The First Fruits of Israeli Judaism
Rediscovering Shavuot's Agricultural Roots
This week’s discussion is the continuation of a long-term interest, even, infatuation that I have with the re-invented Judaism of the Kibbutzim in the 20’s and 30’s in the Yishuv that would become modern-day Israel. We may have heard that the Zionists were committed to creating a “new Jew”, but I will argue that they were as committed to giving birth to a new Judaism. This new Judaism, unlike the Reform and Conservative Movements was not to be a foreign import, but rather an organic outgrowth of working the Land and building an independent modern state.
Sefaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/649082
Rabbi Adam Mintz and I were joined by Eran Yarkoni, CEO of the Shitim Institute. Shitim Institute has a collection of over a million documents memorializing the discussions, intellectual output and public event ceremonies ("tekes" (טקס)) that re-invented the Jewish Calendar and rites of passage for the reborn nation. For more information on this amazing institute visit their website https://www.eng.chagim.org.il/ and to support them visit their PEF page here.
We started our exploration of the upcoming holiday of Shavuot by looking at the Biblical sources for this holiday referred to as Hag Bikkurim; the holiday of the First Fruits.
(22) You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the first fruits of the wheat harvest; and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. (Exodus 34:22)
וְחַ֤ג שָׁבֻעֹת֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה לְךָ֔ בִּכּוּרֵ֖י קְצִ֣יר חִטִּ֑ים וְחַג֙ הָֽאָסִ֔יף תְּקוּפַ֖ת הַשָּׁנָֽה
and
(1) When you enter the land that your God ה׳ is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, (2) you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that your God ה׳ is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where your God ה׳ will choose to establish the divine name. (3) You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, “I acknowledge this day before your God ה׳ that I have entered the land that ה׳ swore to our fathers to assign us.” (4) The priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down in front of the altar of your God ה׳. (5) You shall then recite as follows before your God ה׳: “My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. (6) The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. (7) We cried to ה׳, the God of our ancestors, and ה׳ heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. (8) ה׳ freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents, (9) bringing us to this place and giving us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. (10) Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, ה׳, have given me.” You shall leave it before your God ה׳ and bow low before your God ה׳. (11) And you shall enjoy, together with the [family of the] Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that your God ה׳ has bestowed upon you and your household. (Deuteronomy 26: 1-11)
(א) וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃ (ב) וְלָקַחְתָּ֞ מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית ׀ כׇּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו הִגַּ֤דְתִּי הַיּוֹם֙ לַה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ כִּי־בָ֙אתִי֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע ה׳ לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ לָ֥תֶת לָֽנוּ׃ (ד) וְלָקַ֧ח הַכֹּהֵ֛ן הַטֶּ֖נֶא מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ וְהִ֨נִּיח֔וֹ לִפְנֵ֕י מִזְבַּ֖ח ה׳ אֱלֹקֶֽיךָ׃ (ה) וְעָנִ֨יתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ לִפְנֵ֣י ׀ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֗יךָ אֲרַמִּי֙ אֹבֵ֣ד אָבִ֔י וַיֵּ֣רֶד מִצְרַ֔יְמָה וַיָּ֥גׇר שָׁ֖ם בִּמְתֵ֣י מְעָ֑ט וַֽיְהִי־שָׁ֕ם לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל עָצ֥וּם וָרָֽב׃ (ו) וַיָּרֵ֧עוּ אֹתָ֛נוּ הַמִּצְרִ֖ים וַיְעַנּ֑וּנוּ וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עֲבֹדָ֥ה קָשָֽׁה׃ (ז) וַנִּצְעַ֕ק אֶל־ה׳ אֱלֹקֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע ה׳ אֶת־קֹלֵ֔נוּ וַיַּ֧רְא אֶת־עׇנְיֵ֛נוּ וְאֶת־עֲמָלֵ֖נוּ וְאֶֽת־לַחֲצֵֽנוּ׃ (ח) וַיּוֹצִאֵ֤נוּ ה׳ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם בְּיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ וּבִזְרֹ֣עַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבְמֹרָ֖א גָּדֹ֑ל וּבְאֹת֖וֹת וּבְמֹפְתִֽים׃
(ט) וַיְבִאֵ֖נוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וַיִּתֶּן־לָ֙נוּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ (י) וְעַתָּ֗ה הִנֵּ֤ה הֵבֵ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־רֵאשִׁית֙ פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תָּה לִּ֖י ה׳ וְהִנַּחְתּ֗וֹ לִפְנֵי֙ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֔יתָ לִפְנֵ֖י ה׳ אֱלֹקֶֽיךָ׃ (יא) וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֣ בְכׇל־הַטּ֗וֹב אֲשֶׁ֧ר נָֽתַן־לְךָ֛ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ וּלְבֵיתֶ֑ךָ אַתָּה֙ וְהַלֵּוִ֔י וְהַגֵּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃
The Agricultural Roots of Shavuot
Many of us grew up associating Shavuot primarily with the giving of the Torah. But the Torah itself doesn't mention this aspect at all. In fact, Shavuot's original purpose was deeply rooted in agriculture:
The holiday is intrinsically linked to settling in the land of Israel.
The Zionist Reimagining of Shavuot
For the early Zionist pioneers, these verses held profound significance. After 2,000 years of exile, they were finally returning to work the land of Israel. The agricultural aspects of Shavuot resonated deeply with their mission of national renewal.
In 1928 Yitzchak Michaeli, a pioneer from Kibbutz Ein Harod, beautifully articulated this revolutionary approach:
"Behold, this is a true revolution! Thus we have broken through and shall celebrate the festival in a manner different from that in which our forefathers celebrated it in the Diaspora. Now we have returned to the field. In the Diaspora, it was a festival of the home, full of spiritual content, with hymns and prayers and holiday symbols as remnants of the physical splendor that existed in the past. And just as the work of the land today, where we drill wells and pierce the rock until we reach the clear subterranean waters, so are we commanded to delve and penetrate to the source of our festivals and to bring them up from the depths of the Jewish people's life in the past – the purest subterranean waters of our ancient culture – in order to return and flow them through the channels of influence that were blocked during the years of the Diaspora."
Benjamin Yitzhak Michali 1928 Kibbutz Ayin Harod
הנה זוהי מהפכה אמיתי, כך פרצנו פרץ ונחוג את החג בצורה שונה שחגגו אבותנו בגולה, עתה חזרנו אל השדה. בגולה היה זה חג של בית, מלא תוכן רוחני, עם זמירות ותפילות וסמלי חג לשרידי הפאר הפיזי שהיה בעבר. וכשם שעבודת האדמה כיום הזה, שאנו קודחים בארות ונוקבים בסלע, עד להגיענו למי התהום הזכים, כך מצווים אנחנו לחתור ולחדור אל מקור חגינו ולהעלותם מתהומות חיי העם היהודי בעבר את מי התהום, הזכים ביותר של תרבותנו העתיקה כדי לשוב ולהזרימם בצינורות ההשפעה שניסתתמו במשך השנים של תקופת הגולה.
Michali and many of his peers were deeply knowledgeable in Jewish texts and the Bikkurim ceremonies that they created were based on the Mishnaic teachings.
Eran suggested we visit the Mishnah in Bikkurim 3: 1-3
(1) How does one set aside bikkurim? A man goes down into his field, he sees a fig that ripened, or a cluster of grapes that ripened, or a pomegranate that ripened, he ties a reed-rope around it and says: “Let these be bikkurim.” Rabbi Shimon says: even so, he must again designate them as bikkurim after they have been plucked from the soil. (2) How were the bikkurim taken up [to Jerusalem]? All [the inhabitants of] the cities of the maamad would assemble in the city of the maamad, and they would spend the night in the open street and they would not entering any of the houses. Early in the morning the officer would say: “Let us arise and go up to Zion, into the house of the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 31:5). (3) Those who lived near [Jerusalem] would bring fresh figs and grapes, while those who lived far away would bring dried figs and raisins. An ox would go in front of them, his horns bedecked with gold and with an olive-crown on its head. The flute would play before them until they would draw close to Jerusalem. When they drew close to Jerusalem they would send messengers in advance, and they would adorn their bikkurim. The governors and chiefs and treasurers [of the Temple] would go out to greet them, and according to the rank of the entrants they would go forth. All the skilled artisans of Jerusalem would stand up before them and greet them saying, “Our brothers, men of such and such a place, we welcome you in peace.”
A New Bikurim Ceremony for a New Era
Drawing inspiration from the Mishnah's description of the ancient Bikurim (first fruits) ceremony, the Pioneers in the Kibbutz created a new tradition that captured the spirit of their agricultural revival.
Key elements of this new ceremony included:
- Gathering produce from all the kibbutzim in the Jezreel Valley
- A procession led by a tractor (replacing the traditional ox) adorned with golden horns and an olive leaf crown
- Each community showcased their contribution to the whole
- Donating the proceeds from selling the produce to the Jewish National Fund
This wasn't just pageantry. The pioneers saw themselves as fulfilling biblical prophecies of return and renewal:
"Thus said God, cry out in joy for Jacob, shout at the crossroads of the nations, sing aloud in praise and say, save, O eternal one, your people, the remnant of Israel." (Jeremiah 31:7)
What fascinated me was that they followed the Mishnah in moving the action from inside the home to the shared communal space and that each town, city and region was represented. I couldn’t but think that while every highway in Israel today has signs of “Together we will be victorious” יחד ננצח the reality is very different and the ancient rituals of the Mishnah, seen the the lens of the Kibutnikim was designed to bring together all Israelites/Israelis from the center to the periphery in joy celebrating each community's contribution.
Controversy this renewal of Judaism created amongst the Orthodox Rabbinic authorities.
June 22nd 1932, Rabbi Yehuda Leib (Fishman) Maimon head of Religious Zionist Party; Mizrachi and signer of the Declaration of Independence wrote:
We must relate with absolute negativity to the 'Festival of the First Fruits,' the holiday which well-known activists fabricated some time ago and is becoming entrenched within us. [...] there is only room to fear that if it becomes a fixed custom, whereby every city in the Land of Israel will designate for itself a special holiday…
The danger lies in that false tradition which includes both ignorance and a lack of knowledge, and also because of the destruction of religion and the lack of good taste, that 'tradition' of 'bringing first fruits' on the day after Shavuot.
… Those male and female students who are used to adorn and exalt this 'holiday' surely think that on the Feast of Weeks they brought first fruits in days of old, but the truth of the matter is that between the Feast of Weeks – the day of the first fruits written in the Torah, and the bringing of the first fruits to the Temple in splendor and majesty, with .
blessing and prayer – there is nothing
Rav Avraham Yitzhak Kook was much more understanding
Rabbi Kook's letter to the people of Nahalal dated Iyar 19, 1933
My dear brothers
The commemoration of the Bikkurim, which is customary to be celebrated in our country in connection with the holiday of Shavuot, in many ways inspires us and gives us a sense of clarity, although it is not the Bikkurim that we are celebrating now, but the commemoration of the Bikkurim. We will not be among those who are content with little in the return of our homeland, as long as foreigners rule over the place of our life's home, as long as we are torn apart by law even within our national home, as long as we do not have the strength to gather the majority of our persecuted people to our holy land, and to arrange it in worldly glory as in the days of old, where the temple and the kingdom in all their fullness are the symbols of this complete life. We cannot say the full name "Bikkurim" which is associated with the holy and the temple, which is associated with freedom and self-kingdom in all our full glory. But a resting place for us is both the tiny subsistence and the tiny side of redemption that is gradually being revealed through our building projects, in which you, beloved brothers, are active in your amazing pioneering dedication.
Well, the commemoration of the Bikkurim is good and beautiful for us, and you are blessed for your participation and the effort and honor that you give to the Jewish National Fund.
We finished our discussion by noting that religious Zionists of today are again re-evaluating the Bikkurim ritual as a way to signal the redemption and ironically are following in the footsteps of the secular Zionists of the 20’s.
Hopefully, the Bikkurim can once again serve as a uniting force for all of Israel.
Transcript:
Geoffrey Stern: The first fruits of Zionism weren't apples. They were a new brand of Judaism, Israeli Judaism, Yehadut Yisraelit. So forget about cheesecake. This is what Shavuot is really about.
Welcome to Madlik. My name is Geoffrey Stern, and at Madlik we light a spark or shed some light on a Jewish text or tradition. Along with Rabbi Adam Mintz, we host Madlik Disruptive Torah on your favorite podcast platform and now on YouTube.
We also publish a source sheet on Sefaria, and a link is included in the show notes. This week we are counting the last days of the Omer as we get ready for Shavuot, or as it is known in the Torah, Chag HaBikurim, the holiday of the first fruits.
We have invited Eran Yarkoni, CEO of the Shittim Institute, to share with us the fascinating story about the renewal of the Bikurim ceremonies in the 1920s in Israel in the Jezreel Valley, with powerful cultural and historical significance resonating up until today.
So join us for the first fruits of Israeli Judaism. Welcome back, Adam. We missed you last week and welcome, Eran. For us, it is a reunion. This is the second Chag that we are doing. We did a podcast a few years ago on the amazing collection that you have at Beit HaShitim of the Haggadah.
But I think the story that we're going to tell today is going to be even more reflective of what your institute is doing. And with that, I'd like you to introduce us to Beit HaShita, that you are the CEO of. And then we'll delve into Chag HaBikurim.
Eran Yarkoni: Hi. Absolutely. This is one of the most symbolized holidays of the kibbutz tradition and legacy. And a few words about our institute. Our institute started in the 40s of the last century by a man called Aryeh Ben Gurion.
He was the nephew of the first Prime Minister, and he was called to be an educator in the kibbutz during the 40s. As an educator, he wanted to connect the children of the kibbutz to the roots of their identity. He asked other kibbutzim what they are doing for Shabbat, how they are celebrating Hanukkah, how they celebrate Bar Mitzvah.
He collected all these answers and became an expert in Jewish Israeli culture. When Aryeh passed away in the late 90s, he left behind an archive with more than 1 million documents that document everything that developed in the kibbutzim around the life cycle and year cycle, including holidays, ceremonies, and things like this.
This is what we have. This is our treasure trove that we work with as an inspiration for educators these days.
Geoffrey Stern: It's unbelievable. I came to visit you, and truly there is an archive, and you can see whole sections about Pesach, Hag HaBikurim, weddings, and milestone events.
In Israel, there are many Jews who are secular. For instance, when the tragedies of the last two years occurred, many Jews were looking for rituals that they could use that resonated with them. Eran and his team would go into the archives and find memorial services, and Shiva services that were developed by these early pioneers.
We all hear about the pioneers creating a New Jew. What we don't necessarily know is that they also created a new Judaism. When we go to Israel, especially as Americans, many of us think in terms of Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism. The truth is that those are all exports or imports, depending on which direction you're looking.
But what we're going to look at today is the genesis of how this group came up with a new reinvention of the holiday that we are about to celebrate. So let's go back to the original sources.
In Exodus 34:22, it says, you shall observe the feast of weeks of the first fruits of the wheat harvest and the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year. Rabbi, there's really no mention of giving of the Torah. On Shavuot, we count the Omer. The word Omer refers to, I believe, the omer of wheat; it's part of the agricultural cycle.
If you look at the verses themselves, you see a true harvest agricultural festival. Am I right?
Adam Mintz: You are 100% right. I'll just add one thing. You know, Pesach has a dual aspect. It's both agricultural and the time of freedom. Sukkot also has a dual aspect; we remember the Sukkah in the desert, and it's agricultural.
Shavuot only has an agricultural aspect. The giving of the Torah, the Ten Commandments came later. I'll just say an interesting little twist, and that is that, you know, in the days of the Temple, the months were determined based on the sighting of the new moon. So the months weren't fixed.
So the idea that the holiday of Shavuot, that the Torah was given exactly on the sixth day of Sivan, which is the holiday of Shavuot, wasn't always true. So actually, that's only a later development that connected the giving of the Ten Commandments with Shavuot. It's exciting to talk now about the agricultural element of Shavuot.
Geoffrey Stern: Great. So in Deuteronomy, it ties it also, and I think this is going to become more and more significant as the discussion continues. As when you enter the land of Israel, it says when you enter the land your God is giving you as a heritage and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take some of the first fruit of the soil of the land which you harvest from the land that your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where your God will choose to establish the divine name.
That came to mean the temple. It could have been the local temple, but obviously, when the temple was centralized, it was in Jerusalem. You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, I acknowledge this day before your God that I have entered the land that God swore to our fathers to assign us. The priest shall take the basket from your hand, set it down in front of the altar of God. You shall then recite as follows before God.
Those of you who read the Haggadah a few months ago will recognize this. My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers. And then it goes on. Where the Haggadah ends is on verse eight, where it says God freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm, with awesome power, and signs and portents.
That's where the Haggadah stops quoting this. But in verse nine, it says bringing us to this place and giving us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which you, God, have given us. You shall leave it before your God and bow low before your God.
You shall enjoy, together with your family, the Levite, and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that your God has bestowed upon you and your household. So I couldn't help but emphasize the number of times it said land, Aretz. It talks about coming to the land.
So you can only imagine how this resonated with pioneers, halutzim, who were coming to the land of Israel after 2,000 years of exile. They must have looked at this. Adam, as you say, this was totally focused on coming to this new land. Very powerful if you just look at the Chumash at the psukim.
Adam Mintz: Yeah, these are, I mean, obviously these are the most famous verses from the Haggadah. And now we've played them out. So let's see what happens. The Mishnah now elaborates on what this is all about.
Geoffrey Stern: So Eran, when we were discussing this a few days ago, you said to take a look at this Mishnah. It's in Bikurim, the third chapter. Because not only are we going to read it, but we will see that the halutzim, these secular pioneers, read it very carefully as well. It says, how does one set aside bikurim?
A man goes down into his field. He sees a fig that ripened, or a cluster of grapes that ripened, or a
Geoffrey Stern: pomegranate that ripened. He ties a red rope around it and says, let these be bikurim.
There's almost a formula that needs to be said, and this is going to be something that's going to come up at the end, and it's very interesting. Rabbi Shimon says, even so, he must again designate them as bikurim after they have been plucked from the soil. So, of course, the rabbis always have to have a disagreement. Is it when you identify them, or is it when you harvest them?
Geoffrey Stern: Then it says, how were the bikurim taken up? It says, to Jerusalem. That's what the translator adds. All the inhabitants of the cities of the ma'am would assemble in the city of the maamad and spend the night in the open street, and they would not enter any of the houses. Early in the morning, the officer would say, let us rise and go up to Zion into the house of the Lord our God, quoting from Jeremiah. So notice that this is something that unites the country.
Geoffrey Stern: In every city, in every town, this ceremony occurred. And it was a communal ceremony. It says specifically, they didn't go into individual houses. They were in the public space and they were gathering. Those who lived near Jerusalem would bring fresh figs and grapes, while those who lived far away would bring dried things and raisins. An ox would go in front of them, its horns bedecked with gold and with an olive crown on its head.
Geoffrey Stern: The flute would play before them until they would draw close to Jerusalem. When they drew close to Jerusalem, they would send messengers in advance and they would adorn their bikurim. The governors and chiefs and treasurers of the temple would go out to greet them. And according to the rank of the entrance, they would go forth. All the skilled artisans of Jerusalem would stand up before them and greet them, saying, our brothers, men of such and such a place, we welcome you in peace.
Geoffrey Stern: I have never focused on any of this stuff. I went to a traditional yeshiva. I was focused on the giving of the Torah, eating cheesecake, staying up all night and reading. And whether it was this gathering of each particular town, notice how it focuses on that. When they come to Jerusalem, they kind of get announced. This is like the Republican or the Democratic National Convention. Let the delegates from Georgia come. Let the ones from Jaffa in the Galilee come.
Geoffrey Stern: So this is an amazing backdrop. And what we're gonna read next is from Yitzchak Michaeli. Why don't you tell us a little bit about him before we read Absolute poetry, Eran?
Eran Yarkoni: I will tell you. He was one of the pioneers from Kibbutz Ein Harod. And this quote is from a very unique protocol that we have in our archive. It's a protocol of a conversation that took place during the 20s in Kibbutz Ein Harod in the Harod Valley or Jezreel Valley. During the 20s, Kibbutz Ein Harod held several discussions about the proper way to celebrate the holidays after returning to the land of Israel. Now, this excerpt is taken from one of the discussions that focused on Shavuot. And maybe you will read it.
Geoffrey Stern: Okay, so for those who want to read it in the original Hebrew, please go to the Sefaria notes. It is beautiful. Here it is in English. Behold, this is a true revolution. Thus we have broken through and shall celebrate the festival in a manner different from that in which our forefathers celebrated it in the Diaspora. Now we have returned to the field in the Diaspora. It was a festival of the home, full of spiritual content, with hymns and prayers and holiday symbols as remnants of the physical splendor that existed in the past.
Geoffrey Stern: Just as the work of the land today, where we drill wells and pierce the rock until we reach the clear subterranean waters, so are we commanded to delve and penetrate to the source of our festivals and to bring them up from the depths of the Jewish people's life in the past, the purest subterranean waters of our ancient culture in order to return and flow them through the channels of influence that were blocked during the years of the Diaspora. Rabbi, is this amazing or is this amazing?
Adam Mintz: I love the fact that we're actually moving the holiday from the home to the field. That's such a fantastic movement. And obviously, it's not only this holiday, but that's the Diaspora. We celebrate everything in the home, we celebrate everything in the synagogue, and he's moving everything to the field. That's such an early Zionist move, which is fantastic.
Geoffrey Stern: I also think he talks about in the Diaspora, when we celebrate holidays, we use symbols. We act as though we have remnants. We talk about the remnants of Israel, we have remnants of the physical splendor. When we get to the land, he talks as a materialist. We're touching the ground. And I love the fact that he uses the metaphor of digging, which can only remind us of Pirkei Avot that says, "Hofach ba vahafach bah, dekula bah." Dig in it, you'll find everything. He's going back to our sources.
Geoffrey Stern: To your point, Rabbi, about moving from the home to the public space, or as you said, to the field. I saw that in the Mishnah, remember, they said, overnight, don't go into the homes. It was all the public. Just amazing. Eran, thank you so much for bringing this.
Eran Yarkoni: Yeah. Now, according, it expresses a cultural view that the past is a symbiosis between the person living in the land and the culture connected to the soil, to the landscape, to the seasons. And this is when last time we did together a podcast, you called it an Organic Judaism. And this is the origin of Organic Judaism, where it began.
Geoffrey Stern: Now, what I'm showing on the screen now, correct me if I'm wrong, Eran, is the catalog page from your catalog. And we have Sichot al Hagim, Ein Harod, the name of the kibbutz. It has, I guess in section one, Al Pesach. It has it on Tishabov. It has it on... what's the next one?
Adam Mintz: Al Hagim.
Geoffrey Stern: Al Hagim, yes. Unbelievable archive that you have. And now we get to the really exciting part, because you told me, Eran, that what they did is they translated that ox with the two horns that had gold edges on it to a tractor. First of all, Rabbi, I was surprised that we have the chutzpah to put an ox with gold on it. Eyn Kategor Na'ase Sanegor I mean, are we reminding...
Adam Mintz: That's pretty funny. That's a different holiday.
Geoffrey Stern: Yeah. But anyway, look at this tractor. Tell us what we're looking at, Eran. And if those of you who are listening to this and not watching it on YouTube, I do apologize if you can look in the source sheet or watch it on YouTube, but it is the oldest tractor you've ever seen. It looks like the Omer, the wheat coming out of the front. They are driving, it looks like everybody is in white. Am I correct? Yes.
Eran Yarkoni: Yes. First of all, we have to say that in the Mishnah, there is a precise description, like a movie script, that depicts how the people brought the bikurim to the temple. And all that remained was to recreate and renew the route on Shavuot. What you see here is in 1928, all of the kibbutzim of the Jezreel Valley gathered at one point; each kibbutz brought its fruits, and together they created a procession to a common assembly place.
Eran Yarkoni: As you said, the ox that was customary in the Mishnah was replaced by a tractor and decorated with golden horns and an olive leaves crown. Something interesting, the remaining challenge was to whom to bring the bikurim. In the ancient ceremony, they were brought to the kohanim and Levites who served in the temple. Now here a new decision was made to sell the fruits and the bikurim and the produce of the various kibbutzim and to donate all the money collected jointly to the Jewish National Fund.
In the pioneer perspective, the Jewish National Fund, the tool of the entire Jewish people that redeems the lands of Israel, is what replaced the Temple. And the renewal of the holiday was heard throughout Israel. Every year, hundreds and thousands came to the valley to watch the bikurim procession and the ceremonial donation.
Geoffrey Stern: And of course, there's a sign there that says, which is obviously echoing what we saw in Deuteronomy, Asher tavi'em arzecha. They really felt that they were fulfilling what the Torah said in Jeremiah. It says, at that time declares God. So this is a prophecy of when we will come back to the land. I will be God to all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus said God, the people escaped from the sword, found favor in the wilderness when Israel was marching homeward. In Hebrew, some of you will find this very familiar: matzah chen b'midbar amsa ridei charev hol'chu lehar giya Yisrael. They talk o titmu kamecha that again you shall take up your hand rubs and go forth to the rhythm of the dancers. You shall plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria. Come, let us go up to Zion. And here too, at the very end, it says, thus said God, cry out in joy for Jacob, shout at the crossroads of the nations, sing aloud in praise and say, save, O Eternal One, your people, the remnant of Israel. She'arit Yisra'el. This is truly tied into coming back into the land. We saw the verses in Deuteronomy coming back into the land. We see these words in the prophets. So what they did was so organic. You used that word before Eran quoting me. And here are some other pictures that you provided. What do they have here in terms of the sign here, are they saying how much crops they brought or what.
Eran Yarkoni: Do they call, how many dunams? Like acres, like the yield. It said that two years ago in Taf Resh Zadik Heh
Adam Mintz: Tz?
Eran Yarkoni: Taf Resh Zadi Heh we had 80 dunams. And two years later, Taf Resh Zadi Chet
Adam Mintz: .. we have 600.
Eran Yarkoni: Yes, 600 dunams.
Geoffrey Stern: It's a progress report. They are saying we are growing, we are stronger. But again, I just, I never realized how this was a unifier. And if there's anything that Israel needs, I drive through the highways and all I see is Yachad Nenatzeach. Together we shall win. Unfortunately, that lasted about five minutes. The country is totally divided. Here we have a chag that was designed to have everybody in the periphery, in the center, show what they've produced, come together, enjoy. These pictures are just amazing. So now you can't do anything good without being criticized. I mean, that's just who we are. We Jews build two shuls. The one we go to and the one we wouldn't be caught dead in. So now we're going to have the words that were written by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Maimon from the Mizrahi party. And he thought this was a terrible idea.
Eran Yarkoni: He was the head of the Mizrachi movement.
Geoffrey Stern: Okay.
Adam Mintz: He was very influential in his day.
Eran Yarkoni: Yes, yes, you're also one of that. His signature is signed on the liberation.
Geoffrey Stern: Declaration, the Declaration of Independence. Oh, wow. He writes as follows. We must relate with absolute negativity to this festival of the first fruits, the holiday which well-known activists fabricated some time ago and is becoming entrenched within us again. When I first read, read these, I didn't understand quite where he was coming from. And it almost sounded as if he was saying, because everything that we've said is, this is what was written in the Torah. And he's telling us this is not it in them, in the Torah, he says there is only room to fear that if it becomes a fixed custom whereby every city in the land of Israel will designate for itself a special holiday. He's like saying, they made this stuff up, and if they made it up, it's a slippery slope. People are going to be reinventing Judaism everywhere, has v'Shalom. The danger lies in that false tradition which includes both ignorance and a lack of knowledge, and also because of the destruction of religion and the lack of good taste, that tradition of bringing first fruits on the day after Shavuot, these male and female students who are used to adorn and exalt this "holiday" surely think that on the feast of weeks, they actually are bringing first fruits in the days of old. But the truth of the matter is that between the feast of weeks, the day of the first fruits written in the Torah, and the bringing of the first fruits in the temple in splendor and majesty, with blessing and prayers, there is nothing, there is no connection between what they're doing and what was in the temple. To give him credit, I think his challenge is that they are making that statement from the Mishnah that we start. Remember I said there's a formula. And the formula is you say, these are the bikurim. And like many other things, when you say that formula, these things become holy. And the challenge is, how can you say that when we don't have a temple? But certainly the way the vitriolic nature of this. Adam, had you been aware of this whole controversy?
Adam Mintz: Never. And it's so interesting that he felt so strongly against it, because like you said, it's only a wonderful thing. It brings everybody together. But they felt it threatened because it changes the nature. And the Orthodox don't like to change the nature of things. This is a remarkable, you know, piece of our history that nobody knows anything about.
Geoffrey Stern: Okay, so, Eran, you quoted from Rabbi Maimon. I looked up to see what Rav Kook said, and he said this a year later. So, first of all, the way he starts is totally different. He says, chaverim yekarim, my dear brothers. The commemoration of the Bikurim, which is customary to be celebrated in our country in connection with the holiday of Shavuot, in many ways inspires us and gives us a sense of clarity. Although it is not the Bikurim that we are celebrating now, but the commemoration of the Bikurim, we will not be among those who are content with little in the return of our homeland. As long as foreigners rule over the place of our life's home, as long as we are torn apart by law, even, even within our national home, as long as we do not have the strength to gather the majority of our persecuted people to our holy land and to arrange it in worldly glory, as in the days of old, where the temple and the kingdom in all their fullness are the symbols of this complete life, we cannot say the full name Bikurim, which is associated with the holy, and the Temple, which is associated with freedom and self, kingdom and all our full glory. But a resting place for us is both the tiny subsistence and the tiny side of redemption. That is gradually being revealed through our building projects in which you beloved brothers, are active in your amazing pioneering dedication. Well, the commemoration of the bikurim. He wanted people to say zecher le'bikurim, not zeh ha'bikurim. He wanted to say as a remembrance of the korban Pesach, as a remembrance of the Bikurim, and beautiful for us. And you are blessed for your participation and the effort and honor that you give to the Jewish National Fund. So he really fills in the blanks that you raised Eran. He recognizes that they're giving the money to an amazing cause. He's calling them holy brothers. And really what he's trying to say in a very nice way is here's the compromise, please don't call these bikurim, call these zecher le'bikurim. But at least he understands what they're trying to do. And of course, if you know his philosophy, this was the Hatchalta de G'ulah. This was the beginning of the G'ulah. But there was still Jews suffering and there are still Jews being persecuted.
And he says, and there are still divisions amongst us. So I felt this letter, too, doesn't detract from the revolutionary nature of what they were doing on the kibbutz, but it does paint a different side to some of our Orthodox colleagues.
Adam Mintz: This is remarkable, Geoffrey. And to see the difference between Rabbi Maimon and Rabbi Kook, you're right. Both in the substance, but just in the manner in which they speak, is remarkable.
Geoffrey Stern: So what I want to conclude is about 10 years ago, I was invited to a Passover Seder in Efrat. And the person who was running the Seder, his father-in-law, is a great rabbi. And what I could not believe was that he had a barbecue, and he was roasting the lamb. And, of course, we Jews from the Gola are brought up thinking you can't
roast the lamb. And it really resonates with this discussion here because someone might think this is actually the Korban Pesach and not Zecher le-Korban Pesach. But I think, and I haven't found this in any Google search, that there are probably now some very nationalistic Jews who are not satisfied with Rav Kook and actually are acting in a similar way to the kibbutznikim. And they, too, are saying, we have to bring the
redemption. We have to start going to the Temple Mount, things that in the old days were forbidden. We have to start barbecuing our Passover lamb. And so, I did find a question that was raised, and the gentleman who raised it says as follows. He says, sometimes genius comes from the mouth of babes. And my daughter said to me, if we really believe the Mashiach can come at any moment, how come we don't designate?
Because. And what he does is he brings a halachic ruling. And it's based a little bit on that discussion we had from the Mishnah of is it when you determine that there are bikurim or when you reap them? There's a little bit of a safek there. And he also believes that if the Messiah doesn't come between when you identify the bikurim and when the day after Shavuot, the rabbis can be mevatel, just like they can be mevatel a neder (annul an oath) or
other forms. But the point that I want to make is we have Jews today that are very Orthodox, very religious, that are actually trying to reclaim the bikurim in a similar fashion as the kibbutznikim. They are not satisfied with 2000 years of pacifist and non-active Judaism. So, I found that just to be amazing. The real takeaway that I took from this. Yes. One of
the sources that you said is we can celebrate Matan Torah because the Matan Torah are those wells that the kibbutznikim were digging to find that living water deep in the ground. But we have to be able to celebrate the unity of this beautiful bikurim ceremony. And we owe such a token of thanks to these kibbutznikim who had very strong learning in our texts, who
reinvented this amazing ceremony.
Adam Mintz: Fantastic. Thank you, Eran, for joining us. This is something that really is an education for me, and it's a wonderful way to go into the holiday of Shavuot. And those photos, those photographs are absolutely fantastic. Thank you.
Eran Yarkoni: Great. Thank you too. And I invite you next year to come to one of the ceremonies running in the kibbutzim here in Israel and to see it live.
Adam Mintz: Thank you.
Geoffrey Stern: It still exists till today, correct?
Eran Yarkoni: Yes, of course. In a lot of kibbutzim, and more after October 7th.
Geoffrey Stern: Amazing. Amazing.
Adam Mintz: Okay.
Geoffrey Stern: Wishing all of our listeners a Chag Sameach, Shabbat Shalom as we count the Omer and we grow in expectation for this beautiful holiday in front of us.