Heave Offering - Hebrew Bible

Hebrew Bible

The term occurs 76 times in the masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible; in the Septuagint it was rendered afairema (ἀφαίρεμα), in JPS Tanakh (1917) it is generally translated "offering"; while in the King James Version (1611) it is also generally translated "offering" but also sometimes "oblation" and four times "heave offering".

The word is used in various contexts throughout the Hebrew Bible, including one usage in Proverbs denoting haughtiness or graft (Proverbs 29:4). In most contexts it refers to designating something for a higher purpose, or lifting apart of a quantity from a larger quantity), as in the gifts offered by the Children of Israel for the inauguration of the Mishkan (as described in the Book of Exodus). In the Bible, there are numerous different varieties of gifts for which the term terumah was applied. In Jewish law, the word terumah by itself was associated with "great offering" (terumah gedolah), the first portion of produce that was required to be separated and kept pure for consumption by a kohen. There was no direct connection with the Jerusalem Temple or the Temple service.

There were two groups of terumot:

• Sacrifice/redemption of the firstborn:
  • Redemption of firstborn male children (pidyon haben). (Note that pidyon haben redemption-monies are still given to Kohanim, and the Kohen still customarily lifts the redemption coins up as part of the contemporary pidyon haben ceremony, but the "heave" element is not a requirement for a valid pidyon haben to occur in the absence of a Temple in Jerusalem under contemporary Jewish law.)
  • Tithe of First fruits (Hebrew bikkurim בכורים) (Not done in the absence of a Temple in Jerusalem).
• General tithes:
  • The general offering (terumah) or the "great offering" (terumah gedolah) was a portion of the finished grain, wine and oil separated for the Jewish priest prior to the "first tithe" (maaser rishon) separated for a Levite . Unlike the "first tithe" (maaser rishon), the Torah did not specify any minimum measure for a terumah offering; hence, even one grain of barley could satisfy the requirement to separate terumah. A passage in the Book of Ezekiel suggests that the "great offering" (terumah gedolah) should consist of 1/50 of the owner's grain, wine or oil.
  • The Mitzvah of Challah ("dough bread", challah חלה) Contemporary practice is to burn rather than give to the Jewish Kohen (priest).
  • Portion of gift offerings, of slaughter offerings, which were allocated to the priests.
  • Portion of the terumat hamaaser, the Levite Tithe, which applies only to produce grown in the Land of Israel.