The kohen’s wife and children may eat teruma together with him, for the kohen’s sacred calling is not his alone; his entire household shares in it. They too are therefore expected to observe the laws of purity required for eating teruma.
If the daughter of a kohen marries a zar – a non-kohen, that is, a levi or Yisrael – she may no longer eat teruma. If she is later widowed or divorced and has no child from him, she returns to her father’s household and may once again eat teruma. If she does have a child from that marriage, she remains connected to her husband’s household and may not eat teruma, as it says: “If a kohen’s daughter becomes the wife of a non-kohen, she may not eat of the sacred teruma. But if a kohen’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced and has no offspring, and she returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s bread” (Vayikra 22:12–13).
The reverse is also true. If the daughter of a Yisrael marries a kohen, she may eat teruma with him. If she is widowed or divorced and has no descendant from him, she returns to her original Yisrael status and may no longer eat teruma. If, however, she has a descendant from him, even a grandson or granddaughter, she remains connected to the priestly household through that descendant. Were she then to marry a Yisrael, she would again lose the right to eat teruma, even though she has a child who is a kohen (MT, Laws of Terumot 6:7–12, 17).
Before eating teruma, in addition to reciting the appropriate berakha over the food, the kohanim recite: “Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with the sanctity of Aharon and commanded us to eat teruma” (MT, Laws of Terumot 15:22).
Teruma may be consumed or used only in its normal manner: foods that are normally eaten may be eaten, beverages that are normally drunk may be drunk, and oil normally used on the body may be used for anointing. One may not, however, anoint his body with wine, since wine is not normally used for that purpose. Similarly, one may not eat or drink teruma in an unusual manner. Doing so is considered wasting the teruma and is prohibited (MT, Laws of Terumot 11:1–9; see Peninei Halakha: Shevi’it 4:1, note 1).[3]
[3]. An uncircumcised kohen may not eat teruma, even if he could not be circumcised because doing so would have endangered his life. His wife and children, however, may eat teruma (MT, Laws of Terumot 7:10–12).
If a kohen had male or female slaves from among the nations who had undergone the conversion process required of slaves, they too may eat teruma, provided they are ritually pure. By contrast, if a kohen had an eved Ivri, the Hebrew slave was not entitled to eat teruma. We have already learned (see Peninei Halakha: Shevi’it and Yovel 10:11) that even after the yovel is restored, it will not be permitted to own slaves. The Torah’s permission to maintain slavery applied only under socioeconomic conditions in which, without slavery, such people would have lacked any means of support and would have died of starvation. Therefore, today, when society has the means to provide food for all the poor, owning slaves is prohibited.
