A heave offering, or terumah (Hebrew: תְּרוּמָה) is a kind of offering. The word is generally used in the positive sense of an offering to God, though rarely it may also be used in a negative sense, such as of a dishonest "judge who loves gifts."
In Chazalic literature it is listed as one of the twenty four priestly gifts. The consumption of terumah is restricted by numerous Torah-based rules and could be eaten by priests, their families, and their servants. The terumah may be consumed only in a state of ritual purity.
This is also called the "great offering (Hebrew terumah gedolah תרומה גדולה) which is, usually, a food item given to the Jewish priest, as a gift. The 13th C. French rabbi Hezekiah ben Manoah explains the adjective "great" (Hebrew gedolah) to be because this terumah is the first of all tithes given on produce and thus is given from the "greatest quantity of produce" before any other gift is given.
Read more about Heave Offering: Etymology, Hebrew Bible, In The Talmud and Rabbinic Literature, Biblical Criticism Perspectives
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