Bartenura on Mishnah Bikkurim

Sefaria · Mishnah > Rishonim on Mishnah > Bartenura > Seder Zeraim · 127 sections

3.3.7
הפחות – the assistants of the Kohanim
3.3.9
ולפי כבוד הנכנסים – according to the majority of those who enter, they would come out – if there are many, many come, and if there are few, few [come out].
3.3.10
וכל בעלי אומניות שבירושלים עומדים מפניהם – even though that the master artisans are not obligated to stand before the scholars at the time when they are engaged in their work in order that they not become idle from their work; nevertheless, they were obligated to stand before those who brought the First Fruits for the Mitzvah is beloved [when performed] at its appropriate time. And for this reason, those who carry the coffin when the dead is within it, and because of those who carry the baby to the ritual circumcision.
3.4.1
החליל – A kind of musical instrument whose sound can be heard from afar.
3.4.2
היה נוטל על כתפו – since he had to give it from his hand to the hand of a Kohen, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:4): “The priest shall take the basket from your hand [and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD].”
3.5.1
הגוזלות שעל גבי הסלים – that they would hang turtle-doves and pigeons and from the back of the First Fruit baskets, and not by the side of the baskets themselves so that they not be soiled, and these are burnt-offering sacrifices.
3.5.2
ומה שבידם – Maimonides interpreted that the young children when they brought them in their hands, did not hang them on the back of the baskets, and it appears to me, what was in their hands? It was the First Fruits that they brought in their hands.
3.6.1
רבי יהודה אומר: עד ארמי אובד אבי – But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.
3.6.2
ואוחזו בשפתותיו וכהן מניח ידו תחתיו – from here it implies that the basket was on the hand of the Kohen but the owners would hold the basket above with their lips at the time of the waving; but not according to the words of the one who says that the Kohen places his hand underneath the hand of the owners and waves it.
3.6.3
בצד המזבח – in the southwestern corner
3.6.4
והשתחוה ויצא – from here it implies that he did not wave it other than only once at the time of the recitation [of the verses of Deuteronomy 25:5-10] alone. But the Tanna of the Sifre (the Midrashic verse-by-verse commentary on Deuteronomy) requires two wavings – one at the time of the recitation, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:4): “The priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down [in front of the altar of the LORD your God],” and we derive the [double-usage] of the word “hand”/יד from [the verse] (Leviticus 7:30): “His own hands shall present the LORD’s offerings by fire.” Just as there, [it requires] waving, so here too [there is] waving. And the second [waving] comes after he completed the Recitation. Since after the Recitation, it is written (Deuteronomy 26:10): “And you shall leave it [before the LORD your God and bow before the LORD your God].” The language [of the Biblical verse] (Exodus 32:34): “Go now, lead the people where I told you,” which refers to the waving that “he draws it away from himself and brings it towards himself, raises it and lowers it.”
3.7.1
נמנעו מלהביא – because of the shame as they do not know how to recite [the First Fruits formula of Deuteronomy 26:5-10].
3.7.2
התקינו שיהו מקרין – for it is a Biblical verse used as a support for a Rabbinic enactment, as it is written (Deuteronomy 26:5): “You shall then recite as follows.” And there is no “reciting” other than from the mouth of another [whose words are repeated].
3.8.1
בקלתות של זהב – baskets overlaid with silver and gold
3.8.2
הסלים והבכורים ניתנים לכהנים – the baskets of the poor are given to the Kohanim, and the vase-shaped baskets of the rich are return are returned to them. From here, they said (Bava Kamma 9a), “poverty follows the poor” (i.e. the poor man is always under a disadvantage).
3.9.1
מעטרים את הבכורים חוץ משבעת המינים – they surround the baskets containing the First Fruits with nice and praiseworthy fruits. And even though they are not from the Seven Species, such as quince and Etrog and others like these. And the same law applies if they are able to decorate it [the basket of the First Fruits] from fruit that grew outside the Land of Israel.
3.9.2
רבי עקיבא אומר: אין מעטרין הבכורים אלא משבעת המינים – From fruit that grew in the Land of Israel which are liable for First Fruits (i.e., Deuteronomy 8:8). And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Akiba.
3.10.1
הבכורים – the essence of the First Fruits are a fig that was the first to ripen and a cluster of grapes that were the first to ripen.
3.10.2
תוספת הבכורים – at the time of the harvesting of the First Fruits, one adds to them from other figs or from other grapes.
3.10.3
עיטור – the nice fruit that one brings closely together around the basket to beautify the observance of the commandment.
3.10.4
מין שאינו במינו – He wreaths the basket of First Fruits of grapes with figs and of the First Fruits of figs with grapes, and even with fruits that are not from the Seven Species, according to the words of Rabbi Shimon, who holds that view above (Chapter 3, Mishnah 8).
3.10.5
ופטורים מן הדמאי – If the Kohen took them from those who do not observe certain religious customs regarding tithes (i.e., “Am HaAretz”) who brought First Fruits.
3.11.1
ואם אינה באה מן הארץ – such as the case where they brought the supplement from the other side of the Jordan [River], as is taught in the Mishnah above (Chapter 1, Mishnah 10), that they bring from there the First Fruits even though they are not from “the land flowing with milk and honey.” Alternatively, Our Mishnah is according to Rabbi Shimon who said (Chapter 3, Mishnah 9) that we adorn the First Fruits [with fruit] other than the Seven Species, and that law also applies from fruit that grew outside the Land of Israel, and just like according to him, we adorn [the First Fruits] with fruit [grown] outside the Land of Israel, so too, the supplement comes from fruit [grown] outside the Land of Israel. And this comes to – teach us here that the supplement which is not from the Land [of Israel] is not like the First Fruits.
3.12.1
כספר תורה – that is to say, and a Torah scroll is like the First Fruits for this law, that the creditor takes his debt and a woman collects her Ketubah settlement. Another explanation: The Mishnah reads “AND a Torah scroll” (as opposed to “like a Torah scroll”). And it is permissible to purchase with them a Torah scroll, and even though that the Tanna of our Mishnah taught “an unclean animal.” And it was necessary to teach “Torah scroll” and not to mention all of these other things. Presume that they were not appropriate for eating, they are appropriate for a reward that [could be used] to purchase food. But a Torah scroll that is not appropriate for a reward that would come for the purchase of food, for one cannot sell a Torah scroll, I might say no, but this comes to teach us otherwise.
3.12.2
אין נותנים אלא לחבר בטובה – A Kohen is not able to give the First Fruits other than to a Kohen who observes the Levitical laws in daily intercourse who eats his secular meat in purity and givens them to him as a favor with the expectation of reciprocation of the Torah of kindness and free-will donation, and it is not appropriate to purchase with them anything and even not to give them to a Kohen who does not observe the Levitical laws in daily intercourse, for since we don’t use them for the Divine service, we suspect lest that he is not careful with them.
3.12.3
נותנין אותם לאנשי משמר – Whether he is someone who observes the Levitical laws in daily intercourse or not, we divide them between them.
3.12.4
בקדשי מקדש – like the other holy aspects of the altar. And even though we don’t use them for Divine service, since we bring them into the courtyard, we are careful with them and we don’t come to eat them in defilement. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.

Bartenura on Mishnah, trans. by Rabbi Robert Alpert, 2020. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: http://sefaria.org Licence: CC-BY. Source.