The Mishnah on Offering Firstfruits

1. How do they separate the firstfruits? A person descends into their field and sees a fig that has ripened, a cluster of grapes that has ripened, [or] a pomegranate that has ripened [and] ties it with reed-grass rope and says, “These are firstfruits.” R. Simeon taught: Nevertheless, he should go back and declare them firstfruits after they have been plucked from the ground.

2. How are the firstfruits brought up [to Jerusalem]? All [the people] of the cities of the ma‘amad¹ [would] gather in the city of the ma‘amad and spend the night in the city street, and they would not enter the houses. Early in the morning the appointed person would say, “Arise and let us go up to Zion, to the house of the Lord our God (Jeremiah 31:6).”

3. Those who were near [Jerusalem] would bring figs and grapes, and those who were far would bring dried figs and raisins. The ox would walk before them with its horns covered in gold and a wreath of olives on its head. The flute would play before them until they neared Jerusalem. When they neared Jerusalem, they sent [messengers] before them, and they would adorn their firstfruits. The grandees, chiefs, and treasurers of the Temple would go out to greet them; according to the honor of those entering, they would go out. All the artisans of Jerusalem would stand before them and greet them, [saying], “Our brothers, men of such-and-such a place, come in peace.”

4. The flute would play before them until they reached the Temple Mount. When they arrived at the Temple Mount, even King Agrippa would take a basket on his shoulder and go in until reaching the courtyard. On arriving in the courtyard, the Levites sang, “I will exalt the Lord because You have raised me up, and You did not allow my enemies to rejoice over me (Psalm 30:2).”

5. The young birds on top of the baskets were for burnt offerings, and those that they held in their hands they gave to the priests.

6. While the basket was still on his shoulder, [a person] would recite from [the firstfruits declaration], I acknowledge this day before the Lord your God . . . (Deuteronomy 26:3) until he completed the whole passage. R. Judah says: [He recited until] My father was a fugitive Aramean (Deuteronomy 26:5). When he reached My father was a fugitive Aramean, he would lower the basket from upon his shoulder [and] hold it by its edges, and a priest would place his hands under it and wave it and recite from My father was a fugitive Aramean until he finished the passage. He would then place [the basket] beside the altar, bow, and leave.

7. Originally, whoever knew how to recite [the prescribed passage] would recite [it], and whoever did not know how to recite [it], the [priests] would recite it for them [and they would repeat the words]. People refrained from bringing [the firstfruits due to the embarrassment of needing assistance]. It was therefore decreed that they [the priests] would recite for [both] those who knew [the passage] and those who did not know [the passage].

8. The wealthy would bring their firstfruits in baskets of silver and gold, and the poor would bring them in wicker baskets of peeled willow, and the baskets and the firstfruits were given to the priests.