LEV43 Do not detach the head of a bird sin-offering. When a sin offering is a bird, it is not slaughtered as an animal. Rather, its head is pinched from the back of its neck (melikah), but the Kohen must be careful to not detach the head from the neck. He performs melikah by cutting through the bird’s neck bone with his fingernail. He cuts through both simanim (esophagus and the trachea), or completely through one and through the majority of the other. A basic concept regarding offerings: Offerings are to help us to acquire correct ideals and positive character traits. By means of the acts that are involved in bringing offerings, we are inspired to perfect our deeds. Man has a physical body and tends to be materialistic, so ideals do not become a part of him unless he performs actions that reflect and reinforce these ideals. At the same time, we already have stated that it is beyond us and beyond even our greatest luminaries to find reasons for every detail of the laws of offerings. Even simple understandings elude us, so we must suffice with particular explanations of the offerings in general. Although melikah is a particular detail in the laws of the offerings, let us suggest what could be its rationale. A bird is brought as the sin offering of someone who is poor. Instead of a knife, the Kohen slaughters the bird with his hand. This law hints to us that in meeting the needs of the poor, one cannot allow the slightest delay. The Kohen does not take time to search for a knife and check its sharpness. The offering is brought quickly so that the poor man can return to his efforts at making a living. Also for the sake of speed, neither does the Kohen turn the bird on to its back and perform melikah on the underside of the neck. Rather he takes the bird as he finds it and breaks its neck bone from the back. Furthermore, breaking the neck from the back also is a signal to us not to be stiff-necked. Finally, by leaving the head attached, more dignity is afforded to the offering, to hint to us that we must always be careful about the poor man's dignity. It is hard enough for him that he is poor, so we should not add to his suffering by degrading his offering by detaching its head.