The laws of Bikkurim – bringing “first fruits” to the Temple – is an uplifting commandment that represents a high-point in the life of the farmer in biblical times. It is the moment when the fruits of the farmer’s labor have ripened, a time of thanks and of blessing. The commandment to bring Bikkurim is one of the Temple commandments, and it is similar in many ways to bringing a sacrifice. For this reason, it is performed in the Temple, “the place where the LORD your God will choose to establish His name,” and the farmer who brings Bikkurim will need to turn to the Temple priests – the kohanim – to assist him in fulfilling this commandment.
The Torah states: You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him… (Devarim 26:3).
The obligation to go to “the priest in charge at that time” seems unnecessary, for later generations were not going to fulfill the mitzvah by going to Aaron the priest or to Pinchas or Elazar, of blessed memory. This commandment is supposed to be fulfilled in perpetuity for generations to come – it should be obvious that whoever brings Bikkurim will hand them over to the kohanim of his own time. The tone of the Torah in issuing the command in this manner hints to the fact that we must be accepting of any kohen, even if he is not the ideal representative of God. Our attitude must be “this is good enough.” Indeed, some commentaries go so far as to suggest that if we discover after-the-fact that the kohen was unfit for Temple service, the mitzvah of Bikkurim was still fulfilled (Midrash Tana’im, see also Ramban). In his Yitzchak Yeranen, Rabbi Elyakim Gotinu (18th Century, Saloniki) explains this expression in a similar fashion, writing: The intention here is to the words of the sages, that they are given to the priests of that watch, even if they are not haverim – individuals who scrupulously observes tithes and purity laws (Laws of Bikkurim, Chapter 3).
The vast majority of commentaries assume that the Torah is indicating to us that at some future time there will be kohanim who would not be on the high spiritual level to perform the Temple service, and that among them there would likely be some who would actually be unfit to serve.
The Sifrei brings a similar approach based on the idea that each generation must accept a priestly caste that reflects its own reality, just as they accept leadership that reflects the reality of that generation. There is, however, one additional element that appears:
This was the intention of R. Yose Ha-Galili who said:
Could we imagine that Bikkurim would be brought to a priest who is not at that time?
Rather, bring it to a priest who is accepted and recognized at that time…
As it says: Don’t say, “How has it happened that former times were better than these?” (Kohelet 7:10) Sifrei Ki Tavo 298.
The Midrash closes with a verse from Kohelet “Don’t say, ‘How has it happened that former times were better than these?’” The Sifrei makes clear that there is no room for sentimentality or nostalgia for times when the kohanim were purer and more deserving of their positions. Back in those times, things were not so good, either.
We can find support for Rabbi Yosi Ha-Galili’s approach in the Mishnah in Tractate Yoma, which opens with a description of the High Priest’s preparations for Yom Kippur. For a full week beforehand – a week that coincides with the ten days of repentance – the High Priest undergoes a “professional development” program. He is taught the Temple service for the High Holy day, including the various animals that will be brought before him for sacrifice. At the end, he is made to take an oath to perform the service exactly as he has been taught. On the final night before Yom Kippur, he is kept awake the whole night, lest he fall asleep and contract ritual defilement. To keep him awake, the sages sit with him, studying and teaching. The Mishnah records:
If he was a sage, he would expound. If not, sages would expound in front of him. If he was accustomed to reading, he would read. If not, they would read in front of him. And from what would they read in front of him? From Job, and from Ezra, and from Chronicles. Zecharya ben Kabutal said, many times I read from Daniel in front of him (Yoma 1:6).
Without intentionally divulging this information, we learn from the Mishnah that sometimes the priests were scholars, but other times they were not. Sometimes they were learned, but other times they were not. When necessary, the texts that were studied included stories that would hold their attention. It is very possible that this was done in Aramaic rather than in Hebrew, since Aramaic was popularly spoken at that time (Rambam in his Commentary to the Mishna, Rabbi Ovadia Mi-Bartenura).
Note that the individual under discussion is the High Priest – we can only imagine that situation among ordinary priests. While the Mishnah is talking about the Second Temple period, from the stories that appear in Navi it is clear that during the First Temple, as well, the priests were also not always the most righteous individuals or the greatest Torah scholars. The Ramban takes this for granted and appears to be surprised that there would be any expectation that the kohanim should be expected to be exemplary. He argues that the Priestly caste differs from the judiciary, for example, so that the Torah must make note of the fact that we must turn to “the judge of the times…even though he is not as great or as wise as the judges of old.” In that case, the requirement that judges be honest and fair is relevant. “But when bringing Bikkurim? To whom shall it be brought if not to the priest who is in charge at that time?” (Ramban 26:3).
The Ramban does not understand why anyone would think that we need to make inquiries about the religiosity or righteousness of the kohen. What is needed is a person from the correct family. Nevertheless, there is a more sublime idea being expressed here. If the biblical commentaries believe that ill-prepared kohanim can serve the people, and the Sifrei claims that the stature of kohanim of the past were no better than the ones of today, the Ramban is suggesting that this may be the ideal situation. The personality of the priest has no significance whatsoever. From the perspective of the Torah, the fact that any kohen can receive Bikkurim is not a deficiency, but a virtue. The Torah views the kohen as a “pipeline,” serving the Temple on the one hand and those who bring sacrifices on the other. The more he is invisible, the less he is chosen by virtue of his personality, the better he serves God and ensures that God's work is done.
We find a similar idea in the writings of Rav Zadok HaKohen of Lublin. While he follows the approach of the Ramban, he explains that the idea of the kohen as a “pipeline” does not simply mean that the kohen should be as invisible as possible. To serve as a “pipeline” in the Temple demands a high level of responsibility; it requires the kohen to adopt the attribute of yesod – foundation – which demands total effacing of oneself:
According to what we have said it can be understood that he says to the priest “I acknowledge this day before the LORD your God” because the kohen has established himself with the attribute of the Righteous One Who is the foundation of the world…
(Pri Zaddik on this week’s parasha)
In closing, Rav Zadok notes that the attribute of yesod is to be found in every kohen. It appears that Rav Zadok is hinting to the fact that a person’s role clothes him with those attributes that are essential for his work. The public mission thrust upon the kohanim brings with it the “clothing” that they need to perform their service.
This analysis of how the Bikkurim were brought and the attributes of the priests who receive it is not merely theoretical study for Messianic times. Concealed in this parasha are lessons that teach us many things about leadership and the conduct of public servants in general. Teachers now beginning their school years know that the better they grasp the needs of their students and the more they reach out to them, the more success they will have. The more they subjugate themselves to the task, the better they will succeed in carrying it out.
God willing, in the upcoming High Holy Days, the hazan who will serve as our emissary, will stand before God in prayer for forgiveness, beginning his prayer with the plea, "I stand before You, poor in worthy deeds..."