Rambam - Sefer HaMitzvos: Negative Mitzvah 132: Negative Mitzvah 132

Negative Mitzvah 132: We are forbidden to eat "Pigul," rejected sacrificial meat
Leviticus 7:18 "And if the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offering be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted"

Exodus 29:33 "But a stranger shall not eat of them, because they are holy"

Rachel's mother asked her to take her little brother out for a walk.

Usually, Rachel would have been more than willing to do so, but just then she was very busy putting together a puzzle.

"Why me?" she cried. "Why can't Sherry take the baby this time?"

"Sherry is studying for a test," her mother answered.

Stamping angrily and mumbling protests, Rachel put the baby in the stroller and with a jolt, left her house and began to walk the baby around the block.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her and before she could turn around, she heard Sherry's voice.

"Rachel, I was just studying for my Chumash test and I reviewed a Mitzvah in the Torah which made me think of you and the baby."

"What's that?", asked a curious Rachel.

"Well, Mommy asked you to take him for a walk and..."

"Yeah!", interrupted Rachel. "I'm doing it, can't you see?"

"But you look miserable even though you're keeping the Mitzvah of honoring your mother," Sherry said.

"So?", retorted Rachel pushing the stroller ahead. "I'm still doing it."

"That's just the point! It's not enough just to do things.

What you think and how you act counts too.

This Mitzvah I just learned teaches us that when a person brings a sacrifice he has to concentrate and think about what he's doing.

Just bringing the sacrifice is not enough. If his thoughts are not proper while he is offering the sacrifice, the whole sacrifice is not accepted!

The meat is called 'Pigul', which means 'rejected' and we are forbidden to eat it!"

"Just because he didn't think the right things?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"Yes," Sherry answered. "I've got to get back to my books now, and I promise to take over for you as soon as I finish."

Rachel drew a deep breath.

Her hands relaxed on the stroller and she looked down at the baby and gave him a big smile. As she strolled down the block, she hummed softly to herself, enjoying the walk and happy to please her mother.

"That Mitzvah is really important," she thought. "Next time I make a blessing or say a prayer, I'll stop to think about in a special way, and not just mumble the words. Even when I share something with a friend, I'll try to think how thankful I should be for being able to share..."

When a person brings a sacrifice, he should have the proper kind of thoughts. He should think of the great opportunity that he has been given in offering the sacrifice, so that he can do a Mitzvah and come closer to HaShem. If his mind wanders and he has in mind to eat it or dispose of it at an improper time, then the sacrifice is considered "Pigul" and it is rejected. We are forbidden to eat the meat of such a sacrifice.

A sense of nothingness doesn't mean being everybody's doormat. In fact, just the opposite: A sense of nothingness is your gateway to infinite powers. This is what it says in the Zohar: Said the Master of the Academy of the Garden of Eden, "Whoever is small, is big. But whoever is big, is small."

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com