Chullin 139b — the Talmud in English

Could even this,

valuations, be

so,

that he is exempt from responsibility from the time of setting aside the money?

The verse states: “And he shall give the valuation,” etc. Hulin

they are

until they come into the hand of the treasurer.

For “and he shall give” implies that he becomes exempt only from the time of giving.

We see that valuations, too, entail responsibility for them!

Rather, if the statement

of Rav Hamnuna

was transmitted,

this is how it was transmitted:

Rav Hamnuna said: Everyone agrees concerning valuations that, even though he did not say

“Behold”

“upon me,” he is liable

for their responsibility.

What is the reason?

For it is written: “And he shall give the valuation.”

It implies:

They are unconsecrated in your possession until they come into the hand of the treasurer.

We learned in the Mishna:

The stringency of covering blood, etc.

The Sages taught:

It is written:

“When a bird’s nest happens before you

etc.”

What does the verse teach

[what does this verse teach us]?

Since it is stated: “You shall surely send away the mother, and the young you may take for yourself.”

And seemingly, from the repetition of the expression “you shall surely send away,”

one might have thought

that there is a mitzva upon every person to

go back

[search]

through mountains and hills so that he will find a nest

to fulfill the mitzva?

The verse states: “When it happens,” in an occurrence

that happens

before you

specifically, and not that you should go back after it.

“Nest” —

in any event,

even if there is one nestling or one egg in the nest, he is obligated [as in the following Mishna].

And from the word

“bird” —

we expound that specifically with a

pure

bird is he obligated in sending away,

and not

with an

impure

[as below in the Gemara].

“Before you” —

to include a nest found

in private property,

such as in an orchard and in an unguarded courtyard, where it is not considered “available.”

“On the way” —

to include

a nest found

in public property 4 .

A nest found

in trees

—from where do we know that he is obligated to send it away?

The verse states: “In every tree.”

A nest found

in pits, ditches, and caves—from where? The verse states: “Or upon the ground.”

And we raised an objection:

But since in the end we include everything

from the fact that “in every tree or upon the ground” is written, why do we need the verse

“before you, on the way”?

And we explain: This verse comes

to tell you: Just as a way has no nest in your possession,

that is, it is not available and is not acquired by you, but is in ownerless territory,

so too every

one must be

without a nest in your possession. From here they said: Dovecote pigeons and attic pigeons that nested in niches

[places in a wall in which small bowls are placed]

and towers

[dwellings and a city tower],

and geese and chickens

that rebelled and

nested in an orchard —

he is obligated to send them away,

for now the nest is not in his possession.

But if they nested inside the house, and likewise Herodian pigeons

[this will be explained below] —

he is exempt from sending them away 5 .

The master said: Just as a way has no nest in your possession, so too everything has no nest in your possession.

And we raised an objection:

This

verse of “way”

why do I need it?

This

is derived from “when it happens”

this exposition

“when it happens” —

excluding an available nest!

And furthermore,

the verse

“before you” — why do I need it?

Rather,

the verse

“before you” comes to include that they were before you,

that is, they were his,

and

afterward

they rebelled.

And the verse

“on the way”

comes for

what Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav. For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: One who found a nest in the sea,

such as when the sea swept away a tree, and there was a nest at the top of the tree —

is obligated to send it away. As it is stated: “So said the Lord, Who gives a way in the sea,” etc.,

we see from this verse that the sea is called “way.”

The Gemara raises an objection:

If that is so, one who found a nest in the sky,

that is, a bird carrying a nest, and the sky is also called “way,”

as it is written: “The way of an eagle in the sky”—would he likewise be obligated in sending away the nest?

The Gemara answers: The sky is called

“the way of an eagle,”

but

“way” without qualification —

it is not called so.

The people of Papuna said to Rav Mattana: One who found a nest on a person's head—what is the law?

Is he obligated to send it away or not?

He said

to them: It is written:

“And earth upon his head.”

The wording of the verse implies that it used “earth” and not “dust”: although it is upon a person's head and not upon the ground, it is considered attached to the ground, because a person too is considered earth.

The people of Papuna further asked Rav Mattana:

Moses—from the Torah, from where?

Where is it hinted that Moses our master was destined to be, before it is stated explicitly in the verse?

He said to them: It is written [Genesis 6:5]:

“For he too is flesh.”

“For he too” has the numerical value 345, the same as “Moses.” It is also written there, “and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years,” a hint to a person who would come and whose days would be one hundred and twenty years.

They further asked him: A hint to the story of

Haman—from the Torah, from where?

He said to them: For it is written:

“Is it from the tree?” —

a hint that he would be hanged on the tree.

A hint to the story of

Esther—from the Torah, from where?

He said to them: From the fact that it is written:

“And I will surely hide.”

A hint that in the days of Esther there would be hiding of the Face.

A hint to the greatness of

Mordecai—from the Torah, from where?

For it is written: “Pure myrrh,”

which is the chief of the spices in the incense,

and we translate it: “pure myrrh.”

And “pure myrrh” resembles “Mordecai,” a hint to his greatness, that he was chief of the righteous and the Men of the Great Assembly.

We learned in our Mishna:

And which is not available, etc.

Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Shimon: one

of them

taught “the Herodians,” and one

of them

taught “the Herodians.”

And we explain:

The one who taught “the Herodians” —

they were called so after Herod

because he involved himself in raising them.

And the one who taught “the Herodians” —

they were called so after their place.

and were called so because of it.

Rav Kahana said: I myself saw them

—I saw the descendants of those pigeons of Herod—

and they stood

[they were standing]

sixteen rows

[sixteen rows]

at the opening of Milah

[each row a mil wide].

And they were calling

[they were calling]

“kiri kiri”

[“my lord, my lord”].

There was one of them that did not call

[that did not call]

“kiri kiri”

like its companions.

Her companion said to it: Blind one

[a foolish one lacking sight]!

Say

you too

“kiri kiri”

like us!

It said to her,

that pigeon:

Blind one! Say

you

“kiri biri”

[slave]! For Herod was initially a slave, and afterward he rebelled.

Slaves who remained from Herod's slaves came,

they brought

that pigeon

and slaughtered it.

Rav Ashi said, Rabbi Hanina said to me:

What Rav Kahana said, that he saw those pigeons do this —

words

[mere words of spirit] they are! For it is impossible that the pigeons spoke in this manner.

The Gemara raises an objection:

“Words”—could this enter your mind?!

But Rav Kahana said that he saw this thing, and if so, certainly he saw it as he said!

Rather, say: through words

—those pigeons spoke through sorcery.

We learned in our Mishna:

An impure bird is exempt from being sent away.

From where are these matters?

Rabbi Isaac said: For the verse says: “When a bird’s nest happens before you.” “Bird” implies to us both pure and impure,

but

“bird”—we find that the pure is called “bird”; the impure

we do not find that it is called “bird.”

And since here “bird” is said, it implies that specifically the pure is obligated in sending away, but not the impure.

ta shma:

From what is written, “lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves, etc.,

the form of every winged bird,”

and this verse also refers to an impure bird, for surely the Torah prohibited making even the form of an impure bird.

What, is it not

the verse being expounded as follows:

“Bird”—

both pure and impure; “wing”—

to include

locusts!

And we reject this.

No. “Bird”—

pure

is implied specifically, as above.

“Wing”—

to include

an impure bird and locusts.

ta shma: From what is written,

“Praise Hashem from the earth, etc.,

the animal and every beast, creeping thing and winged bird.”

And this verse certainly also refers to the impure, for even an impure bird praises Hashem.

What, is it not that “bird”—

both pure and impure

is implied,

and “wing”

to include

locusts,

and it is proven that “bird” also means an impure [bird]!

And we reject this:

No. “Bird”—

pure

is implied specifically.

“Wing”—

to include

an impure bird and locusts.

ta shma

from the words of the verse concerning the living creatures that came to the ark,

“every bird, every wing.” What, is it not as we challenged,

that “bird” also means an impure bird, for impure birds also came to the ark, and “wing” includes locusts?!

And we reject this:

No. As we answered,

for from “wing” we learn [the inclusion of] the impure and locusts.

ta shma:

For it is written concerning Gog and Magog,

“And you, son of man, say to every winged bird, etc.,

gather yourselves from all around for My sacrifice that I am sacrificing for you, etc., and you shall eat flesh and drink blood.”

What, is it not as we challenged,

that “bird” implies even impure birds, for surely He also called to the impure, and “wing” includes locusts?

And we reject this:

No. As we answered,

for from “wing” we include the impure and locusts.