## Sefer HaChinukh Mitzvah 124

###### Sefer HaChinukh 124:1
[Sefer HaChinukh 124:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/124:1)

**שֶׁלֹּא לְהַבְדִּיל בְּחַטַּאת הָעוֹף** – שֶׁלֹּא יַפְרִיד הַכֹּהֵן מִן הָעוֹף הַבָּא לְקָרְבָּן וְהוּא הַנִּקְרָא חַטַּאת הָעוֹף הָרֹאשׁ מִן הַגּוּף כְּשֶׁיִּמְלֹק אוֹתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ה ח) וּמָלַק אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ מִמּוּל עָרְפּוֹ וְלֹא יַבְדִּיל. וּפֵרוּשׁ מְלִיקָה הוּא (רש"י זבחים סה א) שֶׁנּוֹעֵץ הַכֹּהֵן צִפָּרְנָיו מִמּוּל עָרְפּוֹ דְּהַיְנוּ עֶצֶם הַנִּקְרָא עֶצֶם הַמַּפְרֶקֶת, וְחוֹתֵךְ הָעֶצֶם בְּצִפָּרְנָיו עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לַסִּימָנִין וְחוֹתֵךְ גַּם הַסִּימָנִין בְּצִפָּרְנוֹ אוֹ רֻבּוֹ שֶׁל אֶחָד מֵהֶם, וְזֹאת הִיא שְׁחִיטָתוֹ שֶׁל חַטָּאת הָעוֹף, וְצָרִיךְ הַכֹּהֵן שֶׁלֹּא יְחַתֵּךְ הַכֹּל לְגַמְרֵי עַד שֶׁיְּהֵא נִפְרָד הָרֹאשׁ מִן הַגּוּף. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר וְלֹא יַבְדִּיל. כְּבָר אָמַרְנוּ בְּמִצְוַת בִּנְיַן הַבַּיִת שֶׁאֵין בָּנוּ יְכֹלֶת וְגַם לֹא לַאֲשֶׁר קָטָנוֹ עָבָה מִמָּתְנֵינוּ לִמְצֹא טַעֲנָה גַּם עַל צַד הַפְּשָׁט בִּפְרָטֵי הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, וְדַי לָנוּ לִמְלַאכְתֵּנוּ זֹאת לְהוֹדִיעַ בְּעִנְיַן הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת דֶּרֶךְ כְּלָל קְצָת טַעַם עַל צַד הַפְּשָׁט, וּכְבָר כָּתַבְתִּי לְמַעְלָה (מצוה צה) מָה שֶׁיָּדַעְתִּי וְשָׁמַעְתִּי.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
**Not to sever a fowl sin-offering:** That the priest not sever the head from the fowl that comes as a sacrifice — and that is what is called the fowl sin-offering — when he cuts (*yimalek*) it, as it is stated (Leviticus 5:8), “and he shall *malak* its head across from its nape, and he shall not sever.” And the understanding of *melikah* (Rashi on Zevachim 65a) is that the priest plants his fingernail across from the nape — which is the bone that is called the neck-bone — and cuts the bone with his fingernail until he reaches the benchmarks, and [then] cuts the benchmarks (the esophagus and the trachea) with his fingernail, or the majority of one of them. And this is the slaughter of the fowl sin-offering. And the priest needs to not cut it all completely until the head be severed from the body. And about this is it stated, “and he shall not sever.” We have already said in the commandment of building the [Temple] (Sefer HaChinukh 95) that we do not have the ability — nor does one whose “small finger is thicker than our loins” — to find an argument about the details of the sacrifices even from the angle of its simple understanding. And it is enough for this work of ours to make known a little explanation about the content of the sacrifices more generally from the angle of the simple meaning. And I have already written above (Sefer HaChinukh 95) that which I have known and heard.


###### Sefer HaChinukh 124:2
[Sefer HaChinukh 124:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/124:2)

וְעִנְיַן הַמְּלִיקָה וְהָאַזְהָרָה שֶׁלֹּא יַבְדִּיל גַּם זֶה מִפְּרָטֵי הַקָּרְבָּן הוּא. וְאַךְ אָמְנָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָחוּשׁ לְהוֹצִיא כָּל רוּחוֹ יוּכַל לְהָשִׁיב כִּי אוּלַי בִּדְבַר הַמְּלִיקָה הַנַּעֲשֵׂית בְּיַד הַכֹּהֵן בְּחַטַּאת הָעוֹף, שֶׁהוּא קָרְבָּן שֶׁל עָנִי, רֶמֶז שֶׁיְּמַהֵר כָּל אָדָם בְּתַכְלִית הַמְּהִירוּת צָרְכּוֹ שֶׁל עָנִי, וְעַל כֵּן אֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ קָרְבָּנוֹ שְׁחִיטָה, שֶׁלֹּא יִצְטָרֵךְ הַכֹּהֵן לְחַזֵּר אַחַר הַסַּכִּין וּלְבָדְקוֹ, וְיִתְבַּטֵּל הֶעָנִי שָׁם מִמְּלַאכְתּוֹ בֵּינְתַיִם. גַּם לְהַפְלִיג הַמְּהִירוּת אָמַר שֶׁיַּתְחִיל מִמּוּל עָרְפּוֹ, כִּי הוּא הַמּוּכָן אֶל יָדוֹ וְלֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ לְהַפֵּךְ הַצַּוָּאר אֶל צַד הַסִּימָנִין. וְעוֹד יֵשׁ רֶמֶז בְּעִנְיַן הַמְּלִיקָה שֶׁהִיא מִמּוּל הָעֹרֶף בְּתוֹרִים וּבְנֵי יוֹנָה, שֶׁנִּמְשְׁלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּהֶן שֶׁלֹּא נִהְיֶה קְשֵׁי עֹרֶף.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
And the matter of *melikah* and the warning not to sever is also from the details of the sacrifice. However the one who is not concerned about expending all of his spirit can answer that maybe with the matter of *melikah* that is done by the hand of the priest on the fowl sin-offering, which is the sacrifice of the poor person, there is a hint that every person should be extremely quick with the needs of the poor person. And therefore his sacrifice does not need slaughter, so that the priest not need to look for the knife and to check it, and the poor person be [delayed] there in the meantime from his work. Also to expedite the speed, it stated that he begin across from its nape, since that is what is prepared [for] his hand, and that he not need to turn the neck to the side of the benchmarks. And there is also a further hint in the matter of *melikah* that is across from the nape of doves and young pigeons, which are compared to Israel, that we not be stiff-necked.


###### Sefer HaChinukh 124:3
[Sefer HaChinukh 124:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/124:3)

וְעִנְיָן אִסּוּר הַבְדָּלַת הָרֹאשׁ מִן הַגּוּף דָּבָר רָאוּי לְהִדּוּר הַקָּרְבָּן, כִּי בֶּאֱמֶת כְּשֶׁרֹאשׁ הָעוֹף דָּבֵק עִמּוֹ הוּא יוֹתֵר מְהֻדָּר, וְרָאוּי לָנוּ לְהַדֵּר קָרְבָּנוֹ שֶׁל עָנִי בְּכָל כֹּחֵנוּ, דַּי לָנוּ בַּעֲנִיּוּתוֹ, אֵין לָנוּ לְהוֹסִיף בְּדַלּוּתוֹ לִפְחֹת תֹּאַר קָרְבָּנוֹ. וְכָל זֶה מִן הַיְּסוֹד אֲשֶׁר בֻּנִּינוּ תְּחִלָּה כִּי מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת לִקְנוֹת בְּנַפְשֵׁנוּ מִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת וּמַעֲלוֹת, וּלְהַכְשִׁיר פְּעֻלּוֹתֵינוּ בְּכֹחַ הַדִּמְיוֹנוֹת שֶׁאֲנַחְנוּ עֲסוּקִים בָּהֶם, כִּי מִהְיוֹת הָאָדָם בַּעַל חֹמֶר לֹא יְצַיֵּר וְיִקְבַּע הַדְּבָרִים צִיּוּר חָזָק בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כִּי אִם עַל יְדֵי הַפְּעֻלּוֹת. וְעַד שֶׁשָּׁמַעְנוּ טַעַם אַחֵר נַחְזִיק בָּזֶה.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
And the matter of the prohibition of severing the head from the body is something that is fit to embellish the sacrifice — as truly when the head of the fowl clings to it, it is more embellished. And it is fitting for us to embellish the sacrifice of the poor person with all of our might; it is enough for him [to suffer] with his poverty — we should not add to his paucity by reducing the stature of his sacrifice. And all of this is from the foundation that we have built at the beginning — that it is from the roots of the sacrifices to acquire good and lofty traits for our souls, and to refine our deeds through the power of comparisons with that in which we are involved. As since man is physical, he cannot fashion and fix the things with a strong fashioning in his soul, except with actions. And until we hear another reason, we will hold on to this.


###### Sefer HaChinukh 124:4
[Sefer HaChinukh 124:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/124:4)

מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. כְּגוֹן מַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (זבחים סד ב) כֵּיצַד אוֹחֵז הַכֹּהֵן חַטַּאת הָעוֹף בִּשְׁעַת מְלִיקָה, אוֹחֵז שְׁתֵּי רַגְלֵי הָעוֹף בֵּין שְׁתֵּי אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו, וּשְׁתֵּי גַּפֶּיהָ בֵּין שְׁתֵּי אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו, וּמוֹתֵחַ צַוָּארָהּ אֶל רֹחַב שְׁתֵּי אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו וּמוֹלֵק, וְזוֹ מֵעֲבוֹדוֹת קָשׁוֹת שֶׁבַּמִּקְדָּשׁ. וְאִם שִׁנָּה וְאָחַז מִכָּל מָקוֹם כְּשֵׁרָה. וְכָל הַמָּקוֹם מִן הַמִּזְבֵּחַ כָּשֵׁר לַמְּלִיקָה. (שם סג א) פֵּרוּשׁ גַּם זֶה נֹאמַר שֶׁהוּא לְמַהֵר עִנְיָנוֹ שֶׁל עָנִי, וּלְפִיכָךְ אֵין לוֹ מָקוֹם מְיֻחָד. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֶיהָ מְבֹאָרִים בִּזְבָחִים (סג א, ע ב) [הלכות מעשה הקרבנות פ"ו].

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
From the laws of the commandment is, for example, that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Zevachim 64b), “How does the priest grab the fowl sin-offering at the time of *melikah*? He grabs the fowl’s two legs between two of his fingers and its two wings between two of his fingers, and he stretches its neck upon the width of two of his fingers and does *melikah*. And this is from the hardest services in the Temple.” But if he alters and grabs any place it is [still] fit. And any place on the altar is fit for *melikah* (Zevachim 63a). We can say that the explanation of this is also to quicken the matter of the poor person — and hence, it has no specific place. And the rest of its details are elucidated in *Zevachim*. (See Mishneh Torah, Laws of Sacrificial Procedure 6.)


###### Sefer HaChinukh 124:5
[Sefer HaChinukh 124:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaChinukh/r/124:5)

וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת בְּכֹהֲנִים וּבְכָל אָדָם, שֶׁכָּל מִי שֶׁהִבְדִּיל בְּחַטַּאת עוֹף, לוֹקֶה.

**Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018:**
And it is practiced at the time of the [Temple] by priests and by every person, as anyone who severs a foul sin-offering is lashed.