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I can’t believe it’s not Bikurim

Written by d fine

Bikurim does not strike one as being the most relevant thing to a 21st century jew’s life. After all, we do not have the beis hamikdash at the moment, and as such do not bring our first fruits up to the temple. Is there anything we can take out of this mitzvah though? The answer will invariably be yes – each mitzvah esentially is performed on a one-off occasion but has themes and messages which are timeless, and this is no different. Let’s point out one theme and its relevance…
When bringing the bikurim there is a complementary mitzvah called ‘kriyah’ in which we read psukim from the torah which trace our existance all the way from Lavan until Yetzias mitzrayim and gong into the Land of Israel. In fact, the psukim we darshen in the hagaddah on seder night come from here. This tells us an important message – often we can take things for granted; both physical things and spiritual things. We might not realise the importance of the Jewish people as a whole and our task in the world, but a bit of historical perspective and being told where we are from and what miracles have been performed on our behalf should solve the problem. Thus, at a time of bringing bikurim – of showing openly that HaShem is the one who causes produce to grow – we deepen our appreciation by throwing in a bit of historical realisation.
The message? To realise where the roots are found.

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