כִּי יִקָּרֵא קַן צִפּוֹר לְפָנֶיךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ
בְּכׇל עֵץ אוֹ עַל הָאָרֶץ
אֶפְרֹחִים אוֹ בֵיצִים
וְהָאֵם רֹבֶצֶת עַל הָאֶפְרֹחִים אוֹ עַל הַבֵּיצִים
לֹא תִקַּח הָאֵם עַל הַבָּנִים׃
שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח אֶת הָאֵם
וְאֶת הַבָּנִים תִּקַּח לָךְ
לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים׃
If, along the road, you happen to find a bird’s nest,
in a tree or on the ground,
with chicks or eggs,
and the mother bird is sitting over the chicks or on the eggs—
do not take the mother together with her young.
Send the mother away,
and take only the young,
so that things will be good for you, and you have a long life.
- What do you notice? What do you wonder about?
- What does it mean to “happen” to find a bird’s nest? What do you learn from that?
- Why does the Torah list all of the different places where you might find a bird’s nest? What might you think if you find it in these different places?
- How might you feel differently about taking eggs vs. chicks that have already hatched?
- Do you think the second pasuk is saying that you can send the mother away, or that you must send her away? Why?
- Why is sending the mother away before taking the children connected to having a long life? What can this mitzvah teach us?
-------------------
-------------------
