Negative Mitzvah 149: A non-Priest may not eat meat of certain sacrifices
Exodus 29:33 "But a stranger shall not eat of them because they are holy"

Portions of some sacrifices may only be eaten by the priest.

These sacrifices are the sin-offering, the guilt-offering, and the communal peace-offering.

A non-priest, called "a stranger" in this verse, is forbidden to eat from sacrificial meat.

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Positive Mitzvah 132: Declaration when Presenting the First-fruits
Deuteronomy 26:5 "And you shall speak and say before the L-rd"

One day, when Shira came home from school, she found a brand new doll house that she had wanted for a long time.

She ran up to her mother and hugged her tightly.

"Oh! Thank you so much, Mommy!" she exclaimed.

"You're always doing so many nice things for me. I think you are the best mother anywhere ! "

"Do you really?" her mother asked with a smile.

"Of course" Shira replied. "You care for me. You buy my clothes. You cook delicious meals. You help me with my homework. You take me for rides. You let me have friends over - and now this doll house!"

Suddenly, Shira felt even more appreciative of her mother than ever.

She had just told her mother about all the wonderful things she did for her. By saying them, she felt more thankful than when she just thought of them.

When the Jew presents his first fruits (Positive Mitzvah 125), he is commanded to make a declaration.

As he stands in the Beit HaMikdash, watching his basket of luscious, ripened fruit placed near the altar by the priest, he gives thanks to HaShem for His generosity.

He relates a short history of the Jewish nation; how HaShem took us out of slavery in Egypt and brought us to the holy land of Eretz Yisrael.

It is the first fruit of that Holy Land that he is now bringing.

The obligation to declare his thanks to HaShem helps him appreciate HaShem's generosity more than he had before he actually said these things.

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Adam was the direct handiwork of G-d. No other human being could ever be as magnificent. Yet he had only one temptation to resist and he gave in. Which teaches us that the greatest challenges in life are those that are closest to one's purpose of being. To the point that if you wish to know your central purpose in life, you need only look at where your greatest challenges are.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com