Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 16

4No leavening agents of yours may be seen throughout your domain for seven days. None of the meat that you must slaughter in the afternoon of the preceding day may remain overnight until the morning.   דוְלֹא־יֵֽרָאֶ֨ה לְךָ֥ שְׂאֹ֛ר בְּכָל־גְּבֻֽלְךָ֖ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־יָלִ֣ין מִן־הַבָּשָׂ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּזְבַּ֥ח בָּעֶ֛רֶב בַּיּ֥וֹם הָֽרִאשׁ֖וֹן לַבֹּֽקֶר:
וְלֹא־יָלִין מִן־הַבָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר תִּזְבַּח בָּעֶרֶב בַּיּוֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן לַבֹּֽקֶר - None of the meat that you must slaughter in the afternoon of the (lit.) first day may remain overnight until the morning. This is a prohibition not to leave over meat from the Passover sacrifice of later generations, for previously it had only been stated regarding the Passover sacrifice brought in Egypt. יוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן stated here refers to 14 Nisan, the day before Passover, as you find such usage elsewhere: אַךְ בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן תַּשְׁבִּיתוּ שְּׂאֹר מִבָּתֵּיכֶם “but on the previous day you must clear your houses of leavening agents.” 1 Because Scripture had finished discussing the Passover sacrifice and began in v. 3 to speak about the laws of the seven days of the festival, saying: “for seven days thereafter you must eat matzos,” “no leavening agents of yours may be seen throughout your domain for seven days,” it was necessary to specify about which sacrifice it is prohibiting, for had it written only: וְלֹא יָלִין מִן הַבָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר תִּזְבַּח בָּעֶרֶב לַבֹּקֶר “none of the meat that you must slaughter in the afternoon may remain overnight until the morning,” I would have said that peace-offerings slaughtered anytime during the seven days may not be left over until morning, and thus may only be eaten during that day and night. Therefore Scripture writes: בָּעֶרֶב בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן “in the afternoon of the previous day,i.e., regarding the Passover sacrifice alone. Another explanation: Scripture is discussing the festival offering brought on 14 Nisan, and teaches us that, unlike the Passover sacrifice, it may be eaten for two days. Thus הָרִאשׁוֹן “the first day” stated here refers to the first day of the festival, and this is the meaning of the verse: The festival offering that you sacrifice in the afternoon may not remain overnight from the first day of the festival until the morning of the second day (16 Nisan), but must be eaten on the 14th and 15th. So it is taught in Tractate Pesachim. 2   וְלֹא־יָלִין מִן־הַבָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר תִּזְבַּח בָּעֶרֶב בַּיּוֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן לַבֹּֽקֶר.  אַזְהָרָה לַמּוֹתִיר בְּפֶסַח דּוֹרוֹת, לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא בְּפֶסַח מִצְרַיִם; וְיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן הָאָמוּר כָּאן הוּא י"ד בְּנִיסָן, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר "אַךְ בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן תַּשְׁבִּיתוּ שְׂאוֹר מִבָּתֵּיכֶם" (שמות י"ב); וּלְפִי שֶׁנִּסְתַּלֵּק הַכָּתוּב מֵעִנְיָנוֹ שֶׁל פֶּסַח וְהִתְחִיל לְדַבֵּר בְּחֻקּוֹת שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, כְּגוֹן שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל עָלָיו מַצּוֹת, וְלֹא יֵרָאֶה לְךָ שְׂאֹר בְּכָל גְּבֻלְךָ, הֻצְרַךְ לְפָרֵשׁ בְּאֵיזוֹ זְבִיחָה הוּא מַזְהִיר, שֶׁאִם כָּתַב וְלֹא יָלִין מִן הַבָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר תִּזְבַּח בָּעֶרֶב לַבֹּקֶר הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר שְׁלָמִים הַנִּשְׁחָטִים כָּל שִׁבְעָה כֻּלָּן בְּבַל תּוֹתִירוּ וְאֵינָן נֶאֱכָלִין אֶלָּא לְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה, לְכָךְ כָּתַב בערב ביום הראשון. דָּבָר אַחֵר בַּחֲגִיגַת י"ד הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, וְלִמֵּד עָלֶיהָ שֶׁנֶּאֱכֶלֶת לִשְׁנֵי יָמִים, וְהָרִאשׁוֹן הָאָמוּר כָּאן בְּיוֹם טוֹב הָרִאשׁוֹן הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, וְכֵן מַשְׁמָעוּת הַמִּקְרָא – בְּשַׂר חֲגִיגָה אֲשֶׁר תִּזְבַּח בָּעֶרֶב לֹא יָלִין בְּיֹ"טֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן עַד בָּקְרוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁנִי, אֲבָל נֶאֱכֶלֶת הִיא בְאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר וּבַחֲמִשָׁה עָשָׂר, וְכָךְ הִיא שְׁנוּיָה בְמַסֶּכֶת פְּסָחִים (דף ע"א):
5You must not offer up the Passover offering within any of the other cities that God, your God, is giving you.   הלֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לִזְבֹּ֣חַ אֶת־הַפָּ֑סַח בְּאַחַ֣ד שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ:
6Rather, you must slaughter the Passover offering in the place to which God, your God, will choose to attach His Name, in the afternoon. You must eat it after the sun sets and burn it in the morning, the anniversary of the appointed time that God fixed for your departure from Egypt.   וכִּי אִם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ לְשַׁכֵּ֣ן שְׁמ֔וֹ שָׁ֛ם תִּזְבַּ֥ח אֶת־הַפֶּ֖סַח בָּעָ֑רֶב כְּב֣וֹא הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ מוֹעֵ֖ד צֵֽאתְךָ֥ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם:
בָּעָרֶב כְּבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ מוֹעֵד צֵֽאתְךָ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם - In the afternoon, after the sun sets, the time of your departure from Egypt. Three different times are stated here: בָּעֶרֶב “in the afternoon,” i.e., from six seasonal hours onwards – slaughter it; and כְּבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ “after the sun sets” – eat it; and מוֹעֵד צֵאתְךָ “at the time of your departure from Egypt,i.e., in the morning – you will later burn it, i.e., it has become “leftover” and must be taken out to the place designated for burning disqualified sacrifices.   בָּעָרֶב כְּבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ מוֹעֵד צֵֽאתְךָ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם.  הֲרֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה זְמַנִּים חֲלוּקִים, בָּעֶרֶב מִשֵּׁשׁ שָׁעוֹת וּלְמַעְלָה זָבְחֵהוּ, וּכְבֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ תֹּאכְלֵהוּ, וּמוֹעֵד צֵאתְךָ אַתָּה שׂוֹרְפֵהוּ, כְּלוֹמַר נַעֲשֶׂה נוֹתָר וְיֵצֵא לְבֵית הַשְּׂרֵפָה (ספרי; ברכות ט'):
7You must roast the Passover offering and eat it in the place that God, your God, will choose. You may leave and go home in the morning.   זוּבִשַּׁלְתָּ֙ וְאָ֣כַלְתָּ֔ בַּמָּק֕וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּ֑וֹ וּפָנִ֣יתָ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֖ לְאֹֽהָלֶֽיךָ:
וּבִשַּׁלְתָּ - (lit.) You must cook. This means roasted by fire, which is also termed בִּשּׁוּל “cooking.”   וּבִשַּׁלְתָּ.  זֶהוּ צְלִי אֵשׁ, שֶׁאַף הוּא קָרוּי בִּשּׁוּל:
וּפָנִיתָ בַבֹּקֶר - You may leave in the morning - i.e., on the morning of the second day. This teaches us that one is required to stay overnight in Jerusalem on the night after the festival.   וּפָנִיתָ בַבֹּקֶר.  לְבָקְרוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁנִי, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁטָּעוּן לִינָה לֵיל שֶׁל מוֹצָאֵי י"ט (ספרי; פסחים צ"ה; חגיגה י"ז):
8You must eat matzos for six days. On the seventh day there must be a restriction of activity in honor of God, your God: you must not do any work on it.   חשֵׁ֥שֶׁת יָמִ֖ים תֹּאכַ֣ל מַצּ֑וֹת וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י עֲצֶ֨רֶת֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לֹ֥א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה מְלָאכָֽה:
שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת - You must eat matzos for six days - but elsewhere it says: “for seven days you must eat matzos.” 3 The explanation is: For seven days you may eat from the old grain, but only six of those days from the new. Another explanation: It teaches us that eating matzah on the seventh day of Passover is not obligatory. And from here you also learn that the same applies to the other six days, for the seventh day was included in the general statement, but was removed from that general statement to teach us that eating matzah on this day is only optional, not obligatory. Furthermore, it was not removed only to teach this regarding itself, but also to apply the teaching that applies to it to the entire general statement, as follows: Just as eating matzah on the seventh day is optional, so is it also optional on all the other days. The exception is the first night, for Scripture made eating it this night an obligation, as it says: “on the night following the 14th day of the month you must eat matzos.” 4   שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת.  וּבְמָקוֹם אַחֵר (שמות י"ב) הוּא אוֹמֵר "שִׁבְעַת יָמִים"? שִׁבְעָה מִן הַיָּשָׁן וְשִׁשָּׁה מִן הֶחָדָשׁ (ספרי; מנחות ס"ו); דָּבָר אַחֵר — לִמֵּד עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה בַּשְּׁבִיעִי שֶׁאֵינָהּ חוֹבָה, וּמִכָּאן אַתָּה לָמֵד לְשֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי שְׁבִיעִי בִּכְלָל הָיָה וְיָצָא מִן הַכְּלָל לְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵין אֲכִילַת מַצָּה בּוֹ חוֹבָה אֶלָּא רְשׁוּת, וְלֹא לְלַמֵּד עַל עַצְמוֹ יָצָא, אֶלָּא לְלַמֵּד עַל הַכְּלָל כֻּלּוֹ יָצָא, מַה שְּׁבִיעִי רְשׁוּת אַף כֻּלָּם רְשׁוּת, חוּץ מִלַּיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁהַכָּתוּב קְבָעוֹ חוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות י"ב) "בָּעֶרֶב תֹּאכְלוּ מַצֹּת" (מכילתא; פסחים ק"כ):
עֲצֶרֶת לה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ - A restriction in honor of God, your God - i.e., restrict yourself from doing work. Another explanation: עֲצֶרֶת means a gathering for eating and drinking, related to: נַעְצְרָה נָּא אוֹתָךְ “Please let us invite you in and prepare a kid goat for you.” 5   עֲצֶרֶת לה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ.  עֲצֹר עַצְמְךָ מִן הַמְּלָאכָה; דָּבָר אַחֵר — כְּנוּפְיָא שֶׁל מַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה, לְשׁוֹן "נַעְצְרָה נָּא אוֹתָךְ" (שופטים י"ג):