The commandment of the burning of the remnant (notar) of the [sacrifices]: That we were commanded to burn the notar — and that is meat of the [sacrifices] that remains after the time limited for their eating has passed — as it is stated (Leviticus 7:17), “And the notar of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day, it shall be burnt with fire.” And this burning is a positive commandment — as so they say in Mekhilta concerning Pesach (Exodus 12:10), “‘You shall not leave any of it, etc., and the notar you shall burn with fire, etc.’ — the verse comes to give a positive commandment upon the negative commandment.” It is implied that the commandment of burning notar is a positive commandment. And the law of piggul and notar are the same in this, that there is also a positive commandment in its burning, such that we have found Scripture expressing piggul, with the word, notar.
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] since the nature of all meat is (to spoil) [to become disqualified] by sitting out and coming to (putrification) [loss]. And therefore, for the aggrandizement of the matter of the sacrifice — as we have said above (Sefer HaChinukh 102) — we were commanded to burn it immediately and to destroy it from the world, that a man not be disgusted by it and its smell. And the most extreme destruction is by way of fire, more than by separating and scattering in the wind, or any other thing. And besides this, there is also a hint in the matter to have trust in God, may He be blessed, blessed be He — that a person not [starve] himself regarding his food more than is necessary, to save it for tomorrow — in his seeing that God commanded to completely destroy the holy meat from when its time passed. And He did not want any other creature to benefit from it — whether a man or whether a beast.
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Pesachim 82b) that included in notar and piggul are all disqualified [sacrifices], such that all of them are also burned. And a sacrifice that is definitely disqualified or made piggul is burned immediately. But if there is a doubt, its form is left to be altered, and it is burnt afterwards (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrifices Rendered Unfit 19:2). And any meat that is found in the [Temple] yard as limbs is burnt-offerings — the understanding of which is that we treat them like burnt-offerings; and if it is found as pieces, they are sin-offerings; and that which is found in Jerusalem is a peace-offering (Mishnah Shekalim 7:2). And the difference that comes out of this is if one transgressed and ate from them, he brings his atonement according to this assumption. But they, may their memory be blessed, said about all [of them], “Let their form be altered and [then] go out to the House of Burning, lest [they were] notar.” And we only burn notar during the day, as it is stated, “on the third day, it shall be burnt with fire” (Pesachim 3a). And even though the peace-offerings are forbidden to be eaten from the beginning of the second night, we only burn them during the day. And the rest of its details are elucidated in Pesachim and at the end of Terumah. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrifices Rendered Unfit 19.)
And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by the males of the priesthood, as the service is for them. And a priest that transgresses and does not burn the notar has violated this positive commandment and has [also] violated the negative commandment of “you shall not leave over.” But we do not administer lashes for this negative commandment, as there is no act [involved] with it.
מִצְוַת שְׂרֵפַת נוֹתָר הַקֳּדָשִׁים – שֶׁנִּצְטַוִּינוּ לִשְׂרֹף הַנּוֹתָר, וְהוּא בְּשַׂר הַקֳּדָשִׁים שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר אַחַר עֲבֹר זְמַן אֲכִילָתָן הַמֻּגְבָּל לָהֶן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ז יז) וְהַנּוֹתָר מִבְּשַׂר הַזָּבַח בְּיוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בָּאֵשׁ יִשָּׂרֵף. וְזֹאת הַשְּׂרֵפָה הִיא מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה, שֶׁכֵּן אָמְרוּ בַּמְּכִילְתָּא גַּבֵּי פֶּסַח (שמות יב י) וְלֹא תוֹתִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ וכו' וְהַנּוֹתָר בָּאֵשׁ תִּשְׂרֹפוּ וכו' בָּא הַכָּתוּב לִתֵּן עֲשֵׂה עַל לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, דְּמַשְׁמַע שֶׁמִּצְוַת שְׂרֵפַת נוֹתָר עֲשֵׂה הוּא, וְדִין הַפִּגּוּל וְהַנּוֹתָר שָׁוֶה בָּזֶה שֶׁיֵּשׁ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה גַּם כֵּן בִּשְׂרֵפָתוֹ, שֶׁמָּצִינוּ הַכָּתוּב מוֹצִיא הַפִּגּוּל בִּלְשׁוֹן נוֹתָר.
The commandment of the burning of the remnant (notar) of the [sacrifices]: That we were commanded to burn the notar — and that is meat of the [sacrifices] that remains after the time limited for their eating has passed — as it is stated (Leviticus 7:17), “And the notar of the meat of the sacrifice on the third day, it shall be burnt with fire.” And this burning is a positive commandment — as so they say in Mekhilta concerning Pesach (Exodus 12:10), “‘You shall not leave any of it, etc., and the notar you shall burn with fire, etc.’ — the verse comes to give a positive commandment upon the negative commandment.” It is implied that the commandment of burning notar is a positive commandment. And the law of piggul and notar are the same in this, that there is also a positive commandment in its burning, such that we have found Scripture expressing piggul, with the word, notar.
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. לְפִי שֶׁטֶּבַע כָּל בָּשָׂר (לְהִפָּסֵד) [לְהִפָּסֵל] בִּשְׁהִיָּה וְלָבֹא לִידֵי (סֵרָחוֹן) [חֶסְרוֹן] וְעַל כֵּן לְהַגְדָּלַת דְּבַר הַקָּרְבָּן כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ לְמַעְלָה (מצוה קב) נִצְטַוִּינוּ לְשָׂרְפוֹ מִיָּד וּלְבַעֲרוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם לְבַל יָקוֹץ אָדָם בּוֹ וּבְרֵיחוֹ. וְתַכְלִית הַכִּלָּיוֹן הַגָּמוּר הוּא עַל יְדֵי הָאֵשׁ יוֹתֵר מִן הַפֵּרוּד וּזְרִיָּה לָרוּחַ אוֹ לְכָל דָּבָר אַחֵר. גַּם מִלְּבַד זֶה יֵשׁ בַּדָּבָר רֶמֶז אֶל הַבִּטָּחוֹן בְּהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם חוֹנֵק עַצְמוֹ בְּמַאֲכָלוֹ יוֹתֵר מִדַּי לְהַצְנִיעוֹ לְיוֹם מָחָר, בִּרְאוֹתוֹ כִּי הָאֵל יְצַוֶּה לְכַלּוֹת בְּשַׂר קֹדֶשׁ מִשֶּׁעָבְרָה שְׁעָתוֹ כִּלָּיוֹן גָּמוּר וְלֹא רָצָה שֶׁיֵּהָנֶה בּוֹ בְּרִיָּה אַחֶרֶת לֹא אָדָם וְלֹא בְּהֵמָה.
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] since the nature of all meat is (to spoil) [to become disqualified] by sitting out and coming to (putrification) [loss]. And therefore, for the aggrandizement of the matter of the sacrifice — as we have said above (Sefer HaChinukh 102) — we were commanded to burn it immediately and to destroy it from the world, that a man not be disgusted by it and its smell. And the most extreme destruction is by way of fire, more than by separating and scattering in the wind, or any other thing. And besides this, there is also a hint in the matter to have trust in God, may He be blessed, blessed be He — that a person not [starve] himself regarding his food more than is necessary, to save it for tomorrow — in his seeing that God commanded to completely destroy the holy meat from when its time passed. And He did not want any other creature to benefit from it — whether a man or whether a beast.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (פסחים פב ב) שֶׁבִּכְלַל הַנּוֹתָר וְהַפִּגּוּל הֵם כָּל פְּסוּלֵי הַמֻּקְדָּשִׁין שֶׁכֻּלָּן נִשְׂרָפִין גַּם כֵּן. וְקָרְבַּן (רמב"ם פ' י"ט מפסולי המוקדשין ה"ב) שֶׁנִּפְסַל אוֹ נִתְפַּגֵּל בְּוַדַּאי מִיָּד נִשְׂרָף, וְאִם סָפֵק תְּעֻבַּר צוּרָתוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִשְׂרָף, וְכָל בָּשָׂר (שקלים פ"ז ה"ב) הַנִּמְצָא בָּעֲזָרָה אֵבָרִים עוֹלוֹת. פָּרוּשׁ נָדִין אוֹתָן שֶׁהֵן עוֹלוֹת. וְאִם נִמְצָא חֲתִיכוֹת חַטָּאוֹת. וְהַנִּמְצָא בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם שְׁלָמִים. וְנָפְקָא מִנַּהּ לְעִנְיַן שֶׁאִם עָבַר אֶחָד וְאָכַל מֵהֶן, מֵבִיא עַל כָּל אֶחָד כַּפָּרָתוֹ כְּפִי חֲזָקָה זוֹ. וְעַל הַכֹּל אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה תְּעֻבַּר צוּרָתָן וְיֵצְאוּ לְבֵית הַשְּׂרֵפָה שֶׁמָּא נוֹתָר הוּא. וְאֵין שׂוֹרְפִין אֶת הַנּוֹתָר אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם. (פסחים ג א) שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּיוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בָּאֵשׁ יִשָּׂרֵף. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַשְּׁלָמִים אֲסוּרִין בַּאֲכִילָה מִתְּחִלַּת לֵיל שֵׁנִי אֵין שׂוֹרְפִין אוֹתָם אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בִּפְסָחִים וְסוֹף תְּמוּרָה [הלכות פסולי המוקדשין פי"ט]
From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Pesachim 82b) that included in notar and piggul are all disqualified [sacrifices], such that all of them are also burned. And a sacrifice that is definitely disqualified or made piggul is burned immediately. But if there is a doubt, its form is left to be altered, and it is burnt afterwards (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrifices Rendered Unfit 19:2). And any meat that is found in the [Temple] yard as limbs is burnt-offerings — the understanding of which is that we treat them like burnt-offerings; and if it is found as pieces, they are sin-offerings; and that which is found in Jerusalem is a peace-offering (Mishnah Shekalim 7:2). And the difference that comes out of this is if one transgressed and ate from them, he brings his atonement according to this assumption. But they, may their memory be blessed, said about all [of them], “Let their form be altered and [then] go out to the House of Burning, lest [they were] notar.” And we only burn notar during the day, as it is stated, “on the third day, it shall be burnt with fire” (Pesachim 3a). And even though the peace-offerings are forbidden to be eaten from the beginning of the second night, we only burn them during the day. And the rest of its details are elucidated in Pesachim and at the end of Terumah. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrifices Rendered Unfit 19.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת בְּזִכְרֵי כְּהֻנָּה, כִּי לָהֶם הָעֲבוֹדָה. וְכֹהֵן שֶׁעָבַר וְלֹא שָׂרַף הַנּוֹתָר בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה, וְעָבַר עַל לָאו דְּלֹא תוֹתִירוּ, אֲבָל אֵין לוֹקִין עַל לָאו זֶה, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה.
And [it] is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by the males of the priesthood, as the service is for them. And a priest that transgresses and does not burn the notar has violated this positive commandment and has [also] violated the negative commandment of “you shall not leave over.” But we do not administer lashes for this negative commandment, as there is no act [involved] with it.