Makkot 18: Eating Bikurim, Peace-Offerings

Today's daf reminds me that the Talmud is a collection of conversations focused on recreating what must have been practiced when the Temple was standing.  Not what Jews should be doing now (whether that "now" is 2000 years ago or today), but what Jews must have done in the past.  It is always amazing to be reminded of the fact that I am learning about what was thought about what was done so so long ago.

The rabbis continue to discuss how Jews would be punished for which transgressions.  How many lashes for eating a certain category of food outside of the wall?  How many lashes for a Kohen who partakes of a certain type of food in a certain place?  What actions are exempt, and when, and why?  

Considering bikurim, the first fruits brought to the Temple for the priests, in particular, the rabbis teach that they must be brought before Sukkot.  If not, the bikurim are left to rot.  Kri'ah, special readings, are not said after Sukkot.  Based on their consideration of other laws, the rabbis decide that bikurim may be eaten by Kohanim after the special readings are said.  If there are no special readings for certain offerings, then the food can be eaten as soon as it enters the azarah, the courtyard of the mikdash.

The rabbis examine the requirement of tenufa, to raise or wave the birkurim.  The Kohen must wave the bikurim like how the owner must wave the shelamim, the peace offering.  How could this be done at the same time?  Perhaps, we learn, the Kohen places his hands under those of the owners and they wave at the same time.