A ''terumah'' ( he, תְּרוּמָה) or heave offering is a type of

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

. The word is generally used for an offering to God, although it is also sometimes used as in ''ish teramot'', a "judge who loves gifts". The word ''terumah'' refers to various types of offerings, but most commonly to ''terumah gedolah'' (תרומה גדולה, "great offering"), which must be separated from agricultural

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables ( grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fres ...

and given to

kohen Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for " priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally ...

(priests), who must eat it in a state of ritual purity.

Etymology

The word ''terumah'' ("lifting up") comes from the verb stem, ''rum'' (רוּם, "high" or "to lift up"). The formation of ''terumah'' is parallel to the formation of ''tenufah'' ('תְּנוּפָה,

wave offering The wave offering (Hebrew: ''tenufah'' תנופה) or sheaf offering or omer offering (''korban omer'') was an offering (''korban'') made by the Jewish priests to God (Exodus 29:24, 26, 27; Leviticus 7:20-34; 8:27; 9:21; 10:14, 15, etc.). The s ...

) from the verb stem ''nuf'', "to wave," and both are found in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

have in a few verses translated "heave offering," by analogy with "wave offering":

Hebrew Bible

The term occurs seventy-six times in the

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew (, or , ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite branch of Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Israel, roughly west of t ...

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond t ...

it was rendered ''afieroma'' (ἀφiαίρoμα), in the 1917 JPS Tanakh it is generally translated "offering"; while in the King James Version (1611) it is also generally translated "offering" but also sometimes "

oblation Oblation, meaning "the act of offering; an instance of offering" and by extension "the thing offered" (Late Latin ''oblatio'', from ''offerre'', ''oblatum'', to offer), is a term used, particularly in ecclesiastical use, for a solemn offering, sa ...

" and four times "heave offering". The word is used in various contexts throughout the Hebrew Bible, including one use 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 Israelites for the inauguration of the

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

(''Mishkan'') in the Book of Exodus. In the Bible, there are numerous different varieties of gifts for which the term ''terumah'' was applied. In halakah (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 for consumption by a

(priest). There were two groups of ''terumot'': * Sacrifice/redemption of the first-born: ** '' Pidyon haben'', the redemption of first-born male children. (Note that ''pidyon haben'' redemption-monies are still given to

Kohanim Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally be ...

, and the Kohen (priest) 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 The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

under contemporary Jewish law.) ** Tithe of Bikkurim (First-fruits) (Not done in the absence of a Temple in Jerusalem). * General

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

s: ** 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 The first tithe (Hebrew: ''ma'aser rishon'' מעשר ראשון) is a positive commandment in the Torah requiring the giving of one tenth of agricultural produce to charity, after the giving of the standard ''terumah,'' to the Levite (or Kohen) ...

" (''maaser rishon'') separated for a

Levite Levites (or Levi) (, he, ''Lǝvīyyīm'') are Jewish males who claim patrilineal descent from the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. The surname ''Halevi'', which consists of the Hebrew de ...

. Unlike the ''maaser rishon'', the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

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 The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Tanakh and one of the major prophetic books, following Isaiah and Jeremiah. According to the book itself, it records six visions of the prophet Ezekiel, exiled in Babylon, during ...

suggests that the ''terumah gedolah'' should consist of 1/50 of the owner's grain, wine or oil. ** The

Mitzvah of Challah In Judaism, the dough offering (or ''mitzvat terumat challah'', "commandment of separating ''challah''" he, מצוות תרומת חלה) is a positive commandment requiring the owner of a bread dough to give a part of the kneaded dough to a koh ...

(מצוות תרומת חלה ''mitzvat terumat challah'') Contemporary practice is to burn rather than give to the priest. ** Portion of gift offerings, of slaughter offerings, which were allocated to the priests. ** Portion of the '' terumat hamaaser'', the tithe of the tithes or Levite tithe, which applies only to produce grown in the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isr ...

''Terumah gedolah''

''Terumah gedolah'' must be given to the Jewish priest, and is considered one of the

twenty-four kohanic gifts The twenty-four kohanic gifts are a description in the Gemara tradition of offerings given to the Jewish priests. The adjective "kohanic" means "of a kohen", relating to a Jewish priest. The Kohanim were compensated for their service in the Temple ...

. The consumption of ''terumah'' (both ''terumah gedolah'' and ''terumat hamaaser'') is restricted by numerous

-based commandments, and could be eaten by priests, their families, and their servants. The ''terumah'' may be consumed only in a state of ritual purity. According to

Hezekiah ben Manoah Hezekiah ben Manoah, or Hezekiah bar Manoah, was a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th century. He is generally known by the title of his commentary, Chizkuni ( he, חזקוני). In memory of his father, who lost his right hand through ...

, this ''terumah'' is called "great" (Hebrew ''gedolah'') because it 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. The

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...

Tosefta The Tosefta ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah. Overview In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...

, and

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah ...

include a tract entitled ''

Terumot Terumot ( he, תְּרוּמוֹת, lit. "Priestly dues" and often, "heave-offering") is the sixth tractate of ''Seder Zeraim'' ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Jerusalem Talmud. This tractate discusses the laws of teruma, a gift of ...

'' which deals with the laws regulating ''terumah''. The rabbis of the late

Second Temple period The Second Temple period in Jewish history lasted approximately 600 years (516 BCE - 70 CE), during which the Second Temple existed. It started with the return to Zion and the construction of the Second Temple, while it ended with the First Je ...

added certain strictures to its consumption, requiring that the ''terumah'' be burnt (and not consumed) if a priest or

Israelite The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stel ...

who touched the ''terumah'' suspected that he had passed in close proximity to a grave (

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserve ...

: ''Beit ha-Peras''), and was uncertain if he had contracted corpse uncleanness. According to Jewish law, the ''terumah gedolah'' could only be separated from the non-tithed produce (''tevel''), and ''terumat maaser'' only be separated from ''maaser rishon'' by its owner, or an authorized, legally permissible agent; minors,

deaf-mute Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...

s, the mentally ill and non-Jews were not obligated to perform such separation (Terumot 1:1). However, while non-Jews could not act as agents for Jews to separate ''terumah,'' the ''terumah'' owned by and separated by non-Jews was considered valid and had the status and sanctity of ''terumah'' (Terumot 3:9).Simcha Fishbane ''Deviancy in early rabbinic literature'' p153 - 2007 "above laws that are intrinsic to the Land of Israel.34 Yet we find a Mishnah in Tractate Terumot (3:9) that states: "A gentile and a Samaritan, that which they separate is

alid The Alids are those who claim descent from the '' rāshidūn'' caliph and Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (656–661)—cousin, son-in-law, and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad—through all his wives. The main branches are the (inclu ...

raised offering and that which they take as tithes is " Based in part on the measures described by

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is ac ...

, Jewish law set the minimum amounts of the great offering at 1/60 of the finished produce for a poor person, 1/50 for the average person, and 1/40 for the generous. The ''terumat maaser'' was always 10% of the ''maaser rishon''. The

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

opens with a discussion of when the

Shema Yisrael ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewi ...

("Hear O Israel") prayer should be recited. The Mishnah states that it should be recited when priests who were ''

tamei In Jewish law, ''ṭumah'' (, ) and ''ṭaharah'' (, ) are the state of being ritually "impure" and "pure", respectively. The Hebrew noun ''ṭum'ah'', meaning "impurity", describes a state of ritual impurity. A person or object which contracts ' ...

'' (טָמֵא ritually impure) are able to enter the Temple to eat their ''terumah'' raised-offering ( Brachot 2a)

Notes

{{Authority control Jewish sacrificial law Jewish agrarian laws Land of Israel laws in Judaism Priesthood (Judaism) Positive Mitzvoth Tithes in Judaism Twenty-four kohanic gifts

Etymology

Hebrew Bible

''Terumah gedolah''

See also

Notes