“If a bird's nest will happen before you on the way, on any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs, and the mother is crouching on the fledglings or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the offspring” (Deuteronomy 22:6). You shall surely send away the mother, and then take the offspring for yourself, so that it will be good for you, and you will have length of days (Deuteronomy 22:7).
Ki Tetze.1This is the Hebrew name of a section of the Torah. It is used here as a heading for the midrash on this section. “If a bird's nest will happen before you” – halakha: A baby who was born circumcised, what is the ruling, is it permitted to circumcise him?2The question is whether it is obligatory to draw blood from the place of circumcision. If it is not obligatory, it would be forbidden to do so, lest he be injured in the process.
This is what the Sages taught: A baby who is born circumcised, one must draw covenantal blood from him, because of the covenant of Abraham. From where can you derive this from the Torah? It is as it is stated: “You shall surely circumcise [himol yimol] those born in your house, or those purchased with your money” (Genesis 17:13).3The double expression himol yimol could be interpreted as follows: Even if someone is already circumcised [at birth], circumcise him.
Another interpretation, himol yimol – read it only as two acts of circumcision, circumcision and peeling back.4After removing the foreskin, a membrane still remains, which must be peeled back. There are thus two steps that must be followed when performing a circumcision. Rabbi Levi said: Himol yimol – from here we learn that the circumciser must himself be circumcised, as it is written: “Himol yimol.”5The double expression is interpreted to mean: The circumciser shall be circumcised.
Rabbi Yudan ben Pazi said: What is written regarding Tzippora, Moses’s wife? “Then she said: A bridegroom of blood [because of circumcisions…]” (Exodus 4:26). “Because of circumcision” is not written here, but rather, “circumcisions” – from here we learn about circumcision and from here we learn about peeling back. Why is a baby circumcised at eight days?
It is because the Holy One blessed be He extended mercy towards him, to wait for him until he has his strength. Just as the mercy of the Holy One blessed be He extends towards people, so does His mercy extend over animals. From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “From the eighth day on, [it shall be accepted as a fire offering to the Lord]” (Leviticus 22:27).
Moreover, the Holy One blessed be He said: “It and its offspring you shall not slaughter on one day” (Leviticus 22:28). And just as the Holy One blessed be He extended mercy towards animals, so did He become filled with mercy towards the birds, as it is stated: “If a bird's nest will happen before you.”