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Parshat Mishpatim
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו 

Bonding with the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land 

"מלאתך ודמעך לא תאחר" 

"Blessed are You HaShem our God who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to take Trumot and Maasrot."

In our title quote we learn that not only is one to be careful to take Truma and Maaser, but that this taking must be done in a particular order. So to our Sages teach us, that the term 'do not belate' in our title quote refers to putting the separation of Truma later than the Maaser. Although doing such does not entail punishment of lashes or the like (since it is linked to a positive commandment), yet still it is a negative commandment of the 613 commandments of the Torah.

The order that should be taken is first bikurim-the 'first fruits', then Truma (given to the Kohen), then First Maaser (given to the Levite) from which Trumat Maaser is taken, and then Maaser Sheni or Maaser Ani (on the 3rd and 6th years of the Shmita cycle).

We may parallel this insistence on order to the halachic practice of calling to the Torah reading the Kohen first, then the Levi, and only afterwards is an Israelite (neither Kohen or Levi) called. In the same way first Bikurim and Truma are given to the Kohen, then First Maaser to the Levi, and only afterwards Maaser Sheni or Ani are taken and rendered suitable even for the Israelite.

We may explain the importance of Bikurim being brought even before Truma as being in part connected to the additional sanctity of bikurim (aside from being given to the Kohen), that they must be brought to the Bais HaMikdash, place of the Holy Presence. In this way, we can gain an important key in contemplating these mitzvoth in context of the Holy Presence. After the bikurim the truma is given to the Kohen, who by principle has the ability to enter the more internal and holier areas of the Bait HaMikdash and serve there. After Truma one is to give the Maaser to the Levi, who also serves in the Bait HaMikdash as singers and care-holders of the Bait HaMikdash. After giving the Maaser to the Levi comes Maaser Sheni to the Israelite. However, this Maaser Sheni must also be connected to the Holy Presence and must be eaten in the bounds of the City of the Holy Presence, Jerusalem. Even Maaser Ani to the poor, which may be eaten anywhere, hints to the the Holy Presence, for HaShem tells us that His Presence rests with poor and downtrodden, as they are humble of spirit, as it says 'I am with the downtrodden and humble of spirit' (Isaiah 57, 15).

These mitzvoth remind us that the produce of the Land of the Holy Presence must be in turn returned to its source, to be united again with its spiritual source, the Holy Presence. Our Sages teach us that Kohen-Truma corresponds to Avraham, Levi-First Maaser corresponds to Yitzhak, and Yisroel-Maaser Sheni (Ani) corresponds to Yakov. In this way these gifts are so naturally connected to Hebron, City of these Patriarchs and with its being the bastion of the Land of the Holy Presence uniting with Jerusalem and the Bait HaMikdash. 

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #107:

"Throughout a period of about 6 months I have been in contact with a soldier with a gaining interest in Judaism. However, for the past several weeks we haven't been in touch. One day, I 'happened' to meet this soldier while he was on patrol in Hebron, and the very next day my wife 'happened' to ask me if I would like to invite this soldier for a Shabbos meal. I 'turns out' that this soldier is leaving the Hebron area entirely (after an extended period) to patrol in a different location this very week..."  

Sources: Rambam Trumot 3, 23

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