## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 228

###### Sifrei Devarim 228:1
[Sifrei Devarim 228:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:1)

(דברים כב ז) **שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח** – מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה. שִׁלְּחָהּ וְחָזְרָה, שִׁלְּחָהּ וְחָזְרָה, אֲפִלּוּ חָמֵשׁ פְּעָמִים – חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח**.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Pisqa’ 228**¹⁰³
1. *“You must* definitely *send away* the dam” (Dt. 22:7)—
This is a prescriptive commandment.
**If he sent her away and she returned,**
**and he sent her away and she returned**
**—even five times—**
**is he still under obligation to send her away?** ¹⁰⁴
As it is said:.
“You *must* definitely *send away* the dam” (Dt. 22:7).

footnotes:
¹⁰³ H:237-238; JN2:139.
¹⁰⁴ Cf. M. Hul.12:3.


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:2
[Sifrei Devarim 228:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:2)

הָאַוָּזִים וְתַרְנְגוֹלִים שֶׁמָּרְדוּ וְשֶׁקִּנְּנוּ בַּפַּרְדֵּס – חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּחַ; בַּבַּיִת – פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
2. **Ducks or chickens that got loose**
**and nested in an orchard—**
**one is under obligation to send the dam away.**
**If the birds are nesting in the house—**
**he need not send the dam away.**


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:3
[Sifrei Devarim 228:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:3)

(דברים כב ו) **אֶפְרוֹחִים אוֹ בֵיצִים**, מָה אֶפְרוֹחִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּם צוֹרֶךְ – יָצְאוּ מֵתִים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם צוֹרֶךְ, אַף בֵּיצִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם צוֹרֶךְ – יָצְאוּ בֵּיצִים מוּזָרוֹת שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם צוֹרֶךְ. מִעוּט אֶפְרוֹחִים שְׁנַיִם, מִעוּט בֵּיצִים שְׁנַיִם, וַאֲפִלּוּ אֵין שָׁם אֶלָּא בֵּיצָה אַחַת אוֹ אֶפְרוֹחַ אֶחָד – חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּחַ. דָּבָר אַחֵר: **כִּי יִקָּרֵא קַן צִפּוֹר לְפָנֶיךָ** מִכָּל מָקוֹם.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**“The fledglings or the eggs” (Dt. 22:6)—**
**fledglings are useful as food.**
**Therefore we exclude from the rule**
**dead fledglings, which are useless.**
**Similarly, eggs are useful as food.**
**Therefore we exclude from the rule**
**abnormal eggs, which are useless.**
**The minimum number intended**
**by the plural, *fledglings*, is two.**
**and the minimum of *eggs* is two.**¹⁰⁵ 227.2.
**Even if there is but one fledgling or one egg,**
**he is obliged to send off the dam.**
3. **Another word:**
**“If you happen across a bird’s nest” (Dt. 22:6)—**
**any place.**

footnotes:
¹⁰⁵ Cf. Pisqa’


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:4
[Sifrei Devarim 228:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:4)

**בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּכָל עֵץ אוֹ עַל הָאָרֶץ**, מַה דֶּרֶךְ רְשׁוּת – יָצְאוּ מְקֻשָּׁרִים שֶׁהֵן בִּרְשׁוּת אַחֵר.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**“*In the path*, in any tree, or upon the ground” (Dt. 22:6)—**
**just as the term, *in the path*,**
**implies that the birds are free-ranging,**
**we exclude from the rule**
**birds that are tied together,**
**for they obviously have limited range.**


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:5
[Sifrei Devarim 228:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:5)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: (דברים כב ז) **שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח** בִּטְהוֹרָה הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר; אוֹ אַף בִּטְמֵאָה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״כָּל צִפּוֹר טְהוֹרָה תֹּאכֵלוּ״ זֶה בִּנְיַן אָב, כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר **צִפּוֹר** – בִּטְהוֹרָה הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, כְּדִבְרֵי רַבִּי יֹאשִׁיָּה, הָא אִם שִׁלְּחָהּ וְהֶחְזִיר בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֶת פָּנָיו – פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּחַ.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**Another word:**
**“You *must* definitely *send* away the *dam*” (Dt. 22:7)—**
**the verse discusses a *clean* bird.**
**Or, [perhaps,] is it also**
**[discussing] an unclean bird?**
**The Teaching states:**
**“Every *clean* bird shall you eat” (Dt. 14:11).**
**This permits us to recognize**
**a family resemblance among scriptural verses,**¹⁰⁶. A hermeneutical principle whereby usage of a word in a primary context clarifies secondary usages.
**Thus, wherever the term, “bird,” is used**
**[as in Dt. 22:7, where “dam” appears],**
**the verse is referring to the *clean* bird**
**[indicated at Dt. 14:11]—**
**as in the words of R. Josiah.**
**Indeed, if he sent her away and returned to his journey,**
**he is under no obligation to repeatedly send her away.**

footnotes:
¹⁰⁶ Heb: binyan ‘ av


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:6
[Sifrei Devarim 228:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:6)

**שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח** – בַּנְּקֵבוֹת הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר וְלֹא בַּזְּכָרִים.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
**“You must definitely send away the *dam*” (Dt. 22:7)—**
**The verse is discussing females, not males.**¹⁰⁷

footnotes:
¹⁰⁷ The material of 228.2-3 appears to be a condensed reprise of 227.2-4, It is not well-attested in mss and early editions. See F:260, n.3, RH who includes the text in parentheses, and Pardo, ad loc.


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:7
[Sifrei Devarim 228:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:7)

קוֹרֵא זָכָר – רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מְחַיֵּב בְּשִׁלּוּחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח**, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: **הָאֵם** – פְּרָט לְקוֹרֵא זָכָר.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
4. **Regarding the male partridge,**
**R. Eliezer holds that he is under the rule**
**[and must be sent off before taking the young],**
**for it is said:**
**“You *must* definitely *send away* the *dam*”—**
**[That is, any bird *functioning as* the dam].**
**But sages release him from obligation,**
**as it is said:**
**“The *dam*” (Dt. 22:7)—**
**but not a male partridge.**¹⁰⁸

footnotes:
¹⁰⁸ //M. Hul. 12:2.


###### Sifrei Devarim 228:8
[Sifrei Devarim 228:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/228:8)

הַנּוֹטֵל אֵם מֵעַל הַבָּנִים, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: לוֹקֶה וְאֵינוֹ מְשַׁלֵּחַ, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים מְשַׁלֵּחַ וְאֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה וְכוּ׳ מַתְנִי׳ עַד מִצְווֹת חֲמוּרוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה.

**Trans. by Marty Jaffee, 2015:**
5. **One who takes the dam from the young—**
**R. Judah says:**
**He receives a judicial beating**
**[for violating the proscription of *sending off the dam*],**
**yet needn’t then send off the dam.**
**But sages say:**
**He must send off the dam,**
**yet does not receive a judicial beating.**
**{This is the general principle:**
**Any proscriptive commandment**
**which entails getting up and acting—**
**they do not administer stripes to the transgressor.** ¹⁰⁹
**A person must not take the dam from the young**
**even to cleanse a victim of Scale-disease.**
**Now, if, regarding a simple commandment—**
**costing at most an *issar***¹¹⁰ (Roman *denarius*).**—**
**the Torah promises:**
**“So that you should be well, and extend your days” (Dt. 22:7),**
**shouldn’t it follow that the same promise applies**
**to any of the Torah’s more arduous commandments?}**¹¹¹

footnotes:
¹⁰⁹ = M. Hul.12:4.
¹¹⁰ Usually evaluated at 1/24 of a dinar
¹¹¹ =M. Hul. 12:5.The bracketed material has been restored to the citation of the M. Hul. 12:5. RH’s citation of the Mishnah differs somewhat, making the same point. See F:260, l.12.