ויקרא, פרק ו׳, פסוק ט״ז

Priests serving in the Temple regularly partake in significant portions of the sacrifices and grain offerings brought by the Israelites. This consumption is a privilege granted to them directly from God's table. However, when a priest personally brings an offering, the standard procedures shift dramatically. Instead of being eaten, his grain offering is dedicated entirely to the altar fire.

This requirement encompasses every type of grain offering a priest might bring, particularly his voluntary gifts, extending well beyond mandatory or inauguration offerings [רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, שטיינזלץ, גור אריה, רד״צ הופמן]. The law, however, is strictly limited to male priests [רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו, צאינה וראינה]. A priest's daughter faces different regulations. If she is unmarried or married to an Israelite, her grain offering is eaten. If she is married to a priest, a handful is burned on the altar, and the remainder is scattered on the ash pile rather than being eaten or completely burned [תורה תמימה]. This distinction between males and females in the laws of the priesthood is rooted in the early history of humanity; because the first woman brought mortality into the world, certain laws were separated, and women's rights regarding the consumption of holy offerings were restricted [רבנו בחיי, צאינה וראינה].

The offering must be completely consumed by fire, signifying that it is entirely dedicated to God. Unlike a standard grain offering, no specific handful is separated; the entire amount is burned [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ, גור אריה]. This obligation to burn the offering on the altar applies even if only a minuscule amount remains [תורה תמימה, מלבי״ם, אדרת אליהו]. Furthermore, burning the offering is not merely an indirect consequence of the prohibition against eating it. It is an explicit positive Commandment placed upon the priest, while consuming even a small fraction violates a direct negative Commandment [תורה תמימה, רלב״ג, מלבי״ם].

This absolute restriction raises a logical question: how could a priest logically consume his own offering or sin offering in the first place [אבן עזרא]? The primary approach among commentators explains this through the lens of honoring Heaven and the fundamental nature of a gift. When an Israelite brings a grain offering, only a small handful is burned, and the priests consume the rest. This is still considered a dignified gift to God, as the priests eat it in their capacity as His servants, partaking from His table. However, if a priest were to bring an offering, burn a tiny handful, and then eat the vast majority of it himself, it would be a profound display of disrespect toward God. It would appear as though he were presenting a gift only to immediately return it to his own stomach, rendering it meaningless. Therefore, to constitute a proper gift, it must be completely consumed by the altar fire [דעת זקנים, בכור שור, חזקוני, פענח רזא, הדר זקנים, חומת אנך].

Building upon this concept, other commentators highlight the importance of visibility in the sacrificial process. When a priest brings an animal sacrifice, the fats and specific portions burned on the altar are substantial and clearly visible. In contrast, the portion of a grain offering that goes to the fire is minimal, consisting only of a handful and some frankincense. If the priest were allowed to eat the remainder of his own grain offering, it would create the visual impression that he had not actually offered anything at all. To prevent this appearance of an empty sacrifice, the Torah mandates that the priest's grain offering be burned in its entirety [הטור הארוך, רבנו בחיי, תולדות יצחק, שפתי כהן, פרדס יוסף].