First Fruits of the Land

[Shimon]

"You are to take some of the first of all the produce of the soil, which you gather from your land that Ad’nai your G’d is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place Ad’nai your G’d chooses to make His Name dwell.”

– Deuteronomy 26:2, Tree of Life Version

“A land of wheat and barley, vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey.” – Deuteronomy 8:8, TLV

Moses instructed B’nei Yisrael (the Children of Israel), that when they would  enter Eretz Canaan, and establish themselves there, they were to bring the bikurim (first fruits) of their yield to “the place which the L’RD thy G-d shall choose to cause His name to dwell there” (Deuteronomy 26:2). The bikurim were taken from the seven species native to Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

“And it will be, when you enter the land,” begins with the Hebrew word vayehi , indicating joy; the Ohr HaChaim compares this to the verse, “then our mouths will be filled with laughter” (Psalm 126:2). As the experience of joy would be upon B’nei Yisrael when they first entered the Promised Land, so shall we rejoice when we return to Israel at the time of the Messianic Era: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5, JPS 1917 Tanach). “The footsteps of the Messiah will be like this. Every good thing will come out of pain and distress” (Kol HaTor).

“For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers birth pains until now — and not only creation, but even ourselves. We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Ruach [Spirit], groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for adoption—the redemption of our body.”

– Romans 8:22-23, Tree of Life Version

“Thou has counted my wanderings; put Thou my tears into Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book?” (Psalm 56:9, JPS 1917 Tanach). Our tears are being stored in the Book of Life; our troubles are regarded from Shomayim (Heaven). We may look  forward to continual sanctification, when our lives are turned towards godliness, through the redemption offered to us by way of the Redeemer. The sorrows in this life will eventually give way to joy that we will receive in Malchus Elokim (the Kingdom of G'd).

“The Deliverer shall come out of Zion. He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins” (Romans 11:26b-27, TLV). At the time of the ingathering, when the “first fruits” of Messiah, will be brought into the land, “He will send out his angels with a great shofar, and they will gather together his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matisyahu 24:31, CJB). “And ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great horn [shofar] shall be blown” (Isaiah 27:12-13, JPS 1917 Tanach).