Terumah (The Great Offering)

At the start of the year, we separate the great terumah from every harvest of the field. The terumah is given to the priest, and through this act we dedicate the first of the land's blessing to holiness. The Torah does not specify a fixed amount for terumah; the Sages taught that even a single grain fulfills the obligation, though one should give generously. The terumah is the first separation, before the tithes, and it establishes the principle that the land's produce is not merely ours - its first portion belongs to holiness. This mitzvah applies only in the Land of Israel, and expresses the unique sanctity of the land: its produce requires dedication before it may be eaten.