Zevachim Chapter 4, Mishnah 3. The Mishnah continues to discuss the law of an "out of time" intention - what turns an offering into piggul, making one who eats from it liable to kares. The source for the law of piggul is a verse stated regarding the shelamim offering, and for this reason, the Gemara derives from it only for things that are similar to the shelamim offering.
The foundation of the law - a "mattir":
The primary characteristic of the shelamim offering, upon which our Mishnah focuses, is that before eating the meat or burning the eimurim on the altar, the blood service must first be performed, which is known as a "mattir" - the preliminary permitting action. Offering the blood is a prerequisite for bringing the eimurim up onto the altar and for eating the meat. If for any reason the blood does not reach the altar, or does not reach it in a valid manner, it is forbidden to eat the meat and forbidden to burn the eimurim; rather, they must be taken out and burned outside the Temple.
Therefore, things that do not have a preceding mattir - an action that permits them to the altar or to a person - are not subject to the law of piggul, and there is no kares penalty for eating them. The Mishnah now lists things for which there is no kares liability even if an "out of time" intention preceded them, because they are all permitted on their own: they themselves are parallel to the blood and have no mattir preceding them, or they are offered directly without any need for a mattir at all.
"Ve'eilu devarim she'ein chayavim aleihem mishum piggul" - And these are the things for which one is not liable on account of piggul:
"Hakometz" - The kometz - the handful separated from the minchah offering, approximately the measure of a pinky finger (as will be further explained in Tractate Menachos): a portion of the dough is taken from the large vessel and goes up onto the altar. The kometz parallels the blood of an animal offering - it is the mattir for the rest of the minchah, and there is no preceding mattir that validates its offering. Therefore, if one took the kometz with an "out of time" intention, even though he invalidated the minchah as piggul, one who eats the kometz itself is not liable to kares.
"Ve'halevonah" - And the frankincense - small pieces of dried tree resin, similar in color, shape, and size to golden raisins, but with the shine of rock candy. These are placed on top of the minchah, moved aside, the kometz is taken, and the frankincense is burned on the altar along with the kometz. The frankincense is part of what is offered as a mattir and does not require a preceding mattir. Therefore, there is no kares liability for eating it, even if at the time of taking the kometz or the like there was an "out of time" intention. (It is worth noting that the frankincense is not fit for eating.)
"Ve'haketores" - And the incense - the spice incense burned twice daily, in the morning and afternoon, on the inner golden altar. It has no mattir preceding its burning, and therefore the law of piggul does not apply to it, and there is no kares liability for eating it. For example: a kohen walking to the golden altar with the incense in his hand, and he intends to burn it out of its proper time - this does not make it piggul, and one who eats from it (even though the incense is not fit for eating, as it consists of spices meant for burning) is not liable to kares.
"Uminchas kohanim" - And the minchah offering of kohanim - when a kohen volunteers to bring a minchah offering, like any other person, his minchah is not eaten but rather burned in its entirety, since according to the verses, kohanim do not eat their own minchah offerings. Since it is entirely burned, there is no kometz that precedes the rest, and there is no mattir here. Therefore, the law of piggul does not apply to it, and there is no kares liability for eating it.
"Uminchas kohen mashiach" - And the minchah offering of the anointed kohen - the Kohen Gadol is obligated to bring a daily minchah offering, half in the morning and half in the afternoon; another person may offer it for him, but he must pay for it himself. This minchah is burned entirely and has no mattir, and therefore even if the one offering it had an "out of time" intention, it does not become piggul, and one who eats from it is not liable to kares. (The next two words in the text, "uminchas nesachim", should be deleted.)
"Ve'hadam" - And the blood - the blood of the offering itself, such as an olah or shelamim. The blood is the mattir, and therefore one who drinks it, even after an "out of time" intention, is not liable to kares on account of piggul. It is worth noting that there is a separate Torah prohibition against consuming blood, the punishment for which is kares - but this is kares for drinking blood, and not kares for eating piggul.
"Ve'hanesachim habaim bifnei atzman" - divrei Rabbi Meir - And the libations that come on their own - these are the words of Rabbi Meir:
Libations accompany every olah offering and every shelamim offering, and they include a wine libation as well as a minchas nesachim (libation minchah), which is like a minchah offering. Both of them together, as well as each of them individually, are called "nesachim" (libations). There are three ways they can be brought:
With the animal offering - This is the most common way: one who brings his animal brings along with it the wine and fine flour, designating them as libations. Immediately after throwing the blood of the olah, or any other offering, the libations may also be offered. To a certain extent, the blood is a mattir, allowing the libations to be brought.
At a later time - There is no obligation to do this, and one can bring the olah or shelamim today and the libations next week. In this case, at the time of throwing the blood, there is no specific wine and fine flour identified as libations, and therefore they are disconnected from one another.
As a complete free-will offering - Completely unrelated to an animal offering: a person says he does not wish to bring an olah or shelamim, but only the wine libations that were supposed to accompany them or the minchas nesachim that was supposed to accompany them. This free-will pledge is binding and is offered, and there is certainly no mattir here, as there is no animal offering preceding it.
In the third case, it is obvious that there is no mattir, and therefore there is no law of piggul and no kares liability for eating it. The question is regarding the second case: one who brings a minchas nesachim next week, after having slaughtered an olah or shelamim this week - are they connected to each other such that the law of piggul applies to them? The Mishnah says: "Ve'hanesachim habaim bifnei atzman" - And the libations that come on their own - libations coming on their own, not together with the animal offering but afterward, as well as those that come when there is no animal offering at all, these too are included in the things that are exempt from kares liability if there was an "out of time" intention. This is the view of Rabbi Meir.
The Sages are more lenient and say: "Afilu im habehemah" - Even with the animal - even if the libations were brought at the time the animals, the olah or the shelamim, were brought, and seemingly the blood is the mattir for bringing them, the libations are not subject to the law of piggul and there is no kares liability for eating them. For from the very fact that there is no obligation to bring them together, it is proven that they are not truly connected. And the halachah follows the Sages.
The log of oil of a metzora:
That same line of thought also applies to the log of oil of a metzora. The metzora, at the end of his purification process and after shaving his hair, undergoes a complex process: he brings, among other things, the asham of a metzora, and also performs the procedure of the oil. The procedure of the oil is that he brings a log of olive oil - about half a liter - and gives it to the kohen. The kohen puts a little of the oil into the palm of his hand, and from there sprinkles some of the oil seven times toward the Holy of Holies; after that, he puts some of the oil on the right ear of the metzora, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot; and the remainder in his palm he places on the shaved head of the metzora. The rest of the oil is eaten by the kohanim.
The question is: a metzora who brought his asham, and there was an intention outside of its time and the asham became pigul - what is the law of the oil that accompanies it, and does the liability of kares apply to it as well? It is explained that this is the same type of discussion: it is possible to bring the asham today and engage in the purification with the oil next week, and they are not necessarily connected to one another. Therefore, they disagreed here based on those exact same principles:
Rabbi Shimon, who follows the view of the Sages, says regarding "log shemen shel metzora" - the log of oil of a metzora: "ein chayav alav mishum pigul" - one is not liable for it on account of pigul. Since they can be brought separately, they are not fundamentally connected in a way that creates a liability for pigul; just as the nesachim of an olah or shelamim, which can be brought separately, are not fundamentally connected.
Rabbi Meir, following his own view, says: "chayavin alav mishum pigul" - one is liable for it on account of pigul. If they were brought together, they are connected, as the blood of the asham is the permitter, since bringing it is what permits the oil to proceed. Therefore, if the blood of the asham was brought with an intention outside of its time, the oil also becomes pigul, and one who drinks from it is liable to kares.
"vechol sheyesh lo matirin - chayavin alav mishum pigul" - and anything that has permitters, one is liable for it on account of pigul:
In conclusion, the Mishnah states a rule: any offering that has a preceding permitter, whether for a person or for the Altar - whether the permitter permits something for eating to the owners of the offering, or whether it permits the eimurim for burning on the Altar - the law of pigul exists for it. That is to say, if the service of the blood, or the service of the permitter, was performed with an intention outside of its time, the item destined to be consumed by the Altar or by a person is invalidated with the law of pigul, and there is a liability of kares for eating it.
This last point is the subject of the following Mishnah.