English: “before the altar of Hashem” — this teaches that as long as there is an altar there are bikkurim, and when there is no altar there are no bikkurim.
In Sifrei: The midrash reads successive phrases of the declaration or the curse, assigning each a concrete referent or legal implication drawn from the surrounding narrative or parallel verses.
Type of Learning
R’ Eliezer #2 — Mi'ut. A restriction learned from the limiting expression “before the altar.”
What Is Learned
Chazal teach that the mitzvah of bringing first fruits applies only while the altar stands; without an altar the obligation of bikkurim does not take effect.