The Firstfruits

Among the obligatory gifts brought to the Temple were the bikkurim, or firstfruits (Exodus 23:19; 34:26). A number of literary and legal sources describe this ritual.

The literary figure Tobit asserts that after the secession of the northern tribes at the beginning of the First Temple period, he, alone among his tribesmen, would journey to Jerusalem with his firstfruits and other gifts for the priests. Philo offers a description of the ritual and its logistics, including a paraphrase of the declaration that accompanies the offering in Deuteronomy 26:1–10. He explains that these gifts were designated for priestly consumption because the priests were landless and served on behalf of the nation.

The Mishnah describes the process of designating these gifts and reciting the declaration, and the fanfare with which they were brought to the Temple. Elements of the ritual procession, especially the garland-adorned ox and its gold-plated horns, suggest the influence of contemporary pagan rituals of public assembly, panegyre.

In the Temple Scroll from Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, the obligation to offer firstfruits to the Lord applies not only to grain but also to wine and oil. The Temple Scroll prescribes three different harvest celebrations for each of these staple agricultural products with fifty days between each, in accord with the ancient harvest calendar. For this text, see “The Temple Scroll.”