Israel which are seven species only (Sifrei Devarim 297:4; Menachot 84b).

זית שמן. זַיִת אֱגוֹרִי, שֶׁשַּׁמְנוֹ אָגוּר בְּתוֹכוֹ (ספרי; ברכות ל"ט):

זית שמן mentioned as one of these distinguished products is the Agari olive, in which the oil is gathered in one place.

ודבש. הוּא דְּבַשׁ תְּמָרִים (ספרי):

ודבש HONEY is honey of dates (not of bees).

מראשית. אָדָם יוֹרֵד לְתוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ וְרוֹאֶה תְאֵנָה שֶׁבִּכְּרָה, כוֹרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ גְּמִי לְסִימָן וְאוֹמֵר "הֲרֵי זוֹ בִכּוּרִים" (ספרי; בכורים ג'):

מראשית OF ITS FIRST FRUITS — but not all the first fruits (not even of the seven species mentioned above) but when a man goes into his field and sees for the first time that year a fig that has ripened he binds a piece of straw round it as an indication and says “Lo, this is בכורים" (and it suffices) (Sifrei Devarim 297:7; Mishnah Bikkurim 3:1).

אשר יהיה בימים ההם. אֵין לְךָ אֶלָּא כֹּהֵן שֶׁבְּיָמֶיךָ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא (ראש השנה כ"ה):

אשר יהיה בימים ההם [AND THOU SHALT GO UNTO THE PRIEST] THAT SHALL BE IN THOSE DAYS — These apparently redundant words suggest: you have none else than the priest who lives in your days (you are only concerned with him) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 298:3; Rosh Hashanah 25b; see also Rashi on Deuteronomy 17:9).

ואמרת אליו. שֶׁאֵינְךָ כְּפוּי טוֹבָה:

ואמרת אליו AND SAY UNTO HIM that you are not ungrateful (Sifrei Devarim 299:1).

הגדתי היום. פַּעַם אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה וְלֹא שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים (ספרי):

הגדתי היום I PROFESS THIS DAY — [the expression "this day" implies that the declaration is made] one once a year, but not twice a year [even when bringing from a different fruit or crop] (Sifrei Devarim 299:2).

ולקח הכהן הטנא מידך. לְהָנִיף אוֹתוֹ, כֹּהֵן מַנִיחַ יָדוֹ תַּחַת יַד הַבְּעָלִים וּמֵנִיף (סוכה מ"ז):

ולקח הכהן המנה מידך AND THE PRIEST SHALL TAKE THE BASKET OUT OF THY HAND in order to wave it. The priest places his hand beneath the hands of the owner and so waves it (Sukkah 47b).

וענית. לְשׁוֹן הֲרָמַת קוֹל (סוטה ל"ב):

וענית is an expression for raising one’s voice (speaking loudly) (Sotah 32b).

ארמי אבד אבי. מַזְכִּיר חַסְדֵי הַמָּקוֹם, אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי — לָבָן בִּקֵּשׁ לַעֲקֹר אֶת הַכֹּל כְּשֶׁרָדַף אַחַר יַעֲקֹב, וּבִשְׁבִיל שֶׁחָשַׁב לַעֲשׂוֹת חָשַׁב לוֹ הַמָּקוֹם כְּאִלּוּ עָשָׂה, שֶׁאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם חוֹשֵׁב לָהֶם הַקָּבָּ"ה מַחֲשָׁבָה כְּמַעֲשֶׂה (עי' ספרי):

ארמי אבד אבי A SYRIAN DESTROYED MY FATHER — He mentions the loving kindness of the Omnipresent saying, ארמי אבד אבי, a Syrian destroyed my father, which means: “Laban wished to exterminate the whole nation” (cf. the Haggadah for Passover) when he pursued Jacob. Because he intended to do it the Omnipresent accounted it unto him as though he had actually done it (and therefore the expression אבד which refers to the past is used), for as far as the nations of the world are concerned the Holy One, blessed be He, accounts unto them intention as an actual deed (cf. Sifrei Devarim 301:3; Onkelos).

וירד מצרימה. וְעוֹד אֲחֵרִים בָּאוּ עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, שֶׁאַחֲרֵי זֹאת יָרַד יַעֲקֹב לְמִצְרַיִם:

וירד מצרימה AND HE WENT DOWN INTO EGYPT — But there were others, too, “who came against us to destroy us” (cf. the Passover Haggadah), for afterwards Jacob went down into Egypt with his children and these were enslaved there).

במתי מעט. בְּשִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ (ספרי):

במתי מעט WITH A FEW PERSONS — with only seventy souls (Sifrei Devarim 301:4; Onkelos).

אל המקום הזה. זֶה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:

אל המקום הזה [AND HE HATH BROUGHT US] UNTO THIS PLACE — This refers to the Temple where the worshipper was standing when he made this declaration.

ויתן לנו את הארץ. כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ:

ויתן לנו את הארץ means what it literally implies: AND HATH GIVEN US THE LAND.

והנחתו. מַגִּיד שֶׁנּוֹטְלוֹ אַחַר הֲנָפַת הַכֹּהֵן וְאוֹחֲזוֹ בְיָדוֹ כְּשֶׁהוּא קוֹרֵא וְחוֹזֵר וּמֵנִיף (ספרי; סוכה מ"ז):

והנחתו AND THOU SHALT PLACE IT [BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD] — This tells us that he takes it after the priest has waved it, and holds it in his hand whilst he makes the declaration, and then again waves it (Sukkah 47b; cf. Sifrei Devarim 301:33).

ושמחת בכל הטוב. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ אֵין קוֹרִין מִקְרָא בִכּוּרִים אֶלָּא בִזְמַן שִׂמְחָה, מֵעֲצֶרֶת וְעַד הֶחָג, שֶׁאָדָם מְלַקֵּט תְּבוּאָתוֹ וּפֵרוֹתָיו וְיֵינוֹ וְשַׁמְנוֹ, אֲבָל מֵהֶחָג וָאֵילָךְ מֵבִיא וְאֵינוֹ קוֹרֵא (פסחים ל"ו):

ושמחת בכל הטוב AND THOU SHALT REJOICE IN EVERY GOOD THING — From this they (the Rabbis) derived the law that the recital on the occasion of bringing the first fruits is made only during the joyful period of the year — from Pentecost till the Feast of Tabernacles — when a man is gathering in his grain, his fruits, his wine and his oil; but from Tabernacles onwards until Chanucah if he brings these, he does not make the recital (Pesachim 36b).

אתה והלוי. אַף הַלֵּוִי חַיָּב בְּבִכּוּרִים אִם נָטְעוּ בְּתוֹךְ עָרֵיהֶם:

אתה והלוי THOU AND THE LEVITE — the Levites are also bound to bring the first fruits to the priest if they planted anything in the fields attached to their cities.

והגר אשר בקרבך. מֵבִיא וְאֵינוֹ קוֹרֵא, שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לוֹמַר לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ (תלמוד ירושלמי מ"ש פ"ה ה"ה):

והגר אשר בקרבך AND THE STRANGER THAT IS AMONG YOU — he, too, brings the first fruits to the priest but does not make the recital, for he cannot truly say, as is prescribed, “[I profess this day … that I have come into the land which the Lord sware] unto our fathers” (v. 3) since his fathers were not Israelites (cf. Sifrei Devarim 301:37; Mishnah Bikkurim 1:4; Talmud Yerushalmi Maaser Sheni 5:5).