English: Might it be even with a knife? The verse says “and he shall cause it to go up in smoke” — only as one that was pinched according to its law.
In Sifra: The possibility of using a knife is raised and rejected. The subsequent “ve-hiktir oto” ties the validity of the burning to a properly performed melikah — one done by pinching, not by shechitah with a blade.
Type of Learning
Miyut against using a knife for melikah.
What Is Learned
Melikah must be by nail, not by shechitah knife. The verse links the act of causing the bird to go up in smoke to a melikah performed according to its own law — pinching with the fingernail — thereby excluding the use of a knife.