Everything about The Maaser Rishon totally explained
The
Maaser Rishon, meaning
First Tithe in
Hebrew (derived from the word
eser, meaning tenth), is the setting aside of one tenth of
income and produce each year, as a tithe given to the Levites. The tithe is discussed in the
Priestly Code, according to which a tenth of the tithe was required to be turned over to
the priests, with the other
Levites being given only the remaining part of the tithe.
Tithing was traditionally seen as one of the main mechanisms by which one could obtain desires from God, as well as escape the punishments that would otherwise have been suffered by the wicked in
the underworld. According to
classical jewish folklore, complying with the tithes would cause rain (beneficial in the dry climate of the
Levant), while non-compliance would trigger
drought, and
hurricanes..
Regulations
The Priestly Code instructs that the tithe should be of
corn (in the sense of
grain),
wine,
olive oil,
fruit, and
cattle. Unlike
Heave offerings given to the priests, the Maaser Rishon wasn't regarded as sacred, and as a result didn't have to be
ritually pure, neither was it required to be eaten in any particular location or state. Once received by the Levites, it was regarded simply as ordinary property, and they could pass it on to non-Levites, or sell it, as they wished.
Traditionally tithes were calculated for the produce of each whole year, however
Classical and
Medieval Rabbinical Literature indicates that there was much debate as to when this
tithing year should begin and end.
Tithing years had different starts and ends depending on the particular crop in question; land crops began their
tithe year on the first of
Tishrei -
Rosh Hashanah; according to
Eleazar Kalir and
Simeon bar Yohai the first of Tishri was also the start of the
tithe year for cattle, but according to
Meir Lublin it was the first of
Elul that held this honour. The followers of
Hillel argued that the
tithe year for fruit from trees began on the fifteenth of
Shevat, but the followers of
Shammai, his rival, argued that it began on the first of Shevat; the view of Hillel's followers eventually became the majority view and the
new year for trees -
Tu Bishvat - is now held at the date which they considered appropriate.
Origin and development
In Classical Rabbinical Literature, according to which the entire Torah was principally written by a single author (
Moses), the Maaser Rishon is contrasted with the
Maaser Ani, and
Maaser Sheni, as entirely different tithes from each other, and for this reason gave the tithes the distinct names they possess; these latter tithes, which are mentioned by the
Deuteronomic Code, differ by not covering cattle or fruit, and rather than just going to the Levites, are in one case shared among the poor and other charitable destinations, and in the other go to the food producer themselves. According to the majority of
textual scholars, the Maaser Ani and Maaser Sheni, when taken together, are clearly just a conflicting version of the same single tithe as the Maaser Rishon; the Maaser Ani and Maaser Sheni together being the
deuteronomist's version and the Maaser Rishon being the version of the
priestly source.
Although the deuteronomist is generally considered to be a later author than the priestly source, scholars believe that much of the Deuteronomic Code was a reaction against the regulations introduced by the Priestly Code, and that here it reflects the earlier situation.. In the
Book of Ezekiel, which scholars believe predates the Priestly Code, there's no mention whatever of a tithe appointed for the Levites, and in the Deuteronomic Code, though Levites have a share of the Maaser Sheni, their share is seemingly voluntary, and it can alternatively be given to strangers, widows, and/or paternal orphans; in the Priestly Code, however, donation of the tithe to the Levites is compulsory.
The clear differentiation between the
Aaronids (the
priests) and the other Levites, in the regulations given by the Priestly Code for the Maaser Rishon, is a distinction scholars attribute to the pro-Aaronid political bias of the
priestly source; according to the deuteronomist's worldview, all Levites can be legitimate priests, which is likely to be why the deuteronomist doesn't mention a
tithe of the tithe (the portion of the tithe which is given to the priests rather than other Levites), since it would be somewhat meaningless. In the Priestly Code it's stated that the Maaser Rishon existed as the source of sustenance for the Levites, since they'd no territory (and hence nowhere to keep
livestock or perform
agriculture), but this seemingly neglects the existence of a number of scattered Levite cities; scholars believe that the tithe (ie. the tithe of which the Maaser Ani and Maaser Rishon are conflicting versions) actually arose as a generic
heave offering, given to priests at the sanctuaries for their sustenance, and only became distinct when the Aaronids began to position themselves as the only Levites that could be legitimate priests.. The
Book of Amos, which scholars consider to have an early date, seemingly reflects a situation closer to the Maaser Ani, referring to a tithe which was brought to the sanctuaries every third year
Contemporary Practice
Orthodox Judaism regards the tithe as still being required for any produce grown within the historic boundaries of the ancient
Kingdoms of Israel and
of Judah, covering the modern territories of the
state of Israel,
West Bank,
Gaza Strip,
Golan Heights, and portions of western
Jordan. However, Orthodox Judaism believes that since the Jerusalem Temple is no longer standing, Levites are not themselves entitled to the proceeds of the tithes. Contemporary practice is to set aside the tithe, but then redeem it for a nominal coin, by discarding the coin in a way which prevents it having any future use; while dedicated offerings can't actually be offered in their traditional form - due to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, using them for any mundane purpose would be regarded by Orthodox Judaism as misappropriation of sanctified Temple property. Orthodox Judaism regards a number of other tithes as still being partly in force, and as a result, a total of just over 1% of produce can't be redeemed via the discarding of a nominal coin, and instead is itself discarded.
Further Information
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