Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
There is a time limit for eating a קָרְבַּן שְׁלָמִים (korban shelamim). When a person violates the time limit, the korban is called פִּגּוּל (piggul, a repulsive thing):
וְאִ֣ם הֵאָכֹ֣ל יֵ֠אָכֵ֠ל מִבְּשַׂר־זֶ֨בַח שְׁלָמָ֜יו בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי֮ לֹ֣א יֵרָצֶה֒ הַמַּקְרִ֣יב אֹת֗וֹ לֹ֧א יֵחָשֵׁ֛ב ל֖וֹ פִּגּ֣וּל יִהְיֶ֑ה וְהַנֶּ֛פֶשׁ הָאֹכֶ֥לֶת מִמֶּ֖נּוּ עֲוֺנָ֥הּ תִּשָּֽׂא׃
If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of well-being is eaten on the third day, it shall not be acceptable; it shall not count for the one who offered it. It is an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it shall bear the guilt.
How exactly does something become piggul?
בִּשְׁעַת הַקְרָבָתוֹ לֹא תַּעֲלֶה זוֹ בַּמַּחֲשָׁבָה, וְאִם חָשַׁב, פִּגּוּל יִהְיֶה.
In the moment of the offering, the very idea of eating the meat late should not enter the minds of those who offer it.
And if they do have this thought, the korban is piggul.
אִם הַמַּקְרִיב יוֹתִיר מִבְּשַׁר הַזֶּבַח עַד הַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וְלֹא יִשְׂרְפֶנּוּ, אֲבָל יֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ אוֹ יַאֲכִיל לַאֲחֵרִים… אָז לֹא יִהְיֶה קָרְבָּנוֹ נֶחֱשָׁב לוֹ, אַךְ פִּגּוּל יִהְיֶה, וְכָל מִי שֶׁיֹּאכַל מִבְּשָׂרוֹ אֲפִלּוּ בְּתוֹךְ הַזְּמַן (בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְהַשֵּׁנִי) עֲוֹנוֹ יִשָּׂא.
If the person bringing the korban has meat left over on the third day, and doesn’t burn it, but instead eats it or feeds it to others, then the korban doesn’t count. It is piggul. Anyone who eats from this korban, even on the first or second day, is guilty of a sin.
According to Rashi, whose argument is based on the Talmud, the sin is thinking. If those offering the korban have the wrong intention in their minds, that turns the korban into piggul. Rashi connects the words לֹא יֵחָשֵׁב לוֹ (lo yehashev lo, it shall not count) to מַחְשָׁבוֹת (mahashavot, intentions or thoughts).
- Are thoughts really that powerful? Can you think of other times that having the wrong intentions can ruin the result of something?
According to Shadal, the sin is eating the meat late. He says the pasuk means that when you eat the meat late, that actually turns the whole korban into piggul, even the eating that took place on time.
- What do you think about this idea? Does it make sense for a sin to be able to work backwards, taking something that was ok at the time and flipping it into something not ok?
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