The commandment of bringing the first-fruits: To bring the first-fruits to the Temple — and that is that we are obligated to bring there the first fruit that ripens on a tree and to give it to a priest. And not all trees are in this commandment from Torah writ, but rather only the seven species through which the Land of Israel is praised — and they are wheat, barley, the [fruit of the] vine, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates — as it is stated (Exodus 23:19), “The first fruits of your land you shall bring, etc.” and the explanation comes that it is only stated about these seven fruits. And according to what it appears, it is in this way that they, may their memory be blessed, learned to say like this: Since no other fruits at all are mentioned in any place in the Torah besides these, and He, blessed be He, commanded us to bring undifferentiated first-fruits from our Land, it follows that it is about the fruits that He informed us about in the Torah that are in the Land of Israel and through which it is praised, that He commanded us. And it is possible that our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, have another [indication] from the verse, or maybe they are words of transmission. And so was it their way to bring them, that those close to Jerusalem would bring them soft (fresh) and those far would dry them [first].
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order to put the word of God, may He be blessed, “at the top of our joy,” and that we remember and we know that it is from Him, blessed be He, that all of the blessings of the world come to us. Therefore, we were commanded to bring the first fruit that ripens in the trees to those that serve His house. And through the remembering and the acceptance of His kingdom and our thanking in front of Him that the fruits and the rest of all of the good comes from Him, we will be fit for blessing and our fruits will be blessed.
From the laws of the commandment — that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Makkot 19b) that they are forbidden once they enter Jerusalem to a [non-priest] like the priestly tithe; from which fruits do we bring first-fruits from rabbinic writ; that we give first-fruits to the men of the [priestly] watch [on duty]; that they require a vessel and it [goes] to the priest, if they are of wood; that a person should not bring them mixed up, but rather in a beautiful way, for example that he place palm leaves or [other] leaves between each and every species and surround the basket of figs with clusters of grapes around its rim; [that] they bring in their hands turtle-doves and pigeons in honor of the first-fruits and give them to the priests; how they would bring them up, and the joy about them which the ones who brought them up and the ones going out to greet them would show; the psalms that they would read close to the city; and the rest of its details - are elucidated in Tractate Bikkurim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of First Fruits and other Gifts to Priests Outside the Sanctuary 4.)
And [it] is practiced at the time of the Temple by males with fruits of the Land of Israel and of Syria and of Transjordan, but not with fruits from outside of the Land. And one who transgresses it has violated a positive commandment.
מִצְוַת הֲבָאַת בִּכּוּרִים – לְהָבִיא בִּכּוּרִים לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וְהוּא הַפְּרִי הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁמִּתְבַּשֵּׁל בָּאִילָן שֶׁחַיָּבִין אָנוּ לַהֲבִיאוֹ שָׁם וְלִתְּנוֹ לַכֹּהֵן, וְלֹא כָּל הָאִילָנוֹת בְּמִצְוָה זוֹ מִן הַתּוֹרָה, אֶלָּא שִׁבְעַת הַמִּינִים בִּלְבַד שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּחָה בָהֶן אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהֵם חִטָּה, וּשְׂעוֹרָה, גֶּפֶן, וּתְאֵנָה, וְרִמּוֹן, זֵיתִים וּתְמָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג יט) רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא וְגוֹ' וּבָא הַפֵּרוּשׁ שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא עַל שִׁבְעָה פָּרוֹת אֵלּוּ. וּלְפִי הַדּוֹמֶה כִּי בְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ לָמְדוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה לוֹמַר כָּךְ, כִּי אַחַר שֶׁלֹּא הֻזְכְּרוּ כָּל פֵּרוֹת אֲחֵרִים חוּץ מֵאֵלּוּ בַּתּוֹרָה בְּשׁוּם מָקוֹם וְצִוָּנוּ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהָבִיא מֵאַרְצֵנוּ בִּכּוּרֵי פֵּרוֹת סְתָם, בֶּאֱמֶת יֵשׁ לָדוּן כִּי עַל הַפֵּרוֹת שֶׁהוֹדִיעָנוּ בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁהֵן בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְשֶׁשִּׁבְחָהּ בָּהֶן, עַל אוֹתָם צִוָּנוּ. וְאֶפְשָׁר כִּי יֵשׁ לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל עוֹד הֶכְרֵחַ הַכָּתוּב בָּעִנְיָן, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא דִּבְרֵי קַבָּלָה הֵם. וְכֵן הָיָה דַּרְכָּם לְהָבִיא אוֹתָן (בכורים ג ג) הַסְּמוּכִין לִירוּשָׁלַיִם מְבִיאִין אוֹתָן רַכִּים, וְהָרְחוֹקִין מְיַבְּשִׁין אוֹתָן.
The commandment of bringing the first-fruits: To bring the first-fruits to the Temple — and that is that we are obligated to bring there the first fruit that ripens on a tree and to give it to a priest. And not all trees are in this commandment from Torah writ, but rather only the seven species through which the Land of Israel is praised — and they are wheat, barley, the [fruit of the] vine, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates — as it is stated (Exodus 23:19), “The first fruits of your land you shall bring, etc.” and the explanation comes that it is only stated about these seven fruits. And according to what it appears, it is in this way that they, may their memory be blessed, learned to say like this: Since no other fruits at all are mentioned in any place in the Torah besides these, and He, blessed be He, commanded us to bring undifferentiated first-fruits from our Land, it follows that it is about the fruits that He informed us about in the Torah that are in the Land of Israel and through which it is praised, that He commanded us. And it is possible that our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, have another [indication] from the verse, or maybe they are words of transmission. And so was it their way to bring them, that those close to Jerusalem would bring them soft (fresh) and those far would dry them [first].
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה, כְּדֵי לְהַעֲלוֹת דְּבַר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עַל רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתֵנוּ, וְנִזְכֹּר וְנֵדַע כִּי מֵאִתּוֹ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יַגִּיעוּ לָנוּ כָּל הַבְּרָכוֹת בָּעוֹלָם. עַל כֵּן נִצְטַוִּינוּ לְהָבִיא לִמְשָׁרְתֵי בֵּיתוֹ רֵאשִׁית הַפְּרִי הַמִּתְבַּשֵּׁל בָּאִילָנוֹת וּמִתּוֹךְ הַזְּכִירָה וְקַבָּלַת מַלְכוּתוֹ וְהוֹדָאָתֵנוּ לְפָנָיו, כִּי הַפֵּרוֹת וְיֶתֶר כָּל הַטּוֹבָה מֵאִתּוֹ יָבֹאוּ, נִהְיֶה רְאוּיִים לִבְרָכָה וְיִתְבָּרְכוּ פֵּרוֹתֵינוּ.
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order to put the word of God, may He be blessed, “at the top of our joy,” and that we remember and we know that it is from Him, blessed be He, that all of the blessings of the world come to us. Therefore, we were commanded to bring the first fruit that ripens in the trees to those that serve His house. And through the remembering and the acceptance of His kingdom and our thanking in front of Him that the fruits and the rest of all of the good comes from Him, we will be fit for blessing and our fruits will be blessed.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה, מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (מכות יט ב) שֶׁהֵן אֲסוּרִין לַזָּר כִּתְרוּמָה מִשֶּׁנִּכְנְסוּ לִירוּשָׁלַיִם, וּמֵאֵיזֶה פֵּרוֹת מְבִיאִין מֵהֶם בִּכּוּרִים מִדְּרַבָּנָן, וְשֶׁנִּתָּנִין הַבִּכּוּרִים לְאַנְשֵׁי מִשְׁמָר, וְשֶׁטְּעוּנִין כְּלִי וְהוּא לַכֹּהֵן אִם הוּא שֶׁל עֵץ, וְשֶׁלֹּא יְבִיאֵם אָדָם בְּעִרְבּוּב אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ נוֹי, כְּגוֹן שֶׁמֵּשִׂים הוּצִין אוֹ עָלִין בַּסַּל בֵּין כָּל מִין וָמִין, וּמַקִּיף אֶשְׁכּוֹלוֹת עֲנָבִים לְסַל שֶׁל תְּאֵנִים עַל שְׂפָתוֹ, וּמְבִיאִין בִּידֵיהֶן תּוֹרִים וּבְנֵי יוֹנָה לִכְבוֹד הַבִּכּוּרִים וְנוֹתְנִין אוֹתָם לַכֹּהֲנִים, וְכֵיצַד הָיוּ מַעֲלִין אוֹתָן, וְהַשִּׂמְחָה שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹשִׂין עֲלֵיהֶן הַמְּבִיאִים אוֹתָם וְהַיּוֹצְאִים לִקְרָאתָם, וְהַמִּזְמוֹרִים שֶׁהָיוּ קוֹרְאִין סָמוּךְ לָעִיר, וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בְּמַסֶּכֶת בִּכּוּרִים (פ"ג) [פ"ד מה' בכורים].
From the laws of the commandment — that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Makkot 19b) that they are forbidden once they enter Jerusalem to a [non-priest] like the priestly tithe; from which fruits do we bring first-fruits from rabbinic writ; that we give first-fruits to the men of the [priestly] watch [on duty]; that they require a vessel and it [goes] to the priest, if they are of wood; that a person should not bring them mixed up, but rather in a beautiful way, for example that he place palm leaves or [other] leaves between each and every species and surround the basket of figs with clusters of grapes around its rim; [that] they bring in their hands turtle-doves and pigeons in honor of the first-fruits and give them to the priests; how they would bring them up, and the joy about them which the ones who brought them up and the ones going out to greet them would show; the psalms that they would read close to the city; and the rest of its details - are elucidated in Tractate Bikkurim. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of First Fruits and other Gifts to Priests Outside the Sanctuary 4.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת בִּזְכָרִים, וּבְפֵרוֹת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְסוּרְיָא וְעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן, אֲבָל לֹא בְּפֵרוֹת חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ. וְהָעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ, בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה.
And [it] is practiced at the time of the Temple by males with fruits of the Land of Israel and of Syria and of Transjordan, but not with fruits from outside of the Land. And one who transgresses it has violated a positive commandment.