Questions tagged [birds]
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Is a dead bat impure?
The Torah lists the ״עטלף״ which is generally translated to mean “a bat”, among the non kosher birds, but does that mean that it is considered a bird for every purpose, like when it comes to the laws ...
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Do the sages give any sort of insight as to why humans and land animals were created AFTER birds and fish?
The genesis description of creation states that on the 5th day, G-d created all fish and sea creatures and filled the sky with all variety of birds that fly.
After this, G-d creates all the land ...
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Covering the blood of the Metzora’s bird
Does the bird slaughtered for the Metzora’s purification require covering its blood?
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Peacock and date palm symbolism
In episode 2 of Simon Schama's documentary 'The Story of the Jews' ('Among Believers'), he introduces the art of the Vigna Randanini catacombs.
In talking about the imagery and the connection between ...
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Why don't the birds get the bracha of פְּרוּ?
In the creation of the world when Hashem is creating fish and birds, the verse in Beresheit 1:22 says,"וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֗וּ וּמִלְא֤וּ אֶת־הַמַּ֙יִם֙ בַּיַּמִּ֔ים ...
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Chiddushei ha-Rim on the stork
In a d'var Torah on Parashat R'eh, Rabbi Mirvis wrote:
The Chidushei Harim … tells us that the ‘chasida’, the stork, is
indeed selfless and kind-hearted, however, only to birds of its own
feather. ...
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Bracha over searching kosher signs
Is there a bracha that is made over searching the kosher signs of animals, whether animals, birds or fish - given that the Rambam lists these as individual mitzvot.
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And he shall rend it by its wings - questions on the burnt offering
Today, my Chavrusa and I were learning Parashas (Vayikra 1:17):
And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young ...
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Black Raven bad luck?
There is a Jewish Bukharin custom to consider a black Raven going next to you a sign of bad luck (someone in the family will be the opposite of life rh"l).
Is this a non-Jewish superstition?
Or a ...
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What is the kosher status of quail and pheasant and other similar birds? How do they differ from turkey?
It was mentioned somewhere that we didn't have a mesorah for turkey, but somehow it became accepted as a kosher bird within the Ashkenazi population.
I'm wondering what the status of quail and ...
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In Gittin 45a was the Captive who ידע בלישנא דציפורי a soothsayer?
In Gittin 45a, we read about a Man who ידע בלישנא דציפורי knew the language of birds. - While in captivity with Rav Ilish, the bird translator speaks for a Raven and Dove. The Birds try to tell Rav ...
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Is there a list of kosher duck species?
A while ago, I asked a mashgiach what type of duck is typically sold in the U.S. kosher market? He said mallards.
My area has many mallards in nearby ponds. But, I also see teals and wood ducks as ...
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Rule (Ze haKlal) in Kinnim 3:1
In certain cases, the Torah prescribes the bringing of a pair of birds as an offering, one as a chatat and the other as an olah. See Lev 12:8, Lev 14:22, Lev 15:14, Lev 15:29, and Num 6:10.
Kinnim 3:1 ...
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Kinnim mix-ups with different numbers of pairs in each group
In certain cases, the Torah prescribes the bringing of a pair of birds as an offering, one as a chatat and the other as an olah. See Lev 12:8, Lev 14:22, Lev 15:14, Lev 15:29, and Num 6:10.
The ...
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How to bring kinnim after having mixed up birds
In certain cases, the Torah prescribes the bringing of a pair of birds as an offering, one as a chatat and the other as an olah. See Lev 12:8, Lev 14:22, Lev 15:14, Lev 15:29, and Num 6:10.
The mishna ...
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If the Dodo bird had a tradition of being kosher & was resurrected, would it be OK to eat again?
Came across an article titled "Could scientists resurrect the dodo bird?" and it made me wonder: suppose there was a mesorah that the Dodo bird was kosher before it went extinct in 1681.
If we in ...
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According to Kabbalah is it okay to have a pet dove?
I want to buy a dove but my parents say that they heard that according to Kabbalah you cannot own a bird as a pet.
I want to know what Kabbalah says about this.
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Sanhedrin 108b: What type of bird is the tushlami?
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 108b says the following:
(Source from Sefaria.org)
(בראשית ו, יב) כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו על הארץ א"ר יוחנן מלמד שהרביעו בהמה על חיה וחיה על בהמה והכל על אדם ואדם על הכל ...
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Shiluach Hakan - mitzva details [closed]
I was wondering, which birds qualify for the mitzva of shiluach hakan?
Is it OK if there's a time gap between scaring off the bird and taking the egg (ten, twenty, thirty minutes)?
What should we do ...
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What is the Shaḥaf according to Ḥizquni?
The שחף (Shaḥaf) is a bird forbidden by the Torah in both Sefer Wayiqra and Devarim.
Ḥizquni (חזקוני, Rabbi Ḥizqiyah ben Manoaḥ), writing in Old French, states (Wayiqra 11:16):
אשפמר"א ויש אומרים: ...
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Birdseed and Bal Yeraeh
Does one need to get rid of whole dagan (e.g. wheat or barley) kernels before Pesach (such as might be found in packages of birdseed)? Could there be any concern of a biblical/rabbinic prohibition?
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History of using a feather quill for safrut
In the times of Chazal a reed (קנה) was used for writing (as is clear from Ta'anit 20b). When did the practice of writing with a feather begin? Also, since feathers did exist in those times, why did ...
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Why is it considered "good mazal" to have a bird drop on you?
I have heard over and over again from people that it's "good mazal" when a bird defecates on you. Is there any source to support this or is it entirely superstition? If it has no source, where might ...
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Practicing melikah on a bird
Is there any prohibition to perform the method of melikah on a bird to practice or to learn how it was done in the mikdash?
Is it bal tashchis, or is it considered doing something productive such as ...
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It is same species if offspring can have offspring (source)
I heard that if we do not have a messora on a certain bird but we do have one on a similar species then we can check by checking if their offspring can have offspring
What is this idea based on?
I ...
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Torah view on the Chicken or the Egg?
What is the Torah's viewpoint on the age old question whether the chicken or the egg was created first?
Note: Although this article shows Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin writes both fish and chicken eggs ...
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Sending away the mother bird, mitzvah at the onset?
The Mishnah in Chullin 141a says
הנוטל אם על הבנים ר' יהודה אומר לוקה ואינו משלח וחכמים אומרים לוקה משלח ואינו לוקה
Someone who takes the mother bird with the children, R' Yehudah says they're lashed ...
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Source for cooked milk and בשר חיה ועוף being אסור בהנאה
בשר חיה ועוף cooked with milk are אסור to eat מדרבנן. Mistama, that means that the מחבר holds that it's מותר to get הנאה from this mixture. What I want to know is...
Are there any שיטות that hold you ...
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Avraham drove away the birds
At the time of the brit bein habetarim it is stated, that after Avraham took the animals which HaShem commanded and divides them, drove away the birds that came after these carcasses. (Bereshit/...
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Kosher birds in the Torah
Why is it that the Torah only mentions the non-kosher birds (24 of them), but doesnt mention their simanim, While by the kosher animals the Torah does mention simanim and which specific animals are ...
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How do we know that penguins are non-kosher?
Did anyone posek that penguins are (non)kosher?
Well, the same question might be regarding the swans.
The Sonchino edition Talmud Bavli, Chullin 62B says:
"R. Huna said: Bunia is permitted parwa is ...
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Can Rashi mean eagles actually fly with their young on their wings?
Rashi brings down regarding the meaning of "I carried you on eagles' wings" (Exodus 19:4, see also Deut. 32:11) that an eagle carries its young on its back.
But, has anyone questioned the truth to ...
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Can you have chometz in your birdfeeder during Pesach?
I know that we are not allowed to derive benefit from chometz during Pesach, and that this prohibition extends to feeding our pets food containing chometz. (Source: http://cor.ca/view-515-pet-food-on-...
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Are songbirds Kosher?
In Leviticus and Deuteronomy, there are sections that give a seemingly comprehensive list of non-Kosher birds. They are mainly birds of prey, not songbirds or birds like that.
I know that there is no ...
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What's this about a magical spitting bird?
In Christopher Hitchens's memoir Hitch 22, this passage caught my eye:
In her preface to his collection of essays The Non-Jewish Jew Tamara Deutscher, widow of the great Isaac, relates the story of ...
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Talmud reference - eagles approaching nests
From the News, it states
"Nachman concluded by recounting a teaching from the Talmud .... The eagle approaches his baby eaglets in the nest very slowly. He makes sure that they notice him gradually, ...
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Where in the sources do we find a list of kosher birds?
In the parsha this past week (re'eh) we find a list of birds that are not kosher. This is unlike the Torah's approach to mammals and fish, where we are told to identify those that are permitted by ...
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Did Elisha get his tefillin back?
The story of אלישע בעל כנפים (Elisha-the-man-of-the-wings) is told on Shabbos 130a:
דא"ר ינאי תפילין צריכין גוף נקי כאלישע בעל כנפים [...] ואמאי קרו ליה
אלישע בעל כנפים שפעם אחת גזרה מלכות הרשעה ...
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Having parakeets in one's house
Someone told me it's Mazel Rah (bad luck) to have parakeets in one's house.
Is there any source for this?
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Source for an Aggadah about Moshe feeding a bird
I was reading a book called "Shylock" by Hermann Sinsheimer and he made reference to a story from "the Jewish Talmud." (can be seen here) I don't know to what he is referring. I ...
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Why are 2 Midianites mentioned in the Torah named "bird"?
There are two Midianites mentioned in the Torah that are both named "bird":
Tziporah - Moses' wife
Tzipor - Balak's father
This does not seem coincidental to me. Was it common for Midianites at the ...
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Applications of word tzipor
Can the Hebrew word "tzipor" mean any kind of flying creature in Genesis 1, or is the word only referring to fowls such as sparrows, hawks, etc.?
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*Of* (עוֹף) in kashrus halacha
To find the kashrus status of an organism, we first need to correctly classify it as plant, animal, of, or fish, as each group has its own distinct requirements. E.g., animals need to chew cud and ...
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Covenant of pieces; cutting
The birds or pigeons in this covenant making (the ברית בין הבתרים) are not cut in two, but why? What is the meaning behind this?
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Compare Devarim 14:11 and Devarim 14:20- Is there a difference in meaning between "tzipor" and "of"?
The two verses Devarim 14:11 and 14:20 appear to say the same thing except that v 11 uses the word "tzipor" and v 20 uses the word "of". Aren't they the same thing? If yes, what is the second verse ...
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Shechting a goose during teves and shevat
The Rama in Yoreh Deah 11:4 cites a custom that some shochtim (ritual slaughterers) won't slaughter a goose during Teves or Shevat unless they eat from the heart of the animal.
הגה: מקצת שוחטין ...
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Wing clipping and pinioning
Wing clipping and pinioning are measures that bird keepers take to ensure that their birds don't escape.
Wing clipping involves cutting the primary feathers of a bird such that there wont be enough ...
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Quail or fish in B'midbar 11:31?
In B'Midbar 11:31 it is stated:
וְרוּחַ נָסַע מֵאֵת יי וַיָּגָז שַׂלְוִים מִן־הַיָּם וַיִּטֹּשׁ עַל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה כְּדֶרֶךְ יֹום כֹּה וּכְדֶרֶךְ יֹום כֹּה סְבִיבֹות הַֽמַּחֲנֶה וּכְאַמָּתַיִם עַל־...
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Should a torah scholar be cruel to his family?
Eiruvin(21b-22a): His locks are curled (Shir HaShirm 5:11). Mar Ukva says that teaches us that we are to make many interpretations on every point of the letters of the Torah. black as a raven – With ...
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