{"id":12354,"date":"2026-07-16T00:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T21:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=12354"},"modified":"2026-08-09T09:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T06:36:47","slug":"17-16-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-16-03\/","title":{"rendered":"03. Sending Away the Mother When the Chicks or Eggs Are Not Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sages derive from the verse, \u201cIf a bird\u2019s nest happens to be before you,\u201d that one need not search for a nest in order to fulfill this mitzva (\u1e24ullin<\/em> 139b). A question nevertheless arises when someone does not want the chicks or eggs but comes across a bird\u2019s nest: does he have a mitzva to send away the mother and take the chicks or eggs?<\/p>\n

Many authorities maintain that the mitzva applies only when one actually wants the chicks or eggs; only then must he send away the mother before taking them. If he has no need for them, sending away the mother and taking the chicks is not a fulfillment of a mitzva. Accordingly, one should not do so since it causes needless animal suffering and destroys chicks or eggs for no reason.<\/p>\n

Others maintain that whoever encounters a bird\u2019s nest has a mitzva to send away the mother and take the young, even if he does not need them. Some kabbalists go further, maintaining that every Jew should seek out a bird\u2019s nest in order to fulfill shilu\u2019a\u1e25 ha-ken<\/em> at least once in his life. In their view, this does not violate bal tash\u1e25it<\/em> or tza\u2019ar ba\u2019alei \u1e25ayim<\/em>, since the act is done for the sake of a mitzva and therefore serves a human need.<\/p>\n

In practice, the primary ruling follows the first view: if one does not want the chicks or eggs, he should not send away the mother, since doing so serves no mitzva purpose and involves tza\u2019ar ba\u2019alei \u1e25ayim<\/em> and bal tash\u1e25it<\/em>. One who nevertheless wishes to fulfill the mitzva according to the second view should drive the mother away without taking the chicks or eggs, either by shouting or by lightly tapping the nest. According to some authorities, once the mother has been driven away and the chicks or eggs are halakhically available to him, he has fulfilled the mitzva. This allows him to satisfy the second view without coming into conflict with the first (\u1e24akham Tzvi<\/em> \u00a783; Shevet Yehuda<\/em> YD 292; Or Samea\u1e25<\/em>, Laws of Yom Tov 3:8).[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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[4]<\/a>. The view that there is no mitzva to send away the mother when one has no need for the young is found in Rabbeinu Ba\u1e25ya to Devarim 22:7 and Ran to \u1e24ullin <\/em>139a. This is also the position of Ha-Makneh<\/em> to Kiddushin<\/em> 41a; \u1e24atam Sofer<\/em>, O\u1e24 \u00a7100; Netziv in Meromei Sadeh<\/em> to \u1e24ullin<\/em> 139b; and Maharam Schick on mitzva 545, and it seems to be the view of many other Rishonim and A\u1e25aronim as well.<\/p>\n

Many A\u1e25aronim, however, maintain that one who finds a bird\u2019s nest has a mitzva to send away the mother even if he has no need for the young. \u1e24avot Ya\u2019ir<\/em> \u00a767 inclines this way, and this is also the view of Birkei Yosef<\/em> 292:8, AHS 292:1\u20132, and Maharsham<\/em> 1:209. Arizal adds in Sha\u2019ar ha-Gilgulim<\/em>, Introduction 16, that every Jew must fulfill all the mitzvot he is able to fulfill. If he neglects even one mitzva, his soul must return to this world through reincarnation in order to complete it. If he failed to fulfill shilu\u2019a\u1e25 ha-ken<\/em> only because no bird\u2019s nest came his way, he is assured that when his soul returns, he will not sin in other ways. But if a bird\u2019s nest did come his way and he failed to send away the mother, his soul must return again, with no such assurance. As explained above, one who is concerned for this view should follow the approach of \u1e24akham Tzvi<\/em> and drive away the mother without taking the chicks or eggs. This fulfills the mitzva according to the second view without coming into conflict with the first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sages derive from the verse, \u201cIf a bird\u2019s nest happens to be before you,\u201d that one need not search for a nest in order to fulfill this mitzva (\u1e24ullin 139b). A question nevertheless arises when someone does not want the chicks or eggs but comes across a bird\u2019s nest: does he have a mitzva […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[237],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-16"],"yoast_head":"\n03. 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