Priestly Royal Meals and Diaspora Teruma Nullification

How Tosafot defines the royal consumption of priestly gifts and the special leniencies governing diaspora teruma.

Sanctity and Royal Dining

The Mishnah and baraita discuss priestly gifts, establishing that an owner holds טובת הנאה (benefit of discretion) and may choose which priest receives his gifts. The baraita illustrates this rule with teruma, permitting an Israelite to accept payment from another Israelite to deliver produce to a designated priest. The Gemara asks why animal gifts—such as the foreleg, jaw, and maw—were omitted from this rule.

The Gemara explains that animal gifts have merely קדושת דמים (monetary sanctity), meaning they can be sold to an ordinary Israelite. Because money changes hands, a priest might mistakenly think their sanctity was transferred onto the coins and treat them as חולין (non-sacred food). Rashi explains that treating them as חולין means failing to eat them roasted with mustard, which is the required dignified way a priest must eat them,.

הָנֵי, כֵּיוָן דִּקְדוּשַּׁת דָּמִים נִינְהוּ, אָתֵי לְמִיטְעֵי בְּהוֹן, דְּבַר מִיתַּחַל קְדוּשְׁתַּיְיהוּ אַאַרְבְּעָה זוּזֵי, וְאָתֵא לְמִינְהַג בְּהֹן מִנְהָג דְּחוּלִּין.

These, since they have monetary sanctity, he might come to err regarding them, thinking that their sanctity was redeemed for four zuz, and come to treat them as non-sacred food. (Bekhorot 27a:4)

Why Greatness Applies Only to Meat

Tosafot is troubled by an obvious asymmetry: why does the Gemara fear degradation only regarding animal gifts, while expressing no such concern for teruma produce?

To resolve this, Tosafot cites the requirement that priestly food be eaten למשחה (for anointment), which the Sages interpret as royal dignity. Tosafot notes that the Torah dictates this royal standard for animal offerings, but never demands such dining elegance for grain or produce. The underlying logic is that greatness applies only to meat, so teruma requires no special culinary honor.

וגבי תרומה לא מצינו שיצריך בשום אכילה בגדולה דשמא לא שייך גדולה אלא בבשר:

And regarding teruma, we have not found that it requires eating with greatness in any respect, for perhaps greatness applies only to meat. (Tosafot on Bekhorot 27a:4:1)

Majority Nullification in the Diaspora

The Gemara turns to produce grown outside Eretz Yisrael, where rabbinic decrees mandate separating teruma under more lenient conditions. Shmuel teaches that diaspora teruma is בטילה ברוב (nullified in a simple majority), unlike standard teruma from the Land of Israel, which requires a ratio of one to one hundred. The Gemara notes that Rabba would nullify diaspora teruma in a majority and eat it while ritually impure.

Rashi explains that this majority nullification operates to permit a זר (non-priest) to eat the mixture. According to Rashi, once a majority of non-sacred food is present, either a non-priest or an impure priest may consume it.

בטילה ברוב - לאוכלה לזר ולא בעינן אחד ומאה ולאחר שעירבה ברוב חולין יכול לאכול זר או כהן בימי טומאה

Nullified in a majority: To permit its consumption to a non-priest, and we do not require one part in one hundred; and after he mixes it with a majority of non-sacred produce, a non-priest or an impure priest may eat it. (Rashi on Bekhorot 27a:6:1)

Leniency Reserved for Impure Priests

Tosafot firmly rejects Rashi's interpretation that majority nullification permits a non-priest to consume diaspora teruma. Tosafot cites a passage from Menachot 67a showing that diaspora teruma of an Israelite indeed renders a mixture מדמע (consecrated mixture), thereby requiring one to one hundred to permit consumption to non-priests.

Consequently, Tosafot concludes that Shmuel's leniency of majority nullification was formulated exclusively to permit an impure priest to partake of the food. This perfectly fits the Gemara's report that Rabba mixed diaspora teruma with majority ordinary produce specifically to eat during his days of impurity,.

Immersion for External Impurities

Later, the Gemara explores which ritual impurities disqualify a priest from eating diaspora teruma. Shmuel establishes that diaspora teruma is forbidden only to someone whose impurity emerges from his own body, such as a zav or a niddah. However, Mar Zutra quotes Rav Sheshet that a טמא שרץ (one impure from a creeping animal) must immerse before eating diaspora teruma, to which the Gemara retorts that the halacha does not follow his view.

Rashi notes simply that the Talmud redactor rejected Mar Zutra's ruling. Tosafot points out that Rashi's language might mistakenly imply that immersion fails to help. Tosafot clarifies the Gemara's true intent: since contact with a creeping animal is not a bodily emission, he does not even need immersion before partaking of diaspora teruma.

ולית הלכתא כוותיה - בהא דמצריך טבילה אלא אפילו טבילה לא בעי ולשון הקונ' לא משמע כן:

And the halakha is not in accordance with his opinion: In this matter where he requires immersion; rather, he does not even require immersion. And the phrasing of Rashi does not imply this. (Tosafot on Bekhorot 27b:2:1)

While priestly animal gifts require royal dining because greatness applies to meat, diaspora teruma carries fundamental leniencies that waive immersion for external impurities and allow an impure priest to eat after majority nullification.

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