3,688. Decapitating the Donkey

Hilchos Bikkurim 12:6

A person is obligated to redeem a firstborn donkey from the time it’s born until it’s 30 days old. After that, if he wants to decapitate it, he may, and if he wants to redeem it, he may. All he has accomplished by procrastinating is that he delayed fulfilling the mitzvah.

Hilchos Bikkurim 12:7

If one doesn’t want to redeem a firstborn donkey, he must decapitate it from behind using a butcher hatchet. This is derived from Exodus 13:13: “If you don’t redeem it, you must decapitate it.” One may not kill the donkey using a staff, a reed, an axe or a saw; he must use a hatchet. He may likewise not lock the donkey in a room and leave it there until it dies. This is because the verse specifies “You must decapitate it.”