Terumat hamaaser
Encyclopedia
The tithe offering is a rabbinical Hebrew term based on the commandment
Mitzvah
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...

 in the Hebrew Bible to give a tithe maaser of 10% to the Levites. The first term, terumah
Terumah
Terumah is a Hebrew word, originally meaning lifted apart, but meaning donation in modern Hebrew. It can refer to:*Heave offerings - a type of sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible...

, means offering. The term "tithe offering" terumat ha-maaser, does not occur in the Hebrew Bible text.

In the Hebrew Bible the tithe of the tithes is a further requirement requiring the Levite
Levite
In Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance"...

s to then give a tenth of a tenth (0.01%) of agricultural produce grown in the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...

 to the priests
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....

.

Hebrew Bible

The term "tithe" maaser occurs 10 times in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, in addition to the term "tithe of the tithe" which occurs once only in Nehemiah 10:38 maaser ha maaser (מַעֲשַׂר הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂר , in the Septuagint Greek dekate tes dekates δεκάτῃ τῆς δεκάτης ).

This offering is to be distinguished from the "offering tribute" (terumat ha-mekes תרומת המכס) which Moses gave to God in Numbers 31:41.

Rabbinical interpretation

The gift of terumat ha-maaser was generally not given by the Israelite directly to the priest. But it was given to a Levite
Levite
In Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance"...

, as the recipient of maaser rishon
Maaser Rishon
The first tithe is a positive commandment in the Torah requiring the giving of one tenth of agricultural produce, after the giving of the standard terumah, to the Kohen...

("first tithe"; מעשר ראשון), and then the Levite gave of ten percent of his maaser rishon gift directly to the kohen. After the edict of Ezra
Ezra
Ezra , also called Ezra the Scribe and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible he returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem...

, which directed maaser rishon to be given to the priest, it became the Kohen's responsibility to give one tenth of his maaser rishon gift to another priest of his choice.
In the Hebrew Bible the terumah ("offering") was regarded as a kind of sacred korban
Korban
The term offering as found in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the worship of Ancient Israel is mainly represented by the Hebrew noun korban whether for an animal or other offering...

(also "offering"). It could be eaten only by Jewish priests
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....

 and their families, had to be ritually pure, had to be eaten while in a state of ritual purity, and could not be taken out of the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...

.

In modern times

Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

 requires taking terumah from produce grown in Israel, although in the absence of a Temple it is no longer given to the priests. In contemporary practice, most of the Terumah and various other biblical tithes (including first tithe
Maaser Rishon
The first tithe is a positive commandment in the Torah requiring the giving of one tenth of agricultural produce, after the giving of the standard terumah, to the Kohen...

 and second tithe
Maaser Sheni
The second tithe is a tithe mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and continued in Orthodox Judaism. It is distinguished from the first tithe , the poor tithe, and the terumat ma'aser...

 are first set aside. The "second tithe" (maaser sheni) is then redeemed upon a coin of nominal value (not generally equal to the value of the produce). The coin and the unredeemable portion of the produce are then discarded in a manner that prevents their use. The reason for discarding in such a manner is that taking these tithes are sacred and must be preserved in a state of "purity" (tahara טהרה) and eaten by a priest in a state of purity. In contemporary times, all people are considered to be defiled by a type of "impurity" (tumah טומאה) which can only be purified through the ritual of the red heifer
Red heifer
The red heifer or red cow was a sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible the ashes of which are used for the ritual purification of an ancient Israelite who had come into contact with a corpse.- Hebrew Bible :...

 (parah adumah אדום פרה). It has not been possible to perform this sacrifice since the destruction of the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...

. Since it is forbidden to defile terumah, the produce must be discarded in a manner comensurate with its holiness.

See also

  • Teruma Gedola, great tribute
  • Maaser Rishon
    Maaser Rishon
    The first tithe is a positive commandment in the Torah requiring the giving of one tenth of agricultural produce, after the giving of the standard terumah, to the Kohen...

    , first tithe
  • Maaser Sheni
    Maaser Sheni
    The second tithe is a tithe mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and continued in Orthodox Judaism. It is distinguished from the first tithe , the poor tithe, and the terumat ma'aser...

    , second tithe
  • Maaser Ani
    Maaser Ani
    The poor tithe reflects an obligation to set aside one tenth of produce grown in the third and sixth years of the seven-year sabbatical year agricultural cycle for the poor, in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem....

    , poor tithe
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