Kommentar zu Wajikra 1:14

מן העוף [AND IF A BURNT OFFERING … BE] OF FOWLS — of (i.e. of some of) but not of every description of fowls (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 1.2 and Rashi on Leviticus 1:10). Since Scripture states, (Leviticus 22:19) “[Ye shall offer, to be accepted for you,] a male without blemish (תמים זכר) of the oxen, of the sheep and of the goats”, it is evident (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 1.2 and Rashi on Leviticus 1:10) that unblemished condition and male sex in sacrifices are required only in the case of cattle, but unblemished condition and male sex are not required in the case of fowls. If, then, the condition of the fowl is immaterial one might think that a fowl may be brought as a sacrifice even if it lacks a limb! Scripture therefore states: “of fowls” — but not all fowls (Sifra, Emor, Section 7 2; Kiddushin 24b).

OF TURTLEDOVES OR OF YOUNG PIGEONS. Scripture chose these two species [of birds] because they are accessible and can be more easily caught than other [birds], just as our Rabbis have mentioned¹⁶⁵Vayikra Rabbah 27:6. with reference to any of the sheep, and any of the goats,¹⁶⁶Deuteronomy 14:4. that [Scripture chose these species so that] a person should be able to bring an offering from those animals that feed at his crib, and should not have to take his weapons, quiver and bow, to go out on the hunt to bring it.¹⁶⁷Genesis 27:5. See also ibid., Verse 3. He chose grown-up turtledoves¹⁶⁸Turtledoves may be offered only after their neck-feathers have turned bright yellow. Pigeons may be brought only when they are still so young that when their feathers are plucked blood is drawn (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Isurei Mizbeiach 3:2). because they abstain [from pairing with strangers] and attach themselves only to their mates, and once they lose their companions they never associate with others. So Israel cleave to the Eternal their G-d,¹⁶⁹See Deuteronomy 4:4. and never attach themselves to another deity, Pigeons, on the other hand, are very jealous and as a result of their jealousy they part [from their previous mates] and take on other mates. Therefore He chose them [as offerings] only when they are young, before their mating begins, for as long as the pigeon is young it is attached with greater love to the nest where it is reared than are all other fowls. Our Rabbis have mentioned¹⁷⁰Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:5. that if a person touches the nest of all other fowls to take therefrom the young ones or the eggs, they leave it and never nest therein again, but the pigeon never abandons it under any condition. And so is [the people of] Israel. They will never exchange their Creator and His Torah, but “either Jews or nailed to the stake.” He did not choose cocks [as offerings although they are readily accessible] because of their inclination to lewdness.
Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim¹⁷¹Guide of the Perplexed III, 46. that the reason for choosing grown-up turtledoves and young pigeons as offerings is that these are the best of their species, since old pigeons are less tasty. But this is not true, for young pigeons are almost inedible as a result of their excessive moistness. If, however, we are to take into consideration their natural tendencies as far as eating them is concerned, it is possible that they were chosen for their special qualities; for turtledoves have a propensity to sharpening of the mind, and young pigeons have a propensity to benefit greatly those who are not fully-matured physically, such as youths in the intermediate stage between boyhood and maturity, and the like.

ואם מן העוף, and if it is from the category of birds, etc. The letter ו in the word ואם means that the rules mentioned previously as applicable to burnt-offerings of four-legged animals apply also to burnt-offerings consisting of birds unless they are specifically negated by what is written in this paragraph. Amongst the differences are: 1) a bird cannot serve as any offering other than a burnt-offering. We derive this from the word העוף עולה as distinct from the descriptions used for burnt-offerings of four-legged animals in the previous two paragraphs. Alternatively, the very word עולה is superfluous and comes to tell us that it is the only kind of offering that can be offered using birds. 2) We also use the word קרבנו restrictively, i.e. that only an individual can offer a burnt-offering consisting of a bird, not a community. 3) the rule that instead of slaughtering the bird it must have its head pinched off is applicable only to a priest, whereas the parallel act of slaughtering the four-legged animal designated as a burnt-offering may be performed also by a non-priest, an Israelite. In instances where in the previous two paragraphs some details have been repeated needlessly, this means that they applied only to the burnt-offering consisting of four-legged animals. The other details, each of which appears in only one of the previous two paragraphs, apply equally to burnt-offerings consisting of birds. Examples of exclusions which are derived from the respective paragaphs are: animals which have been mated with other species, animals set aside to serve as sacrifice for an idol; animals which had been used for idolatrous purposes, animals which are טרפה, have a terminal defect; diseased animals, over-age animals; stolen animals. All of the aforesaid are unfit to serve as burnt-offerings, or as any other offering. All of these examples are listed in the fourth chapter of Maimonides' treatise Issurey Hamizbeach.

מן התורים או מן היונים, “from the turtledoves or from young doves.” Nachmanides writes that the reason the Torah selected only these two birds as suitable for bird-offerings, out of a vast amount of biologically suitable birds, [there being only 24 categories of predatory birds which are disqualified by their inherent unsuitability, the Torah referring to them as “impure,” Ed.] is that they have a degree of domesticity in common with the three categories of ruminants which are suitable for sacrifice. Any of the species mentioned can be raised by man in his backyard quite easily, and he does not have to hunt for them when he is in need of offering them as a sacrifice. (Vayikra Rabbah 27,6) The reason why, apparently, G’d prefers the fully grown turtledoves as sacrificial birds, is that these have demonstrated a degree of chastity in their sex lives, and if one loses its mate, it is a well known fact that it does not mate again ever. In this example of undying loyalty to a life’s partner, they resemble the Jewish people, who, having chosen G’d as their “partner,” will never consider trading Him for another. On the other hand, the young doves, יונים, are very jealous by nature, as a result of which they frequently exchange mates, more so even than other species of birds. None of the members of this species are acceptable as sacrificial birds, except the very young, ones that have not yet had a chance to display their indiscriminate sexual habits. While very young, these doves display exceptional patience in staying in their nests, not feeling the urge to explore the world around them. Chickens, though also domesticated, as they cannot fly, are rejected as potential sacrifices due to their promiscuity.

But not all fowl. I.e., although a blemished bird is fit [as an offering], nevertheless, a bird lacking a limb is unfit [as an offering]. However, we do not say ואם מן העוף — the ו adds [to the previous section] and a bird would be unfit [as an offering] even if it is only blemished, and it needs to be a male. For if so, why does it say “an unblemished male” with regard to sheep? It could have derived the later section [sheep] from the previous section [cattle]. Rather, it comes to exclude [that only regarding cattle and sheep does Scripture require unblemished males, but not regarding birds] (Re”m).

ואם מן העוף, if the offering consists of a bird or birds; the word מן “from,” here means that parts of a bird are offered up. If the bird in question is missing one of its limbs it is not fit to be offered up as a sacrifice. (Sifra)

התרים TURTLEDOVES — Grown-up ones only may be offered but not young ones.

Large ones. Otherwise, Scripture should have written בני תורים as it writes בני יונה, which refers only to small ones. Rather, [it must mean the large ones]... We learn from the expression בני יונה that there is only one kind [of pigeons] that is fit — specifically small ones — since it is written, בני (the sons of) — so too, turtledoves, have only one kind that is fit. And we surely cannot say it refers to small ones, as I explained above. If so, it must mean the large ones.

קרבנו לשם, his offering to G'd. The reason the Torah adds these words here whereas they did not appear in the previous two paragraphs is that the Torah included birds which have certain physical defects as fit to serve as a sacrifice, something which is not the case with offerings consisting of four-legged animals. The source of this halachah is Kidushin 24: אין זכרות ותמות בעוף; "the requirement that sacrificial burnt-offerings be male and free from physical blemish does not apply to burnt-offerings consisting of birds." In view of this relaxation of certain rules when an offering consists of a bird, logic would have told us that any bird-offering is of an inferior nature, why else would the Torah permit a blemished bird to serve as an offering? The Torah therefore had to tell us that as far as G'd is concerned, קרבנו לשם the bird-offering is equally esteemed in the eyes of the Lord.

העוף עולה, a bird does not qualify as a peace offering, i.e. a creature which is partially consumed by the donor or the priest. (Sifra)

בני יונה YOUNG DOVES — Young doves only may be offered but not grown-up ones (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 8 4; Chullin 22a).

Excluding [birds whose feathers] are becoming bright. I.e., when the feathers start to redden.

We find support for our view from Isaiah 57,15 where the prophet describes G'd as especially close to the "contrite and lowly in spirit," and our sages in Sotah 5 interpret this as either: אני את דכא, "I descend from Heaven in order to be close to the contrite," or as אתי דכא, "I elevate the contrite to My domain." It is due to such considerations that the name of G'd is written next to the bird-offering and not next to the offerings consisting of four-legged animals. Anyone who offers a burnt-offering consisting of a bird is presumed to be in low spirits seeing he cannot afford to offer something of greater value to G'd. We find the same approach in Menachot 104 where the Talmud explains the reason for the wording נפש כי תקריב מנחה לשם, (2,1) as a hint that a poor person who cannot afford to offer more than a meal-offering is considered as offering his whole personality, נפש, to G'd by means of such a low cost offering.

העוף עולה קרבנו, the personal pronoun at the end of the word קרבנו, “his,” teaches that birds may only be offered by individuals, not by a group of individuals. (Sifra)

מן התרים או מן בני היונה OF TURTLEDOVES AND OF YOUNG DOVES — The word מן is intended to exclude birds in the first stage of their plumage becoming golden-coloured in the case of the one as of the other, for this stage makes the bird unfit for sacrifice, since such a bird is a grown-up one in the case of בני יונה and a young one in the case of תורים (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 8 5; Chullin 22b).

והקריב, “then he shall bring;” the connective letter ו at the beginning of this word indicates that the Torah speaks of two people having shared in paying for this offering. [Two partners are not considered a group which the Torah had stated as unable to share in the cost of one bird. Ed.]

מן התורים, “from the turtledoves;” even if these have already fully matured. The reason that the Torah uses the word התורים in the plural mode, is that when the mate of one of the turtledoves has died, the surviving dove is not suitable as a sacrifice anymore as it will not mate with another dove of the gender to the dead dove. (Talmud tractate Eyruvin, folio 100)

או מבני היונה, “or from immature pigeons.” Seeing that a fully mature pigeon is gullible, it does not have a “heart” so that if its mate dies it does not mind mating with another member of its species. Hence the Torah permits only very young pigeons to be offered as a sacrifice. Seeing that these two categories of birds are more persecuted than any other creature, G-d selected them to serve as sacrifices on behalf of man. (Compare Talmud tractate Baba Kamma, folio 93.)