Ki Tetzie 5768

Ki Tetzie 5768
Based on a Likutie Sichos of the lubavither rebbe

In this weeks parsha we have a very interesting analysis of mitzvos and their rewards. The verse says (chapter 22.7) that if u find a mother bird sitting on here nest send away the mother bird and the chicks and eggs take for yourself. You must first send away the mother before you take the children. The Torah continues by promising long life for fulfilling the matzos. Rashi comments on this and says that
“If a easy mitzvah that has no loss you get reward certainly for a mitzvah that entail difficulty and loss you will be rewarded”. Which this also means that one mitzvah will bring another in its wake together with it reward. This is implied by the very next verse were g-d will give us a house as reward for doing the mitzvah of send the mother bird away which will bring the mitzvah of making a fence on the roof of your house.
However the Talmud (chulin 152.1) presents a difficulty to rashi’s statement for though sending away the mother bird does not entail a large loss however it does entail a loss; that of an “issur” - the loss of having to send away the mother and the worth of not being able to keep her. Hence though it is a very small loss however it is a momentary loss. Why then does rashi and the verse choose this mitzvah to show how even a mitzvah that has no monetary loss will bring reward to learn that certainly other mitzvahs that do entail a loss will bring a reward?
Some explain this difficulty by differentiating between “future profit” and “loss of funds”. Having to send away the mother bird from a nest you found and was never yours is not considered a loss. A loss is losing something that you possessed and now do not have. Yet even this answer which explains that the Talmud speaks of “future Profit” while rahsi is speaking of “ loss of funds”. Yet In practical terms should have we not better searched for an example of mitzvahs we have that does not have even a loss of potential profit?
To understand this we need to see what are the obstacles that must be overcome to do mitzvah that make some difficult and others not. There are in general two hindrances to the performance of mitzvah’s a) monetary cost b) physical difficulty.
For example an easy mitzvah that cost no money is the reading of the shema however it does entail physical difficulty as in example you wish to sleep ad yet you must read the shema first. While building a fence on your roof cost money as well.
The sending away of the mother bird is the only mitzvah lacks both of these difficulties. The bases of this is as the rebbe explains is due to the nature of the mother bird forever returning after it being sent away. Hence after the person sent it away even only once and it returns before he ad a chance to take the children he is still is permitted to take the birds and the mother so he has lost nothing. This only applies to the simple text of the Chumash, for according to halacha ad Talmud you cannot take the mother but must keep sending her away until you have first taken the eggs and then if the mother returns you may take her.
While the difficulty of doing the mitzvah itself is according to the simple text is only necessary when you wish to take the eggs however if you do not need the eggs and chicks you have no obligation to perform this mitzvah. Hence there is no physical exertion necessary here. You do the mitzvah only when you wish and you loose nothing for you keep the mother bird as well.
Incidentally this teaches us an interesting thing. There is a discussion amongst the chachomim with regard to the concept of rewards for mitzvah if they are specific to the mitzvah done or they are random rewards that g-d gives for having preformed a mitzvah. . Even more when we say one mitzvah brings another does it mean any mitzvah will follow or a mitzvah in its kind will follow.
Here we see that rashi learns how each mitzvah brings a specific reward that relates to that mitzvah in particular and the mitzvah that will follow in it wake is similar as well.
For the mitzvah immediately following the sending away of the mother bird is the building of a fence in order to protect some one from falling. This is similar to sending away the mother bird, which is to have compassion on the mother (ramban) and send her away before taking her eggs.
This parsha is read many times in the month of Elul and hints to the process of how we need to prepare for the New Year, which is tshuva. The mitzvah of sending the bird is only when you find one not when you prepare your own nest and raise them. This is similar to an awaking from a above which g-d sends us in this month of king of the field to arouse us to tshuva whether we worked to preparing ourselves or not. It comes easy with out effort. However this must then bring tshuva through our own effort. Which is the spiritual idea behind the mitzvah of when you build a house you must make a fence. To making your own awaking from below which entails effort and preparedness. Through these two steps we are ready and receive from g-d a good blessing for the New Year. Amen