Shiluach haken
| Halakhic texts relating to this article | |
|---|---|
| Torah: | Deuteronomy 22:6 |
| Babylonian Talmud: | Chullin 140b |
| Mishneh Torah: | Hilchot Schechita 13 |
| Shulchan Aruch: | Yoreh Deah 292 |
Shiluach haken (Hebrew: שלוח הקן) is the Jewish law derived from the Torah that enjoins one to send away the mother bird before taking her young or her eggs. This only applies to Kosher birds. The Torah promises longevity to someone who performs this commandment. Some contemporary Haredi Jews have the practice of sending away the mother bird even if they do not want her eggs or young.Hasidic Rebbes are often followers of this custom.
Theodicy
In Talmudic literature, the requirement to send away the mother bird is a locus classicus for discussion of theodicy. One example of this is in Kiddushin 39b which discusses the problem whether the reward for commandments in in this world or the next. In addition, the Talmud famously records that Elisha ben Abuyah saw a child die after performing this commandment, and this irreconcilable instance of theodicy led him away from Judaism.
Popular Culture
The trope of theodicy and Shiluach haken is repeated in David Vollach's 2007 My Father My Lord where Avraham sends away the mother bird immediately proceeding the death of his son Menachem.