שֶׁלֹּא לְהַקְדִּים חֻקֵּי הַתְּבוּאוֹת – שֶׁלֹּא נַקְדִּים חֻקֵּי הַתְּבוּאוֹת קְצָתָם עַל קְצָתָם אֶלָּא שֶׁנּוֹצִיאֵם בַּסֵּדֶר. וּבֵאוּר עִנְיָן זֶה הוּא שֶׁהַחִטָּה כְּשֶׁתּוּדַשׁ וּתְנֻקֶּה, הִיא טֶבֶל, וּפֵרוּשׁ טֶבֶל הִיא תְּבוּאָה שֶׁלֹּא הוּרְמָה, וְהַחִיּוּב עָלֵינוּ בָּהּ לְהוֹצִיא מִמֶּנָּה תְּחִלָּה תְּרוּמָה גְּדוֹלָה, וּמִן הַתּוֹרָה (קידושין כט ב) אֲפִלּוּ חִטָּה אַחַת פּוֹטֶרֶת הַכְּרִי, אֲבָל חֲכָמִים אָמְרוּ שֶׁהוּא חֵלֶק אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשִּׁים, וְאַחַר כָּךְ מִמָּה שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר הַחִיּוּב עָלֵינוּ לְהוֹצִיא מִמֶּנָּה מַעֲשֵׂר וְהוּא נִקְרָא מַעֲשֵׂר רִאשׁוֹן. וְאַחַר כָּךְ מִמָּה שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר יֵשׁ לָנוּ לְהוֹצִיא מַעֲשֵׂר אַחֵר וְהוּא מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי, וְתִנָּתֵן תְּרוּמָה לְכֹהֵן, וּמַעֲשֵׂר רִאשׁוֹן לְלֵוִי, וּמַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי שֶׁיֹּאכְלוּהוּ בְּעָלָיו בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם. וְעַל זֶה הַסֵּדֶר אָנוּ חַיָּבִים שֶׁנַּפְרִישׁ מִן הַתְּבוּאָה חֲלָקִים אֵלֶּה, וּבָאָה לָנוּ הַמְּנִיעָה בָּזֶה שֶׁלֹּא נַקְדִּים (תרומות ג י) מִזֶּה מַה שֶּׁרָאוּי לְאַחֵר וְלֹא נְאַחֵר מָה שֶׁרָאוּי לְהַקְדִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כב כח) מְלֵאָתְךָ וְדִמְעֲךָ לֹא תְאַחֵר, וְהוּא כְּאִלּוּ אָמַר מִמְּלֵאָתְךָ וְדִמְעֲךָ לֹא תְאַחֵר מַה שֶּׁרָאוּי לְהַקְדִּימוֹ. To not skip in the laws of produce: To not skip in the laws of produce — some of them over [others] of them — but we should rather extract them in order. The elucidation of the matter is that after the wheat is threshed and cleaned, it is tevel, and the understanding of tevel is produce that has not been separated. And the obligation upon us with it, is to first remove the priestly tithe from it. And by Torah writ, even one [kernel of] wheat exempts the threshing floor (Kiddushin 29b), but the Sages said that [the mandatory amount] is one part in fifty. And afterwards, the obligation upon us from that which is left over is to remove the tithe from it, and that is called the first tithe. And afterwards, the obligation upon us from that which is left over is to remove another tithe, and that is the second tithe. And the priestly tithe is given to the priest, the first tithe to the Levite, and the second tithe [is kept,] that it be eaten by its owner in Jerusalem. And we are obligated to separate these portions from the produce in this order. And upon this came the preventing, that we not do first from this what is fitting to delay, and not delay what is fitting to do first (Mishnah Terumot 3:10) — as it is stated (Exodus 22:28), “Your fullness and your offering you shall not delay.” And it is as if it stated, “From your fullness and your offering, you shall not delay what is fitting to do first.”
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה, כִּי בְּהֵעָשׂוֹת הַדְּבָרִים עַל סִדְרָן לֹא יָבוֹא בָּהֶן הָעִרְבּוּב וְהַטָּעוּת, וּכְשֶׁאֵינָן נַעֲשִׂים כֵּן יִהְיֶה הַטָּעוּת נִמְצָא בָּהֶן תָּמִיד. וּבִהְיוֹת הַתְּרוּמוֹת וְהַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת דָּבָר גָּדוֹל בְּקִיּוּם הַדָּת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנְּפָרֵשׁ בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם בְּסֵדֶר רְאֵה, וְשׁוֹפְטִים, צִוָּנוּ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְהִזָּהֵר בָּהֶם הַרְבֵּה שֶׁלֹּא לָבוֹא בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹנָן לִידֵי טָעוּת לְעוֹלָם. וּבְשָׁמְעֵנוּ טוֹב מִזֶּה מִן הַמְּקֻבָּלִים, נְקַבֵּל. It is from the roots of the commandment that in doing things in their order, they will not come to a mix-up and a mistake; but when we do not do them like this, a mistake will always be found in them. And since priestly tithes and [other] tithes are a big thing in the fulfillment of our religion — as we will explain with God’s help in the Order of Re’eh and of Shoftim — God, may He be blessed, commanded us to be very careful with them, so as not to ever come to a mistake in their calculations. And when we hear [something] better than this from the mystics (mekubalim), we will accept (nekabel) [it].
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה, מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תרומות שם) שֶׁאִם עָבַר וְהִקְדִּים בְּעִנְיָן זֶה מָה שֶׁאֵין רָאוּי לְהַקְדִּים, מָה שֶׁעָשָׂה עָשׂוּי, וְלֹא נִתְחַיַּבְנוּ לַחְזֹר וּלְעָרֵב הַכֹּל וְיַפְרִישֵׁם פַּעַם שְׁנִיָּה. וְכֵן מָה שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ בְּמַסֶּכֶת תְּרוּמָה (שם ז) וּבַמְּכִילְתָּא (שם) מְלֵאָתְךָ, אֵלּוּ הַבִּכּוּרִים הַנִּטָּלִים מִן הַמְּלַאי, כְּלוֹמַר קֹדֶם שֶׁנָּטַל מִן הַדָּבָר כְּלוּם, זֶהוּ לְשׁוֹן מְלַאי כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא כְּדָבָר מָלֵא לְגַמְרֵי. וְדִמְעֲךָ, זוֹ תְּרוּמָה. לֹא תְאַחֵר, שֶׁלֹּא תַּקְדִּים תְּרוּמָה לְבִכּוּרִים וְכוּלֵּי. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ, בְּמַסֶּכֶת תְּרוּמוֹת [פ"ג מה' תרומה] From the laws of the commandment — that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishnah Terumot 3:10) that if he transgressed and first did in this matter something that it is not fitting to do first, what is done is done, and we are not obligated to go back and mix everything and separate them a second time; so [too], what they expounded in Tractate Terumot (Mishnah Terumot 3:7) and in the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 22:28, “‘Its fullness,’ those are the first-fruits that are taken from what is full,” meaning to say, before he takes anything from the thing, [as] that is the expression of fullness, meaning to say it is completely full, “‘and your offering,’ that is the priestly tithe; ‘do not delay,’ that you not do first the priestly tithes before the first-fruits, etc.”; and the rest of its details — are in Tractate Terumot. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Heave Offerings 3.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת, בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִזְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל שָׁם, כְּדַעַת הָרַמְבַּ"ם ז"ל (הל' תרומות א כו) שֶׁכָּתַב שֶׁמִּצְוַת תְּרוּמָה וּמַעַשְׂרוֹת מִן הַתּוֹרָה אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא בִּזְמַן שֶׁאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיִשּׁוּבָהּ. וְהָעוֹבֵר עָלֶיהָ וְהִקְדִּים דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ זוֹ לָזוֹ, דִּינוֹ כְּעוֹבֵר עַל מִצְוַת מֶלֶךְ, אֲבָל אֵין לוֹקִין עָלָיו, שֶׁכָּךְ נִתְבָּאֵר שָׁם בִּתְרוּמָה (עי' תמורה ד א) שֶׁאֵין בְּזֶה הַלָּאו מַלְקוּת. And [it] is practiced by males and females in the Land of Israel and at the time that Israel is there — according to the opinion of Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Heave Offerings 1:26), who wrote that the commandment of the priestly tithe and [other] tithes is by Torah writ only at the time that the Land of Israel is settled [by the Jewish people]. And one who transgresses it and does these things first — this one over that one — his judgment is as for one who has violated the commandment of the King. But we do not administer lashes for it; as so is it elucidated there in Terumot (see Mishnah Terumot 3:6) — that there are no lashes for this negative commandment.