The heave offering involved the offeror holding the brisket and the priest laying his hands on the offeror's hands. They moved toward the altar as if presenting a gift to God, then returned the brisket to the priest. This action symbolized that the offering was given to God but then given back to the priest. The breast of the offering was designated for Aaron and his sons, indicating that it was shared with the priestly family. This practice extended to the sons and daughters of the priests, signifying that the entire family of the priests was included in the sharing of the offering.

The heave offering mentioned in Numbers 15 is a "when you come into the land" instruction, similar to the Wavesheaf offering. This heave offering must be performed in conjunction with eating the grain of the land. The labor involved in this offering includes reaping the grain, threshing, winnowing, and grinding. If the Israelites had waved the sheaf on the First Day of Unleavened Bread in Joshua 5, they would have also had to perform all this work on the same holy day, suggesting that the sanctity of a holy day is of no account. However, a significant requirement prohibits the Israelites from offering either the Wavesheaf or the heave offering: God would not accept offerings of grain that the Israelites did not sow themselves. They could only offer grain from their own labors, not from a foreigner's hand, as it contains defects and corruption.