משך חכמה — קרבנות יולדת

Q — Why does the יולדת bring specifically a yonah for חטאת, and an עולה (sheep) for עולה — what does each represent?

A — Per R' Shimon (Niddah 31b), a יולדת in her pain swears not to be with her husband — so the חטאת is a yonah, the bird known for pairing only with its mate ("עריות מיונה"), an antidote to the vow of separation. The עולה marks her renewed permission to enter the מקדש after the days of טהרה — like the עולת ראייה of an oleh l'regel; Ibn Gabirol calls it "קרבן הנראה" — the offering of one returning to be seen before Hashem.