In this week's section, we read about the commandment of Bikkurim, the first fruits. The mitzvah consists of bringing the finest first fruits of the Land of Israel to the Temple in Jerusalem, offering them to God. After so much effort in plowing, sowing, watering, tending, and cultivating, why offer the best, Is it not enough to just offer part of the product? One of the pillars of Hasidic philosophy is that we should not despise the material world around us.
There are two concepts that encompass everything that exists in the universe: matter, the physical aspect of the universe, and form, its spiritual aspect. Generally, there are three schools of thought in Judaism regarding how these two concepts should be used:
- Musar's school of ethics teaches the absolute annulment of matter, highlighting the repugnant and abhorrent aspect of everything that is corporeal and material in contrast to the spiritual.
- Jakira's school of philosophy teaches the recognition and superiority of the spiritual, emotions, and intellect, and instructs the individual on how to reach these dimensions, leaving aside the material.
- The school of Hasidism teaches the predominance of form over matter. However, this school emphasizes the superiority of matter when it is purified and illuminated by form, and the superiority of form when it is integrated into matter. Both must be completely fused, until they become one.
One of the lessons of the mitzvah of Bikkurim is that it is not enough to elevate fruits of the land to sanctity, but that specifically the best Fruits must be elevated, thus expressing that the physical aspects of life, even those that cause the most pleasure and are therefore considered more "worldly" (exemplified by the best fruits), must be elevated to holiness (exemplified by the taking of the fruits to the Temple).
Bikkurim are not merely the finest fruits, but the firstfruits of the finest fruits. The concept of offering God the first fruits of one's labor is related to the simple faith, found in every Jew without exception, that these products come from a Divine blessing and not (only) from one's own effort.
Another aspect of the mitzvah of Bikkurim, related to this teaching, is that the fruits were given to the Kohen (priest) in the Temple to eat. Each of us is considered a Kohen, as the Torah says, "You shall be to Me a nation of Kohanim." In our service to God, this symbolizes that when one behaves like a Kohen—that is, when one lives a life of holiness and closeness to God—one can serve God even in the simplest things, such as eating the fruits of the earth.
We tend to think that serving God is restricted only to prayer, fulfilling commandments, or studying Torah. The section on Bikkurim teaches that serving God goes beyond these aspects directly related to divinity, but that even in the simplest things in life, such as eating and drinking, one should reveal divinity in one's actions.
Just as with the mitzvah of Bikkurim in the time of the Temple, after fulfilling it, one was blessed to fulfill it joyfully the following year, so too today, by using the "fruits" of our work for the service of God through Tzedakah (charity), we are blessed to give more Tzedakah next year, and with joy.
Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 2, p. 390.