## Mishnah Chullin Chapter 12

###### Mishnah Chullin 12:1
[Mishnah Chullin 12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Chullin/r/12:1)

שִׁלּוּחַ הַקֵּן, נוֹהֵג בָּאָרֶץ וּבְחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ, בִּפְנֵי הַבַּיִת וְשֶׁלֹּא בִפְנֵי הַבַּיִת, בְּחֻלִּין אֲבָל לֹא בְמֻקְדָּשִׁין. חֹמֶר בְּכִסּוּי הַדָּם מִשִּׁלּוּחַ הַקֵּן, שֶׁכִּסּוּי הַדָּם נוֹהֵג בְּחַיָּה וּבְעוֹף, בִּמְזֻמָּן וּבְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מְזֻמָּן. וְשִׁלּוּחַ הַקֵּן, אֵינוֹ נוֹהֵג אֶלָּא בְעוֹף, וְאֵינוֹ נוֹהֵג אֶלָּא בְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מְזֻמָּן. אֵיזֶהוּ שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְזֻמָּן. כְּגוֹן אַוָּזִין וְתַרְנְגוֹלִין שֶׁקִּנְּנוּ בְפַרְדֵּס. אֲבָל אִם קִנְּנוּ בְּבַיִת, וְכֵן יוֹנֵי הַרְדְּסִיאוֹת, פָּטוּר מִשִּׁלּוּחַ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The mitzva of **sending** away the mother bird from **the nest applies** both **in Eretz** Yisrael **and outside of Eretz** Yisrael, and **in the presence of the Temple and not in the presence of the Temple.** It applies **to non-sacred** birds, **but** it does **not** apply **to sacrificial** birds. There are more **stringent** elements **in the covering of the blood than in the sending** away of the mother bird from **the nest, as the covering of the blood applies to undomesticated animals and birds, to** animals and birds that are readily **available** in one’s home, **and to** animals and birds **that are not** readily **available** and are hunted in the wild; **and the sending** of the mother bird from **the nest applies only to birds, and applies only to** birds **that are not** readily **available.** **What are** considered birds **that are not** readily **available?** They are any birds, even domesticated, that may fly away at any time, **such as geese or chickens that nested in the orchard [*pardes*]. But if** geese or chickens **nested in the house, and likewise,** with regard to **domesticated pigeons [*yonei hardisei’ot*],** one is **exempt from sending** away the mother bird.


###### Mishnah Chullin 12:2
[Mishnah Chullin 12:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Chullin/r/12:2)

עוֹף טָמֵא, פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ. עוֹף טָמֵא רוֹבֵץ עַל בֵּיצֵי עוֹף טָהוֹר, וְטָהוֹר רוֹבֵץ עַל בֵּיצֵי עוֹף טָמֵא, פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ. קוֹרֵא זָכָר, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְחַיֵּב, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to the nest of **a non-kosher bird,** one is **exempt from sending** away the mother bird. In a case where **a non-kosher bird is resting upon the eggs of a kosher bird, or a kosher** bird **is resting upon the eggs of a non-kosher bird,** one is **exempt from sending** away the bird. With regard to **a male pheasant [*korei*],** which is known to sit upon the eggs like the female of its species, **Rabbi Eliezer deems** one **obligated** to send it away, **and the Rabbis deem** one **exempt** from sending it away.


###### Mishnah Chullin 12:3
[Mishnah Chullin 12:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Chullin/r/12:3)

הָיְתָה מְעוֹפֶפֶת, בִּזְמַן שֶׁכְּנָפֶיהָ נוֹגְעוֹת בַּקֵּן, חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּחַ. אֵין כְּנָפֶיהָ נוֹגְעוֹת בַּקֵּן, פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ. אֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא אֶפְרוֹחַ אֶחָד אוֹ בֵיצָה אַחַת, חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כב), קַן, קֵן מִכָּל מָקוֹם. הָיוּ שָׁם אֶפְרוֹחִין מַפְרִיחִין אוֹ בֵיצִים מוּזָרוֹת, פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם), וְהָאֵם רֹבֶצֶת עַל הָאֶפְרֹחִים אוֹ עַל הַבֵּיצִים, מָה אֶפְרוֹחִין בְּנֵי קְיָמָא, אַף בֵּיצִים בְּנֵי קְיָמָא, יָצְאוּ מוּזָרוֹת. וּמָה הַבֵּיצִים צְרִיכִין לְאִמָּן, אַף הָאֶפְרוֹחִין צְרִיכִין לְאִמָּן, יָצְאוּ מַפְרִיחִין. שִׁלְּחָהּ וְחָזְרָה, שִׁלְּחָהּ וְחָזְרָה, אֲפִלּוּ אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה פְעָמִים, חַיָּב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם), שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח. אָמַר, הֲרֵינִי נוֹטֵל אֶת הָאֵם וּמְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת הַבָּנִים, חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם), שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח אֶת הָאֵם. נָטַל הַבָּנִים וְהֶחֱזִירָן לַקֵּן וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזְרָה הָאֵם עֲלֵיהֶם, פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
If the mother bird **was hovering** over the eggs or fledglings in the nest, **when its wings are touching** the eggs or fledglings **in the nest,** one is **obligated to send** away the mother. When its wings **are not touching** the eggs or fledglings **in the nest,** one is **exempt from sending** away the mother. Even if **there is only one fledgling or one egg,** one is **obligated to send** away the mother, **as it is stated:** “If a bird’s **nest** happens before you” (Deuteronomy 22:6), indicating that one is obligated to send away the mother bird from the **nest in any case.** If **there were fledglings** capable of **flying, or unfertilized eggs** from which a fledgling will not hatch, one is **exempt from sending** away the mother bird from the nest, **as it is stated** in the same verse: **“And the mother is resting upon the fledglings or upon the eggs.”** From the juxtaposition of the fledglings and the eggs one derives: **Just as the fledglings are living, so too, the eggs** must **be** capable of producing **living** fledglings. This **excludes unfertilized** eggs, which cannot produce a living fledgling. **And** furthermore, **just as the eggs need their mothers** to hatch them, **so too, the fledglings** must be those that **need their mothers.** This **excludes** fledglings that are capable of **flying.** If **one sent** away the mother bird **and it returned** to rest on the eggs, **even** if it returned **four or five times,** one is **obligated** to send it away again, **as it is stated: “You shall send [*shalle’aḥ teshallaḥ*] the mother”** (Deuteronomy 22:7). The doubled verb indicates that one must send away the mother bird multiple times if needed. If one **said: I am hereby taking the mother and sending** away **the offspring,** he is still **obligated** to send away the mother even if he sent away the offspring, **as it is stated: “You shall send the mother.”** If one sent away the mother and **took the offspring and** then **returned them** to the mother’s nest, **and thereafter the mother returned** and rested **upon them,** one is **exempt from sending** away the mother bird.


###### Mishnah Chullin 12:4
[Mishnah Chullin 12:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Chullin/r/12:4)

הַנּוֹטֵל אֵם עַל הַבָּנִים, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, לוֹקֶה וְאֵינוֹ מְשַׁלֵּחַ. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, מְשַׁלֵּחַ וְאֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כָּל מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁיֶּשׁ בָּהּ קוּם עֲשֵׂה, אֵין לוֹקִין עָלֶיהָ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to **one who takes the mother** bird **with** its **fledglings, Rabbi Yehuda says: He is flogged** for taking the mother bird, **and** he **does not send** away the mother. **And the Rabbis say: He sends** away the mother **and is not flogged,** as **this is the principle:** With regard to **any prohibition that entails** a command to **arise** and **perform** a mitzva, **one is not flogged for its** violation.


###### Mishnah Chullin 12:5
[Mishnah Chullin 12:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Chullin/r/12:5)

לֹא יִטֹּל אָדָם אֵם עַל הַבָּנִים, אֲפִלּוּ לְטַהֵר אֶת הַמְּצֹרָע. וּמָה אִם מִצְוָה קַלָּה שֶׁהִיא כְאִסָּר, אָמְרָה תוֹרָה (דברים כב), לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים, קַל וָחֹמֶר עַל מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**A person may not take the mother** bird **with the offspring even** if he takes the mother for use as part of the ritual **to purify the leper.** The mishna compares the reward for performing the mitzva of sending away the mother bird from the nest to the reward for performing other mitzvot: **And if** with regard to the sending away of the mother bird, which is **a mitzva** whose performance is **simple, as** it entails a loss of no more than **an *issar*,** i.e., the value of the mother bird, **the Torah says: “That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days”** (Deuteronomy 22:7), it may be derived by ***a fortiori*** inference that the reward is no less **for** the fulfillment **of the mitzvot in the Torah** whose performance is **demanding.**