Vayikra 5:13 · unit 1

Parashas Vayikra · Aliyah 7 · Passuk 5:13 · Unit 1 of 2

Complete Passuk

וְכִפֶּר עָלָיו הַכֹּהֵן עַל־חַטָּאתוֹ אֲשֶׁר־חָטָא מֵאַחַת מֵאֵלֶּה וְנִסְלַח לוֹ וְהָיְתָה לַכֹּהֵן כַּמִּנְחָה׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Toras Kohanim.

Core Text
וְהָיְתָה לַכֹּהֵן כַּמִּנְחָה — מַקִּישׁ חוֹבָתוֹ לִנְדָבָתוֹ; מַה נְּדָבָתוֹ אֵינָהּ נֶאֱכֶלֶת אַף חוֹבָתוֹ אֵינָהּ נֶאֱכֶלֶת.

“And it shall be for the kohen like the minchah” — Scripture compares his obligatory minchah to his voluntary minchah. Just as a kohen’s voluntary minchah is not eaten (it is entirely burned), so his obligatory minchah is not eaten.

In the midrash: When the sinner is himself a kohen, the phrase “la-kohen ka-minchah” creates a hekesh between this obligatory flour and a kohen’s freewill minchah. A kohen’s nedavah is burned entirely (kalil); the same rule is therefore applied to his chatas flour.

Type of Learning

Hekesh of chovah to nedavah when the bringer is a kohen — the same “kalil” rule applies.

What Is Learned

If the sinner is himself a kohen, the remainder of his flour-chatas is not eaten by kohanim. It is treated as a kohen’s own minchah and is burned in full (kalil). The ordinary rule that sheyarei minchah are eaten does not apply when the owner is a kohen.