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Sefer HaChinuch 470 ספר החינוך ת״ע
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לִבְדֹּק בְּסִימָנֵי הָעוֹף – לִבְדֹּק בְּסִימָנֵי הָעוֹף, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים יד יא) כָּל צִפּוֹר טְהֹרָה תֹּאכֵלוּ. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בְּסִפְרֵי (עי, מ"מ מאכלות אסורות ב ד) כָּל צִפּוֹר טְהֹרָה תֹּאכֵלוּ זוֹ מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה. כָּל עִנְיַן מִצְוָה זוֹ, שָׁרְשָׁהּ וְדִינֶיהָ וּבְאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם נוֹהֶגֶת וּבְאֵיזֶה זְמַן, הַכֹּל כָּתַבְתִּי בְּרֹאשׁ סֵדֶר וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי (מצוה קנג) בְּעִנְיַן בְּדִיקַת סִימָנֵי בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה וְדָגִים וַחֲגָבִים, שֶׁדִּין כֻּלָּם שָׁוֶה. וְגַם שָׁם כָּתַבְתִּי, שֶׁהָרַמְבַּ"ן זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, יַחְלֹק עִם הָרַמְבַּ"ם זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, בְּחָשְׁבוֹ הַבְּדִיקָה בַּבְּהֵמָה וּבִשְׁאָר הַמִּינִין מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה, וְהוּא סוֹבֵר שֶׁלֹּא בָּא אֶלָּא לִתֵּן עֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לֶאֱכֹל מִן הַטָּמֵא, וְשָׁם בְּאוֹתוֹ סֵדֶר כָּתַבְתִּי (מצוה קנז) בְּסִימָנֵי הָעוֹף קְצָת מִמָּה שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתִּי בָּהֶן מֵרַבּוֹתַי, יִשְׁמְרֵם אֵל, וְקָחֶנּוּ מִשָּׁם.
To check the signs of a bird: To check the signs of a bird [that distinguish them as being permissible to eat]. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 14:11), “You may eat from any pure bird.” And so did they say in Sifrei Devarim 103 (see Maggid Mishneh on Mishneh Torah, Laws of Forbidden Foods 2:4), “‘You may eat from any pure bird’ — that is a positive commandment.” I have written all of the content of this commandment, its root, its laws and in which place it is practiced and at what time in the Order of Vayehi Bayom Hashmini (Sefer HaChinukh 153) concerning the examination of the signs of a [domesticated] beast, a [wild] animal, fish, and locusts — as the law of all of them is the same. And over there, I also wrote that Ramban, may his memory be blessed, differs with Rambam, may his memory be blessed, in [the latter’s] counting of the checking with beasts and other species to be a positive commandment. And he holds that the [verse] only comes to give a positive commandment and a negative commandment to the one that eats from the impure [species]. And there in that same Order, I wrote (Sefer HaChinukh 157) a little of what I heard from my teachers, God protect them, about the signs of birds — and take it from there.
To check the signs of a bird: To check the signs of a bird [that distinguish them as being permissible to eat]. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 14:11), “You may eat from any pure bird.” And so did they say in Sifrei Devarim 103 (see Maggid Mishneh on Mishneh Torah, Laws of Forbidden Foods 2:4), “‘You may eat from any pure bird’ — that is a positive commandment.” I have written all of the content of this commandment, its root, its laws and in which place it is practiced and at what time in the Order of Vayehi Bayom Hashmini (Sefer HaChinukh 153) concerning the examination of the signs of a [domesticated] beast, a [wild] animal, fish, and locusts — as the law of all of them is the same. And over there, I also wrote that Ramban, may his memory be blessed, differs with Rambam, may his memory be blessed, in [the latter’s] counting of the checking with beasts and other species to be a positive commandment. And he holds that the [verse] only comes to give a positive commandment and a negative commandment to the one that eats from the impure [species]. And there in that same Order, I wrote (Sefer HaChinukh 157) a little of what I heard from my teachers, God protect them, about the signs of birds — and take it from there.
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- Mitzvah 469 Siman
- Mitzvah 471 Siman