When the temple stood, one was commanded to bring his first fruits to the temple and give them to a priest. According to the Mishnah (Bikkurim 3:4), the owner walks in to the temple and carries the fruit in a basket on his shoulder. The owner recites a text that includes a paragraph familiar to us from the seder night, “An Aramean tried to destroy my father” (Deuteronomy 26:5). As we know, the reading speaks about our sojourn, then enslavement in the land of Egypt, before God rescues the Jewish people and brings them to the land of Israel. 

In his Guide of the Perplexed (3:39), Maimonides argues that these commands were given to instill humility. First, carrying the basket of fruit on the shoulders is a gesture of humility. Additionally, the recitation of the text cultivates these feelings by remembering our humble origins. Such reminders are important, since those who are fortunate risk growing conceited and arrogant. But by reciting the text, the owner recognizes that he was not always so prosperous and that God helped him in achieving his success. Through the first fruits ritual, the owner is able to celebrate his success while at the same time recognizing that it is God who is all powerful, not him.