THE INTRIGUING MITZVA OF “SHILUACH HAKAN”

Rabbi Dunner looks at the intriguing mitzva of Shiluach HaKan, which requires a person to dispatch a mother bird before removing the eggs or hatchlings from its nest.

Rabbi Dunner explains how understanding this mitzva is a portal into a much deeper question, namely whether mitzvot were given to be followed blindly, or whether they need to make sense.

There is a quote in the Talmud that seems to say that God’s mitzvot are inexplicable decrees, even when a mitzva seems to be about compassion, such as Shiluach HaKan, or our method of animal slaughter. The classic medieval commentaries find this statement extremely vexing.

Rabbi Dunner shares a passage from Guide to the Perplexed, as well as Ramban’s views, on this fascinating mitzva.

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