Project Genesis




The Land of Israel

The Temple

First Fruits

Question: How is the First Fruit offering practiced in today’s society?

Answer: Great question! For the First Fruits, one would go out to the fields when the fruit buds would begin to grow and designate the first fruits. One could designate just the first fruit of each species, or he could choose to dedicate the whole field (the Sages later instituted that one per sixty fruit should be designated). The fruit would be brought to Jerusalem and given to the Cohanim (priests) to eat. It would be arranged in a beautiful basket which was brought to Jerusalem amidst great joy and rejoicing. If Jerusalem was far away, the fruits could be dried before the trip. These laws only apply to the special “seven species” associated with the land of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. Additionally, the fruit must have grown in the land of Israel and only during the times of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Today, there are no applicable laws of the First Fruits.

All the Best, Rabbi Azriel Schreiber

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