The Torah in Parashat Re’eh (Debarim 12:17) forbids the consumption of various kinds of sacred food without complying with certain restrictions that apply to these foods. The final prohibition in this verse relates to the consumption of “Terumat Yadecha,” which the Sages understood as a reference to Bikkurim – the first ripened fruits, which a farmer is required to bring to the Bet Ha’mikdash, and give to a Kohen. The Kohen is permitted to eat the Bikkurim, but the Torah here forbids the Kohen from eating the Bikkurim before they are placed in the Azara (courtyard of the Bet Ha’mikdash). A non-Kohen is never allowed to eat Bikkurim, and if he does, he is liable to Mita Bi’ydeh Shamayim (death by the hand of G-d). A Kohen is forbidden from eating Bikkurim before it is brought to the Azara, and if he does, he is liable to Malkut. The Sefer Ha’hinuch notes that just as a person is permitted to eat his Ma’aser Sheni tithe in Jerusalem, but is not permitted to eat it outside Jerusalem, similarly, a Kohen is permitted to eat Bikkurim once the fruits reach the Azara, but not prior to this point. This prohibition is binding upon both men and women. A Kohen’s wife, who is permitted to partake of her husband’s Bikkurim, is not permitted to eat the Bikkurim before they are brought to the Azara.