Devarim 12:6

6 And thither ye shall bring your olot, and your zevakhim, and your ma’aseros (tithes), and terumot (heave offerings) of your hand, and your nedarim (vows), and your nedavot (freewill offerings), and the bekhorot (firstlings) of your herds and of your flocks;

Devarim 12:6 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 12:6

And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings
For the daily sacrifice, and upon any other account whatsoever; this was before ordered to be brought to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and now to the place where that should be fixed, ( Leviticus 17:8 Leviticus 17:9 )

and your sacrifices:
all other distinct from burnt offerings, as sin offerings, trespass offerings, and peace offerings, especially the latter. Jarchi interprets them of peace offerings of debt, such as a man was obliged to bring; but as the distance of some persons from Jerusalem was very great, and it was troublesome and expensive, they might, according to the Jewish writers, bring them the next grand festival, when all the males were obliged to appear there; so says Maimonides F3, all offerings of a man, whether by obligation (such as he was bound to bring) or freewill offerings, he must bring at the first feast that comes; and another of their writers observes F4, that if only one feast has passed, and he has not brought his vow, he transgresses an affirmative precept, ( Deuteronomy 12:6 ) the first feast on which thou comest thither, thou must needs bring it; and if three have passed, he transgresses a negative precept, ( Deuteronomy 23:21 )

and your tithes;
tithes of beasts, and the second tithes, according to Jarchi:

and heave offerings of your hand;
these according to the same writer were the firstfruits, and so it is rendered in the Septuagint version; and thus Maimonides F5 says, the firstfruits are called Trumot, or heave offerings; see ( Exodus 22:29 )

and your vows and your freewill offerings;
which were a type of peace offerings, ( Leviticus 7:16 )

and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks;
which were sanctified and devoted to the Lord, ( Exodus 13:2 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F3 Praefat. ad Yad Chazakah.
F4 Bartenora in Misn. Roshhashanah, c. 1. sect. 1. & in Misn. Ediot, c. 7. sect. 6.
F5 In Misn. Meilah, c. 4. sect. 2.

Devarim 12:6 In-Context

4 Ye shall not do so unto Hashem Eloheichem.
5 But unto the place which Hashem Eloheichem shall choose out of all your shevatim to put Shmo there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
6 And thither ye shall bring your olot, and your zevakhim, and your ma’aseros (tithes), and terumot (heave offerings) of your hand, and your nedarim (vows), and your nedavot (freewill offerings), and the bekhorot (firstlings) of your herds and of your flocks;
7 And there ye shall eat before Hashem Eloheichem, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein Hashem Eloheicha hath blessed thee.
8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here today, ish koh hayashar be’einav (every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes).
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.