Torah Portion: Tzav
“והנפש האוכלת ממנו עוונה תשא” (ויקרא ז יח)
It is a negative commandment to not eat piggul. Piggul is an offering that was “rejected” because the kohen who processed it had a disqualifying thought while slaughtering or offering the sacrifice. A disqualifying thought is when, for example, the kohen thought at the time of slaughtering or offering the sacrifice that he will eat of that offering after the time allotted by the Torah to eat that type of offering; or he thought that he will burn the parts that are supposed to be burned on the Altar after the time the Torah allots for burning them.
Scripture states that one who eats of such meat suffers a sin, as it is written, And if some of the flesh… was intended to be eaten on the third day… the soul that eats it shall bear its iniquity (Vayikra 7:18). The expression “shall bear its iniquity” refers to the punishment of kareis-excision.
Among the roots of this commandment is the fundamental idea that we have presented earlier, that the concept of offerings is designed to develop the minds of humans, and to help them visualize — through the actions they do — the evil of sin and the good of upright paths. And since the main aspect of offerings is the mental thoughts that accompany it, it is proper that it should be disqualified when processed with misdirected thoughts.
The prohibition against eating piggul applies when the Holy Temple stands, to both men and women, and even to Israelites, for the Torah forbids this in general terms. One who transgresses this and willfully ate of its meat the volume of a kazayis (the volume of an olive), is liable for kareis-excision; if it was eaten inadvertently, the person brings a standard sin-offering.
