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1 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron [Aaron being accorded honor in this first command for having participated and exerted himself along with Moses in the embassy of the signs] in the land of Egypt [outside the city],

 

Rashi’s Commentary

 

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron—Because Aaron had worked and toiled in performing the wonders just the same as Moses he paid him this honour at the first command by including him with Moses in the communication (Tanchuma Yahshan 2:3:8).

 

In the land of Egypt—This must have been outside the city! Or perhaps this is not so, but it was inside the city? Scripture however states, (Exo 9:29) “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord.” Now how was it in regard to prayer which is of light importance in comparison with a communication from God? He did not recite the prayer inside the city! Then, in the case of a divine communication which is of so weighty importance does it not follow all the more that this was also so!—And why, indeed, did he not converse with him inside the city? Because it was full of idols (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:1:4).

 

2 “This month [this stage of the moon (the Lord “pointing it out” to Moses)] [Nissan] shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

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Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:1

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This month shall be for you the beginning of months—R. Yishmael says: Moses pointed out the new moon to Israel and said to them: Thus shall it (the moon) look and the new month be designated thereby for all generations. R. Akiva says: This is one of the three things which Moses could not visualize until they were pointed out to him by the Lord. Likewise, (Lev 11:29) “Now these are unclean for you among all the creeping animals that move upon the ground.” (Likewise,) (Num 8:4) “And this is the work of the lampstand.” Others say: He was likewise perplexed as to slaughtering, viz. (Num 29:38) “And this is what you shall do upon the altar.” R. Shimon b. Yochai says: Were not all of the commands spoken to Moses in the daytime? How, then, could he have pointed out the moon? R. Elazar says: He spoke with him just before it got dark and showed it to him when it got dark.

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Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:4

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This month shall be for you—Adam did not count by it (but by Tishrei, as the first month). You say this, but perhaps (the meaning is) “for you,” but not to a Gentile? (This cannot be, for) this is understood by (Ibid.) “It shall be the first . . . to you.” How, then, am I to understand “for you?” As for you, but not for Adam. We find, then, that Israel count by the moon, and the Gentiles by the sun. Not only does Israel count by the moon, but once in thirty days (at the blessing of the New Moon) they lift their eyes to their Father in heaven. And an eclipse of the sun portends evil to the Gentiles, who count by the sun; and an eclipse of the moon portends evil to Israel, who count by the moon. Rebbi says: An eclipse of the sun in the east portends evil to the dwellers in the east; in the west, to the dwellers in the west. R. Yonathan says: Both (kinds of eclipses) were relegated to the Gentiles, as it is written (Jer 10:2) “Do not emulate the ways of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them.”

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Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:5

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The beginning of months—I might think, for the minimum of months, two (i.e., the most distinctive of months, Sivan and Tishrei). It is, therefore, written (Ibid.) “of (all) months . . . of the year.”

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Rashi’s Commentary

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This month—Heb. הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶה, lit., this renewal. He showed him the moon in the first stage of its renewal, and he said to him, “When the moon renews itself, you will have a new month” (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:2). But no Scriptural verse can lose its literal meaning, and he really spoke this in reference to the month Nisan: this month shall be the beginning in the order of counting the months, so that Iyar shall be called the second, Sivan the third.

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This—Moses found difficulty determining the exact moment of the renewal of the moon—how much of it must be visible before it is proper to consecrate it as new moon: He therefore pointed it out to him in the sky with the finger and said to him, “You must see it like this, and consecrate it.” But how could he point it out to him, for did he not conserve with him only by day, as it is said, “Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke” (Exo 6:28); “on the day that he commanded” (Lev 7:38); “from the day that the Lord gave commandment and onwards” (Num 15:23)? But the explanation is: This chapter was spoken to him close to sunset and he pointed it out to him at nightfall (more lit., near darkness) (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:1).

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3 Speak [today, on the first of the month] to the whole community of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month [the “taking” of the Passover sacrifice of Egypt was on the tenth, but not that of future generations] each man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father [and, in the event that the family is large and one lamb will not suffice for it], a lamb for each household [i.e., for each household within that family].

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Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:3:2

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Speak to the whole community of Israel—R. Achai b. R. Yoshiyah says: Now did they both speak? Is it not written (Ibid. 7:2) “You (Moses) shall speak all that I command you?” Moses accorded honor to Aaron and said “Teach me,” and Aaron did likewise with Moses, and the speech emanated from both as if both were speaking.

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Pesachim 96a:7

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The Gemara discusses the meaning of this difficult phrase, as obviously, the Passover sacrifice is slaughtered on the fourteenth and eaten on the evening of the fifteenth. GEMARA: The Gemara asks: From where do we conclude that the requirements of the Passover sacrifice sacrificed in Egypt do not apply to later generations? As it is written: “Speak to the whole community of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth day of this month each man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for each household” (Exo 12:3); and we derive from the superfluous word “this” that this Passover sacrifice offered in Egypt had to be taken from the tenth of Nisan, and the Passover sacrifice of later generations is not taken from the tenth of Nisan.

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Rashi’s Commentary

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Speak to the whole community—But did Aaron speak? Has it not already been stated, “You shall speak” (Exo 7:2)? But the explanation is: they paid respect one to the other, saying to each other, “Instruct me what to say” and the divine communication in question issued from both of them, so that it was as though they were both speaking (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:3:2).

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To the whole community of Israel, saying: “On the tenth . . . of . . . month” i.e. speak today—on the first of the month—that on the tenth day of the month they should take it (the lamb) (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:3:3).

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This—As regards the Passover sacrifice sacrificed in Egypt it had to be taken from the flock on the tenth, but this did not apply to the Passover sacrifice offered by future generations (Pesachim 96a).

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A lamb, according to the house of his father—i.e., a lamb for one family (“family” here means the larger unit comprising the father or grandfather with his married sons and their families). Consequently, if they (the members of such a family) were numerous, one might think that they may take one lamb for all of them (irrespective of whether this would suffice to provide a piece as large as an olive, the minimum quantity, for each person)! Therefore Scripture states: a lamb for a household (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:3:7).

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Joh 1:29, 36

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The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

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Joh 12:1, 12

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Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

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1Co 5:7

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Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch—as you really are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.

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Rev 5:6-13

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And I saw in the center of the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing, as if it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals;

for you were slain,

and purchased for God with your blood

persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, I heard saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

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Rev 13:8

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All who dwell on the earth will worship him—all whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the creation of the world.

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4 And if the household is too small for a lamb [so that some of it would be left over (which is forbidden)], then he and his neighbor nearest to his house must share one according to the number of people in them; according to what each person should eat [excluding one who is so sick or old that he cannot eat at least an olive size], you are to [include in the] count for the lamb.

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Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:4:1

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And if the household is too small for a lamb—We are hereby taught that a lamb can always be subscribed to or withdrawn from, so long as it has not been slaughtered, as long as it is not left as is (i.e., without owners). R. Yehudah says: As long as one of the original party (to it) remains—so that the primary (the original subscriber) not become secondary (to the new subscribers) and the secondary, primary.

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Rashi’s Commentary

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בְּמִכְסַת means according to the number of. Similar is (Lev 27:23) “the amount of (מִכְסַת) your valuation.”

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According to what each person should eat—Every man who is fitted to eat the quantity prescribed by the Law; this excludes a sick person and an aged person who are unable to eat a portion the size of an olive (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:4:5).

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תָּכֹסוּ means you are to count, as the Targum renders it.

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Exo 6:28

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Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

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Exo 7:2

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You shall speak [once, for each embassy] all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh [elaborating on what you have said] to let the sons of Israel go out of his country.

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Exo 9:29

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Moses said to him, “When I have gone out of the city [which was full of idolatry], I will spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.

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Lev 7:38

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which the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the sons of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord in the Desert of Sinai.

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Lev 11:29

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Now these are unclean for you [i.e., which renders you unclean by touching them (vis-à-vis the eating of the portion of one’s produce given to the priests and the holy sacrifices and entering the sanctuary)] among the creeping animals that move upon the ground: the weasel, the rat, and the great lizard after its kind.

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Lev 27:23

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then the priest will determine for him the amount of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee, and he must pay your valuation on that day as a holy offering to the Lord.

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Num 8:4

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And this is the work of the lampstand [“this,” as pointed out by the Lord to Moses, who had difficulty in visualizing it]: [It was made of one talent of] hammered gold—from its base [the thickest part] to its blossoms [its most delicate part] it was hammered work. According to the pattern that the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

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Num 15:23

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even all that the Lord has commanded you through Moses, from the day the Lord gave commandment and onwards throughout your generations [one who acknowledges idolatry denies the entire Law and all that the prophets have prophesied]—

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Jer 10:2

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Thus says the Lord:

“Do not learn the way of the nations

and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,

although the nations are terrified by them.

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This work, "The Passover Part 1," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0