The 136th prohibition is that a Kohen who is tameh (ritually impure) is forbidden from eating terumah.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement,1 "Any descendant of Aharon who has a leprous mark or a discharge may not eat any sacred offering until he has purified himself."
In tractate Makkos,2 our Sages say, "What is the source for the prohibition of [a Kohen who is tameh] eating terumah? From the verse, 'Any descendant...' The only thing equal to all of Aharon's descendants is terumah."
The meaning of this phrase "equal to all of Aharon's descendants" is that the verse refers to something all his descendants — male and female — are allowed to eat.3
This prohibition is repeated in the verse,4 "They [i.e., the Kohanim] shall keep My charge [and not profane the sacred offering]."
One who transgresses this prohibition is punished by misah bidei shamayim.
In the 9th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin,5 our Sages enumerate those who receive misa bidei shamayim, and include among them the Kohen who eats terumah t'hora (which is ritually pure) when he is tameh. They prove this from the verse "They [i.e., the Kohanim] shall keep My charge [and not profane the sacred offering], which is a sin that can cause them to die."
