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The Mishna on our daf teaches that when taking the kometz – the fistful of flour – from a meal offering, it must be done properly.
The Mishna offers a list of situations that are considered to be improper and would render the offering invalid.
These include a non-priest, a priest who was in mourning or was not wearing the official priestly robes, who had not washed his hands and feet, or who was uncircumcised or ritually defiled, or who was sitting at the time or who removed the handful with his left hand. The Mishna continues that if when taking the kometz he picked up a small stone or a grain of salt or a drop of frankincense it also invalidates the offering, since he has taken “too little”.
The reason for this last rule is that the kometz has a specific size that must be taken – the first of the kohen – and if he picks up a foreign substance it is clear that he has taken less than the full amount of the required kometz.