Rambam - Sefer HaMitzvos: Negative Mitzvah 306: Negative Mitzvah 306

Negative Mitzvah 306: It is forbidden to take a mother bird with her young from the nest
Deuteronomy 22:6 "You shall not take the mother bird together with her young"

This Negative Mitzvah teaches us the proper way of taking eggs or young birds from a nest (see Positive Mitzvah 148).

We must first send the mother bird away because we are not allowed to take the young while the mother bird is still in its nest.

We are also not allowed to take the mother bird at the same time we take the young.

Fasting and punishing the body is not a path for our generation. Not only because most of us are too weak to weaken our bodies any more. Not only because the weakness of hunger can interfere with your ability to do good in the world. But principally because now has come the time to lead a spiritual life with the body rather than against it.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com