This weeks parshah starts with the great mitzvah of בִּיכּוּרִים. The possuk says וְהָיָה כִּי תָבאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אְשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נָחְלָה וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשְׁבְתָּ בָּהּ (דברים כו א) and it will be when you will come to the land that Hashem has given you, the land which you have inherited and settled. Then you should take the first Shivas Haminim fruit that has ripened and you should bring it to the Beis Hamikdash, to give to the Kohen.
Rashi says that we were instructed to do this mitzvah שֶׁאֵינְךָ כָּפוּי טוֹבָה to show that we are not ungrateful for this land we were granted, and all the superior fruit that grow there. Therefore, one had to bring the first ripened fruit from בָּהֶם אֶרֶץ שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּבְּחוּ פֵּרוּת the fruit with which Eretz Yisroel is praised.
A Joyous Celebration
The Mishnah describes how this mitzvah was performed with great fanfare and joy (ביכורים פ"ג). A group of people would gather together in a designated city. Then they would all leave together on their journey towards Yerushalayim. They would travel slowly so that more people could join their group as they continued journeying. Every morning the leader of the group would wake everyone, exclaiming קוּמוּ וְנַעֲלֶה צִיּוֹן אֶל בֵּית ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ (ירמיה לא ה) rise and let us go up to Tzion, to the House of Hashem our G-d. On the way they would chant שָׁמַחְתִּי בְּאֹמְרִים לִי בֵּית ה' נֵלֵךְ (תהלים קכג א) I was ecstatic when I was told, 'we will go to the house of Hashem.
An ox which was designated for a korban, would tread ahead of the procession, its horns plated with gold, and its head adorned with a crown of olive leaves. The ox would be sacrificed upon arrival in the Beis Hamikdash. They also played music with a special type of wind instrument known as a חָלִיל, which creates a very pleasant sound that could be heard to great distances.
When they approached the holy city of Yerushalayim, they would stop and send messengers into the city, to announce their arrival. At this juncture they also further beautified their baskets, using fresh Shivas Haminim fruit that were not brought as Bikkurim. Then the honorable people, who held important positions in the Beis Hamikdash, would come toward them.
Whoever saw this procession would rise in honor. In other situations, the halacha of מִפְּנֵי שֵׁיבָה תָּקוּם וְהָדַרְתָּ פְּנֵי זָקֵן, rising in front of an elder or Torah scholar, does not apply to a craftsman who is employed by another, because the few moments that it takes would come at the expense of his employer. But when a Bikkurim procession would come, even the בַּעֲלֵי אֻמָּניּוֹת who were employed would rise. They all welcomed the Bikkurim bearers with special greetings, calling out, אַחֵינוּ אַנְשֵׁי הַמָּקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי, welcome our brothers from such and such place!
And then the חָלִיל would start playing again, and each person would hoist his fruit basket onto his shoulders. Even the most distinguished individuals, including Agrippas Hamelech would hold his own basket aloft. When this joyous and splendid procession would finally arrive to the Beis Hamikdash, the לְוִיִּם would serenade them singing the Mizmor of אֲרוֹמִמְךָ ה' כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא שִׁמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי (תהלים ל ב) I will exalt You Hashem for you have raised me up and You have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me.