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The eleventh perek of Chulin discusses the mitzvah of reishit ha'gez. Broadly speaking, this mitzvah obligates one to give the first of the shearing from a flock of sheep to a kohen. Consequently, we find that reishit ha'gez is one of the many gifts given to the kohanim. We shall probe its classification by determining exactly what type of gift it is.
Two different understanding of reishit ha'gez come to the fore in the first Mishnah. The Mishnah teaches that reshit ha'gez applies both inside and outside Israel. The Bartenura notes that R' Ilay disagrees, arguing that it only applies in Israel. The Gemara (135a) explains that R' Ilay has a tradition of a gezeira shava that connects reishet ha'gez with teruma; the Torah uses the language of netina when describing both mitzvot. Consequently, since the teruma only applies in Israel, the same is true for reishit ha'gez. Whether reishet ha'gez is simply another gift or is compared to terumah touches on the essence of this mitzvah.
One explanation offered for this mitzva is suggested by the Rambam (see Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Bikkurim 10:5) who argues that since kohanim did not receive a share in the land of Israel, the Torah obligates the community to concern itself with their welfare.
We explore the word “reishis” as a leitwort on other contexts especially Gen 1:1.