A subtle but dramatic scene unfolds on the Shavuot holiday as the farmer arrives at the Beit HaMikdash –the Temple in Jerusalem, with the first fruits of the season. He hands the basket of fruits to the Kohen and makes a familiar statement:

דברים כו

א) וְהָיָה, כִּי-תָבוֹא אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה; וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ. ב) וְלָקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל-פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר תָּבִיא מֵאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ--וְשַׂמְתָּ בַטֶּנֶא; וְהָלַכְתָּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם, אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם. ג) וּבָאתָ, אֶל-הַכֹּהֵן, אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה, בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם; וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו, הִגַּדְתִּי הַיּוֹם לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כִּי-בָאתִי אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ לָתֶת לָנוּ. ד) וְלָקַח הַכֹּהֵן הַטֶּנֶא, מִיָּדֶךָ; וְהִנִּיחוֹ--לִפְנֵי, מִזְבַּח יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ. ה) וְעָנִיתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי, וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה, וַיָּגָר שָׁם בִּמְתֵי מְעָט; וַיְהִי-שָׁם, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל עָצוּם וָרָב. ו) וַיָּרֵעוּ אֹתָנוּ הַמִּצְרִים, וַיְעַנּוּנוּ; וַיִּתְּנוּ עָלֵינוּ, עֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה. ז) וַנִּצְעַק, אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ; וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוָה אֶת-קֹלֵנוּ, וַיַּרְא אֶת-עָנְיֵנוּ וְאֶת-עֲמָלֵנוּ וְאֶת-לַחֲצֵנוּ. ח) וַיּוֹצִאֵנוּ יְהוָה, מִמִּצְרַיִם, בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה, וּבְמֹרָא גָּדֹל--וּבְאֹתוֹת, וּבְמֹפְתִים. ט) וַיְבִאֵנוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה; וַיִּתֶּן-לָנוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ. י) וְעַתָּה, הִנֵּה הֵבֵאתִי אֶת-רֵאשִׁית פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר-נָתַתָּה לִּי, יְהוָה; וְהִנַּחְתּוֹ, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָ, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ. יא) וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְכָל-הַטּוֹב, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן-לְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ--וּלְבֵיתֶךָ: אַתָּה, וְהַלֵּוִי, וְהַגֵּר, אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבֶּךָ.

Devarim 26

1) And it will be, when you come into the land which the Lord, your God, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it, 2) that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you. And you shall put [them] into a basket and go to the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to have His Name dwell there. 3) And you shall come to the kohen who will be [serving] in those days, and say to him, "I declare this day to the Lord, your God, that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our forefathers to give us.” 4) And the kohen will take the basket from your hand, laying it before the altar of the Lord, your God. 5) And you shall call out and say before the Lord, your God, "An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation. 6) And the Egyptians treated us cruelly and afflicted us, and they imposed hard labor upon us. 7) So we cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8) And the Lord brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awe, and with signs and wonders. 9) And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10) And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which you, O Lord, have given to me." Then, you shall lay it before the Lord, your God, and prostrate yourself before the Lord, your God. 11) Then, you shall rejoice with all the good that the Lord, your God, has granted you and your household you, the Levite, and the stranger who is among you.

This transaction between the farmer and the Kohen would appear to be quite ordinary. The farmer is fulfilling a legal obligation according to Jewish law, handing over his first fruits, and reciting an accompanying passage. But like so many areas of Torah, we find a beautiful concept embedded in this seemingly commonplace interaction.

The declaration of “Arami Oved Avi” is likely familiar to us, as it is a prominent section of the Hagadah we read each year at the Pesach Seder. It is often translated as “An Aramean tried to destroy my father”, referring to Lavan’s attempt to destroy our forefather Jacob, or “my father was a wondering Aramean” referring to Avraham. In either case, it is an interesting choice to be featured so prominently in the Hagadah.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, known across America simply as “the Rav”, raises the question of why the author of the Hagadah chose this section from Parshat Ki Tavo which accompanies the bringing the first fruits. Surely there were many suitable sections from Shemot that discuss the exodus directly which could have been included. The Rav explains that to properly fulfill the mitzvah of discussing the exodus from Egypt, merely telling the story was not sufficient. Rather, we are obligated to study to the story. While a narrative recounts events of the past, a study or investigation examines the import of these events to our current situation and worldview. Discussing the exodus is not merely recounting a particular narrative, but it is an act of Talmud Torah, of learning and inquiry.

When the farmer brings his first fruits, the Torah required him to make a corresponding declaration. This is noteworthy, as many commandments do not require a corresponding statement. But when it comes to bringing the first fruits, there is an additional mitzvah of reciting an accompanying passage. As the Rambam explains in his Book of Mitzvot:

ספר המצוות לרמב”ם – מצות עשה קלב

והמצוה הקל"ב היא שצונו לספר טובותיו אשר הטיב לנו והציל אותנו ומתחיל בענין יעקב אבינו ומסיים בעבודת המצרים וענותם אותנו ולשבחו על כל זה ולבקש ממנו להתמיד הברכה כשיביא הביכורים. והוא אמרו יתעלה (שם) וענית ואמרת לפני י"י אלדיך ארמי אובד אבי ומה שבא אחר זה מן הפרשה כולה. ומצוה זו נקראת (סוטה פ"ז מ"ב - ג) מקרא ביכורים. וכבר התבארו משפטיה במסכת בכורים ובפרק שביעי מסוטה (לב א, לג א). ואין הנשים חייבות בה:

Maimonides Book of Mitzvot - Positive Commandment 132

The 132nd mitzvah is that we are commanded that when bringing bikkurim, one must make a proclamation of the kindness G‑d has bestowed upon us: how He saved us from the early difficulties of our patriarch Ya'akov and from the slavery and affliction of the Egyptians; to thank Him for all this and to ask that He continue His blessings forever. The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "You shall then make the following declaration before G‑d your L‑rd: 'An Aramean tried to destroy my ancestor....' " until the end of the entire section. This mitzvah is called mikra bikkurim. The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Bikkurim and the 7th chapter of Sotah. Women are not obligated in this mitzvah.

The particular wording of the Torah’s description of this episode remains a bit strange. The verse says, “And you will answer and say, ‘Arami Oved Avi’” but no specific question is mentioned. What is the unspoken question?

אבן עזרא דברים פרשת כי תבוא פרק כו

(ה) וענית - יתכן, שישאלו הכהנים לאמר, 'מה זה שהבאת’?

Ibn Ezra Commentary on Devarim 26-5

And you should answer - it is possible that the Kohanim will ask saying, “what is this that you have brought?”

The Ibn Ezra (Devarim 26:5) explains that after the Kohen takes the basket of fruits, there is an unspoken question raised between the Kohen and the farmer. After a lengthy harvest season, the farmer has taken a journey to fulfill this mitzvah. It is as if the Kohen is asking the farmer, do you know what you have brought? Do you appreciate this small moment in its full context? Do realize this is not just the culmination of single harvest season, but a culmination of a Divine plan unfolding across generations? The farmer responds with the paragraph of Arami Oved Avi, which is nothing less than a succinct articulation of Jewish history. “My father was a wandering Aramean…And Hashem brought us out from Egypt…and He brought us to this place, and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now behold, I have brought my first produce which Hashem has given me…” (Devarim 26:5-10).

Arami Oved Avi is the centerpiece of the Haggadah because we are not just recounting facts but interpreting our history and recognizing God’s involvement in both our past and our future. We look to our past to inform us about our present and tell us about our future. This section also comprises the declaration of the first fruits. The accompanying reading puts this ostensibly minor activity in its full and proper context. This small act of bringing produce from a Jewish farm in the land of Israel to the Temple, this seemingly small moment, is a testament to a rich history and the fulfillment of a Divine plan spanning generations.

References

Ibn Ezra, E., Strickman, H. N., & Silver, A. M. (1996). Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch =: Perush ha-Torah : Deuteronomy (Devarim). New York: Menorah Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved from: https://mg.alhatorah.org/Full/Shemot/31.18#e0n6

Maimonides, M., Bell, B. (2007). Sefer HaMitzvos. New York: SIE Pub. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/940209/jewish/Sefer-Hamitzvot-Translation.htm

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

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