The Torah commands in Parashat Sav (Vayikra 6:16), “Ve’chol Minhat Kohen Kalil Tiheyeh Lo Te’achel” – “Every flour offering of a Kohen shall be offered whole; it shall not be eaten.” Normally, when a Minha (flour offering) is brought, a handful of the sacrifice is placed on the altar, and the rest is eaten by the Kohanim. The Torah here establishes that an exception is made when a Kohen offers a Minha, as a Kohen’s offering is to be entirely burnt on the altar, and it is forbidden for anyone to eat any part of the offering. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that the purpose of a sacrifice is to arouse the heart of the person who brings it, and therefore, the Torah forbade eating a Kohen’s Minha. If a Kohen’s Minha would be eaten like ordinary Minha offerings, then the Kohen who brings a Minha would end up eating his own offering, and it would thus be no different to him than an ordinary meal, and would not have any emotional impact. In order to ensure that a Kohen’s Minha sacrifice would have the desired effect upon his heart, the Torah commanded that the entire offering be placed on the altar, and not eaten. This command, of course, applies only in the times of the Bet Ha’mikdash. It applies to Kohanim and non-Kohanim alike, and to both men and women. Anyone who partakes of a Kohen’s Minha offering violates this prohibition, and one who eats a Ke’zayit of a Kohen’s Minha offering is liable to Malkut. The concept underlying this Misva is that when one brings an offering to G-d, he must offer something of value and significance. As Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (Germany, 1808-1888) noted, the word “Korban” (“sacrifice”) is derived from the word “Karob” – “close,” because the purpose of a sacrifice is to draw a person closer to G-d. When a person sacrifices something of value which he owns, this brings him closer to the Almighty. The Mishna in Pirkeh Abot (5:23) teaches, “Le’fum Sa’ara Agra” – “The reward is proportional to the pain.” The Maharal of Prague (1520-1609) explains that the more a person exerts and sacrifices for the sake of a Misva, the closer he draws to Hashem. Therefore, when a person brings a sacrifice, he should offer something of significance. This point is developed at length by the Rambam (Hilchot Issureh Mizbe’ah 7:11), where he writes, “One who wishes to bring himself merit should subdue his evil inclination, extend himself, and bring a sacrifice from the nicest and choicest of that species from which he can bring.” He brings as an example the story of Hebel, who brought his choicest sheep as an offering to G-d, and it was accepted. Anything which one donates for G-d, the Rambam writes, should be the best. When building a synagogue, the Rambam instructs, one should make it beautiful, more so than his home; when feeding or giving clothing to a needy person, he should give the highest quality food or garments. Just as the Kohen Gadol’s offering is not eaten, so that his offering would be something substantial, anything we give for the sake of a Misva should be substantial, as befitting something as important as a Misva.