Ver. 6. Thou shalt not take the dam with the young— This is one of those merciful constitutions in the law of Moses, which, inspiring the minds of his people with a regard for the animal creation, tended much to humanize their hearts, to breed in them a sense of the Divine Providence extending its care to all its creatures; and to teach them to exercise their dominion over that animal creation with gentleness. The law seems also to regard posterity; for, by letting the dam go free, the breed may be continued; and as the reason of the law subsists now as well as then, it is doubtless obligatory upon us. Thomas Aquinas alleges, that this law also is opposed to the practice of some idolaters, who fancied they should have good fortune if they could catch the dam upon the nest with the young. Phocylides has enjoined the same practice as Moses:
"Who spoils a nest, would act extremely wrong, With greedy hands to take both old and young; To leave the dam has this apparent good, Thou hence may'st haply find a second brood." HARTE'S Translation, ver. 125.
To this law Moses adds an exhortation; that it may be well with thee, &c. as much as to say, "This humanity, this compassion, is one of the things which will very much contribute to draw down upon you the blessing of God." Nothing can be more just than the following observation of a Rabbi in the Mischna: "If upon a precept of the least importance, the law says, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days; what may not they reasonably promise themselves, who carefully observe those duties which are of the highest importance in the law?"