(ד) וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְלָקַ֧ח לַמִּטַּהֵ֛ר שְׁתֵּֽי־צִפֳּרִ֥ים חַיּ֖וֹת טְהֹר֑וֹת וְעֵ֣ץ אֶ֔רֶז וּשְׁנִ֥י תוֹלַ֖עַת וְאֵזֹֽב׃
The priest shall order two live clean birds, cedar wood, crimson stuff, and hyssop to be brought for him who is to be cleaned
(ה) וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְשָׁחַ֖ט אֶת־הַצִּפּ֣וֹר הָאֶחָ֑ת אֶל־כְּלִי־חֶ֖רֶשׂ עַל־מַ֥יִם חַיִּֽים׃
The priest shall order one of the birds slaughtered over fresh water in an earthen vessel.
The Daat Zkenim answers in passuk ה׳ why the priest commands one of the birds to be slaughtered, while the other gets let go. He explains that this act taught the lesson that if a person receiving atonement displays remorse, he would return to his society, and be restored as a useful member who can associate with society.
What other answers are there to this question?
- Why does the priest specifically want birds? What is their symbolism?
- Where else are birds used in the Torah?
- Who is the priest commanding to slaughter the bird.
- Why was it necessary to have two birds? Why was one insufficient?
ESTI FIELDS
ReplyDeleteWhere else are birds used in the Torah:
In Devarim 22:6-7 it says that if you find a mother bird and her eggs in the next, you must send the mother bird away and take the eggs in order to receive a long life- שילוח הקן- The Chizkuni says that you must send the mother bird away before taking the eggs of the bird and using them because it would “be an act of cruel insensitivity” if the mother saw her kids being taken away. I think what the Chizkuni says is simple yet makes sense because it would be mean to the mother bird if she watched her own children being taken
Chizkuni comments saying that the Cohen commands any Israelite but some chachamim say an ordinary Israelite can’t kill the bird
ReplyDeleteI like the answer of who can do it because sometimes I feel like Israelites aren’t involved in any of the Beit Hamikdash work but this gives us a job
In the story of Noach, there was a huge flood for forty days and forty nights. Noach releases a dove after the flood in order to find land. It came back carrying a freshly plucked olive leaf, a sign of life after the flood and of Hashems bringing Noah, his family and the animals to land. The dove symbolizes peace, and the end to the flood.
ReplyDeleteBirds are mentioned multiple times throughout the Torah. For example, in parshab shin I the Torah talks about various birds that are kosher and non kosher. It writes “hey shall not be eaten, they are a detestable thing: the great vulture, and the bearded vulture, and the ospray; 14 and the kite, and the falcon after its kinds; 15 every raven after its kinds; 16 and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds; 17 and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl; 18 and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture; 19 and the stork, and the heron after its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat. 20 All winged swarming things that go upon all fours are a detestable thing unto you. “ Furthermore, there is a midrash that we will fly the wings of Eagles when moschiach comes. I find it interesting that birds are sometimes used as something to demonstrated foulness or evil and sometimes a message of peace. Also it’s interesting how birds are a constant motif seen in the Torah.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the priest specifically want birds? Well Rashi says that we know that Tzaraat come as a result of Lashon Hara, which is done by talking/communicating. Therefore, to cleanse the person if his Tzaraat, he is required to bring birds, which chatter/talk constantly with chirping sounds. I really like this answer because I like how Rashi connected why someone receives Tzaraat to how they should cleanse themselves. Usually the treatment of the wound has nothing to do with how the wound happened, but here they are able to be connected which I think is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the significance of birds in the Torah?
ReplyDeleteIn שיר השירים, it discusses the loving relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, the nation being described as a “dove”. The dove is used as a comparison to us because of its spectacular qualities, emanated onto the Jewish people as well.
I really like this answer because it points to a real case of our nation being compared to a lovable creature in the eyes of Hashem.
The Ibn Ezra says how the reason it specifically says two birds is because the word “bird” applies to all types of birds and all they need to be is alive as the next word in the pasuk says.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really like this answer because it doesn’t really answer why it would be 2 birds specifically
Rivka Krause
ReplyDeleteWhere else in the Torah are birds seen?
Birds are also seen in the story of אברהם in the ברית בין הבטרים. As is seen in Bershiet 15:10:
וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֣וֹ אֶת־כָּל־אֵ֗לֶּה וַיְבַתֵּ֤ר אֹתָם֙ בַּתָּ֔וֶךְ וַיִּתֵּ֥ן אִישׁ־בִּתְר֖וֹ לִקְרַ֣את רֵעֵ֑הוּ וְאֶת־הַצִפֹּ֖ר לֹ֥א בָתָֽר׃
Abraham cuts up all the animals but doesn’t cut open the BIRD. According to rashi, the other animals represent the other nations who will be gradually wiped out. Just as the bird isn’t cut open so to Beni yisroel shall exist forever. It would be interesting to see if we could track the motif of birds and see if we can find an overarching symbolism.
Maytal Kessler
ReplyDeleteThe Daat Zkenim comments on this Pasuk by saying the the reason they use two birds is because it matches the sin that the person giving the קרבן is atoning for. Birds are known to be very “chatty” so the person who sinned of speech is atoning for his sins by giving this bird. I like this answer because it give a justification for the specifics of this קרבן. It makes us understand the meaning of this mistza more.