3,602. How First Fruits Are Separated

Hilchos Bikkurim 2:19

First fruits are separated as follows: A person goes to his field and sees that a fig tree, a grape cluster or a pomegranate tree has blossomed, so he ties a reed around it and declares it first fruits. They are then officially first fruits even though they’re still attached to the ground after being so designated and have not yet fully ripened. When they do ripen and are picked, one need not declare them first fruits again. If one didn’t declare them first fruits while they were still attached to the ground and he then picked them, he should declare them first fruits after harvesting. If one’s whole crop is rendered ritually unclean, he may not declare them first fruits. Rather, he puts other produce aside as first fruits for the unclean crop. The Rambam opines that if one has no other produce from which to take first fruits, he doesn’t put them aside to be destroyed (as one would do with terumah or second tithe). Similarly, the Rambam opines that if first fruits are rendered ritually unclean, he shouldn’t use them as fuel for an oven as one does with terumah because they are as if they were consecrated to the Temple.

Hilchos Bikkurim 2:20

If someone put first fruits aside and they rotted, were taken away or lost or stolen, or if they were rendered ritually unclean, he must put other fruit aside in their place. This is based on Exodus 23:19, “bring to the house of Hashem your God,” meaning that one must replace the first fruits until such time as he brings them to the Temple Mount.