"Ve-hayah ki tavo el ha'aretz asher Hashem Elokecha noten lecha nachalah, viyerishtah ve-yashavta bah. Ve-lakachta mi-reishit kol peri ha'adamah asher tavi mei-artzecha..." Parshat Ki Tavo introduces the mitzvah of bikurim, designating, sanctifying, and dedicating the yearly first fruits of the seven minim as kodshei mizbeach. The Torah's language conveys that bikurim constitutes the central manifestation of our bond with Eretz Yisrael. Indeed, bikurim is prominently enumerated, alongside korban omer and korban shetai ha-lechem, which play a prominent role defining Chag ha-Matzot and Chag ha-Shavuot and bridging between them, as embodying the sanctity of the Land of Israel, in the ten gradations of sanctity enumerated in the mishnah in the first chapter of massechet Keilim. Why is bikurim rather than terumah or other land-linked mitzvot spotlighted in these contexts? In his commentary on Keilim, the Vilna Gaon (and others), was sufficiently troubled by this question that he posited that bikurim's inclusion was a scribal error and recommended it should be banished from the text. Yet, there is no evidence of manuscripts in which Bikurim is absent; Rambam (Hilchot Beit ha-Bechirah 7:12), Rash (on Keilim) and others acknowledge and codify bikurim's presence in this seminal source. What is so singular about bikurim that distinguishes it even from terumah (though it has the legal status of terumah in some respects) and qualifies it to embody the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael?
Bikurim is singular in many other respects, as well. We shall identify just a few distinguishing features. The Torah (in Parshat Ki Tisa and Pinchas) characterizes Chag ha-Shavuot as Chag ha-Bikurim. While some interpret this as a reference to the korban shetai ha-lechem, others render it as an allusion to the ideal timing of mitzvat bikurim. Some mefarshim adopt both interpretations. [See Rashi, Chizkuni, Ha'amek Davar and other discussions of this issue on these verses. I hope to elaborate the significance of this debate elsewhere.] In any case, it is striking that the Torah would invoke the ideal timing for an independent mitzvah as a way of identifying a major holiday. Evidently, the association is conceptually and substantively consequential, as well.
Unique among mitzvot, bikurim is comprised of two components: hava'at bikurim and mikra bikurim. [Ramban, in his commentary to Rambam's Sefer ha-Mitzvot, argues that birkat ha-Torah constitutes an independent mitzvat aseh in the count of 613, comparing it to mikra bikurim (and sippur yetziat Mitzrayim)!]. The demand to recite a text that chronicles the ancient history of Klal Yisrael - "arami oved avi..." in conjunction with the actual bringing of bikurim, requires clarification.
In fact, the parshah of mikra bikurim, as is well known (Pesachim 116a), serves as the primary vehicle to explicate sippur yetziat Mitzrayim as part of maggid on the seder night. Like sippur yetziat Mitzrayim, this recitation exemplifies the principle of hakkarat ha-tov - and acutely promotes the principle of hashgahah-Divine providence, acknowledging our total reliance upon, debt to, and dedication to Hashem. Why are these themes affixed specifically to bikurim?
Perhaps the solution lies in two related factors that differentiate terumah and bikurim. While the mitzvah of hafrashat terumah applies to any sampling of obligated produce and serves (also, or primarily) to neutralizes the prevailing prohibition of tevel, the imperative of bikurim targets the first (see also Bereshit Rabbah on the word "bereishit") and best produce (reishit, see Menachot 84a - R.Y. and Resh Lakish) and is exclusively focused on sanctifying and dedicating these eagerly anticipated "firsts" to avodat Hashem. The fact that bikurim is a chovat gavra, a personal charge to initiate this spiritual opportunity unencumbered by the need to redeem or negate an existing status or flaw that inheres in the produce, underscores the unadulterated aspirational motif. Tosafot (Bava Basra 81a, second answer) suggests that the fact that the bikurim imperative applies only to the land of Israel is disconnected from the broader principle of mitzvot ha-teluyot ba-aretz that is related to redeeming the status of the produce, and is based instead on an independent source in these verses in Ki Tavo (Bava Basra 81a): "asher tavi mei-artzecha - hahu lemeutei chutz la-aretz."
Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim III, 39; see, also, Sefer ha-Chinuch, no. 91, 606) explains that sanctifying the bikurim to Divine ends, given the eager anticipation of the first and best of the seven minim, the fruit of arduous labor in our own homeland, and in light of the proclivity of successful and prosperous owners to engage in triumphalist and self-aggrandizing reflection - "kochi ve-otzem yadi asah li et ha-chayil ha-zeh" (Devarim 8:17) - reveals profound humility and faith that stems from an unequivocal acknowledgement of Divine providence. Moreover, Rambam elected to present and organize the laws of matnot kehunah in a manner that especially spotlights bikurim, in a section entitled, "hilchot bikurim im shear matnot kehunah she-begevulin". Radvaz (Bikurim 1:1) queries why bikurim precedes chalah in this presentation, contrary to the order of the mishnahyot in Seder Zeraim. Evidently, Rambam ascribed enormous broader significance to this quintessential mitzvah of Eretz Yisrael. The entire ceremonial march of hava'at bikurim and the accompanying prayers and songs of Divine praise (summarized in Rambam Hilchot Bikurim 4:16-17) confirm the importance of this mitzvah and highlight its special ideological character.
We may now appreciate why the recitation of mikra bikurim, also an integral part of sippur yetziat Mitzrayim, is so crucial. It both explicates, exemplifies, and provides added perspective on the urgency of spiritual priorities, on the appropriate role of material prosperity, and reinforces faith and reliance on Divine providence. The holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates mattan torah, the foundation of our spiritual world and its singular values, is intimately linked with the mitzvah of bikurim that highlights these motifs indispensable to the Torah's vision. The fact that elevated physical existence dedicated to Hashem is a particular feature of this chag further supports the association. Thus, the Talmud (Pesachim 68b) rules that there must be a "lachem" component to Shavuot observance, as it is "yom she-nitnah bo Torah".
The Midrash Tanchuma (beginning of Ki Tavo) reports that when it was revealed to Moshe that the Mikdash would be destroyed and that the mitzvah of bikurim would be suspended, he legislated thrice-a-day prayers! It is curious that the stark enormity of the churban wouldn't simply eclipse any and all specific ramifications, yet the anticipated absence of bikurim triggered its own lament. Moreover, the legislation of tefillah throughout the day to mitigate the spiritual impact of a terminated bikurim needs to be understood. However, Bikur bikurim is no ordinary or narrow mitzvah; it underscores crucial values and principles that impact the entire system of avodat Hashem. Furthermore, it is the quintessential manifestation of the spiritual potential of physical life in Eretz Yisrael, as noted. Hence, its foreseen absence, even in the context of the churban, needs to be independently and forthrightly redressed. The institution of thrice daily prayer, which highlights man's pervasive dependence on Hashem, his acknowledgement of Divine providence, and which articulates his hakkarat ha-tov effectively embodies many of the bikurim themes. The self-evaluation and self-awareness implied by the term "tefillah", the components of prayer - shevach, bakashah, and hodaah, and the very process of formulating and humbly articulating one's needs, reinforce the principles encapsulated by bikurim and, thus, mitigate the unfortunate bikurim lacuna.
We anticipate a future in which we may again merit a fully functioning beit ha-mikdash and in which we may experience the singular mitzvah of bikurim in all of its ramifications. [See, also Meshech Chochmah, Devarim 26:11. He notes that the Divine name is invoked thirteen times in the parshah of bikurim, a parallel to the thirteen qualities of mercy that are so vital to the process of repentance! He also suggests that it may not be coincidental that the mitzvah of bikurim itself is formulated in the aftermath of the parshah that registers the selihot process (Shemot chapter 34) that incorporates the thirteen attributes. The notion that bikurim, an expression of faith, humility, and unconstrained dedication to Hashem is intimately linked to the process of repentance is compelling, indeed.]