Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 12

21Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them to instruct the Israelites as follows: “Draw yourselves away from idolatry: get for your families lambs or kids from your flocks or acquire them for yourselves in the market. On 14 Nisan, slaughter the Passover offering.   כאוַיִּקְרָ֥א משֶׁ֛ה לְכָל־זִקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם מִֽשְׁכ֗וּ וּקְח֨וּ לָכֶ֥ם צֹ֛אן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶ֖ם וְשַֽׁחֲט֥וּ הַפָּֽסַח:
מִֽשְׁכוּ - (lit.) Draw. One who already has flocks should draw one of his own.   מִֽשְׁכוּ.  מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ צֹאן יִמְשֹׁךְ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ:
וּקְחוּ - Or (lit.) take. One who does not have flocks should acquire (יִקַּח) an animal from the market.   וּקְחוּ.  מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ יִקַּח מִן הַשּׁוּק (שם):
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶם - For your families - i.e., “a lamb per paternal house.” 1   לְמִשְׁפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶם.  שֶׂה לְבֵית אָבוֹת:
22You must take a bundle of three stalks of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is collected in the basin, and use it to apply some of the blood in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts. None of you may go out of the entrance of his house until morning.   כבוּלְקַחְתֶּ֞ם אֲגֻדַּ֣ת אֵז֗וֹב וּטְבַלְתֶּם֘ בַּדָּ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־בַּסַּף֒ וְהִגַּעְתֶּ֤ם אֶל־הַמַּשְׁקוֹף֙ וְאֶל־שְׁתֵּ֣י הַמְּזוּזֹ֔ת מִן־הַדָּ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּסָּ֑ף וְאַתֶּ֗ם לֹ֥א תֵֽצְא֛וּ אִ֥ישׁ מִפֶּֽתַח־בֵּית֖וֹ עַד־בֹּֽקֶר:
אֵזוֹב - Hyssop. A type of herb that has thin stalks.   אֵזוֹב.  מִין יָרָק שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גִּבְעוֹלִין:
אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב - A bundle of hyssop. Three root-clusters are called a “bundle.”   אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב.  שְׁלוֹשָׁה קְלָחִין קְרוּיִין אֲגֻדָּה (שבת ק"ט):
אֲשֶׁר־בַּסַּף - means “that is in the vessel,” as in סִפּוֹת כֶּסֶף “silver pitchers.” 2   אֲשֶׁר־בַּסַּף.  בַּכְּלִי, כְּמוֹ סִפּוֹת כֶּסֶף:
מִן־הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר־בַּסַּף - Some of the blood in the basin. Why does it repeat the words “in the basin”? So that you not say that a single dipping of the hyssop in the blood suffices for all three applications of the blood – on the lintel and the two doorposts; it therefore says again “in the basin,” implying that each application must be directly from the blood in the basin, i.e., for each application there must be its own dipping.   מִן־הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר־בַּסַּף.  לָמָּה חָזַר וּשְׁנָאוֹ? שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר טְבִילָה אַחַת לִשְׁלוֹשׁ הַמַּתָּנוֹת, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר עוֹד אֲשֶׁר בַּסַּף, וְשֶׁתְּהֵא כָל נְתִינָה וּנְתִינָה מִן הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר בַּסַּף, עַל כָּל הַגָּעָה טְבִילָה (מכילתא):
וְאַתֶּם לֹא תֵֽצְאוּ וגו' - None of you may go out… This tells us that once the destroying angel is given permission to harm, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked; and nighttime is when the destructive forces have free reign, as it says: “then all the wild beasts of the forest roam.” 3   וְאַתֶּם לֹא תֵֽצְאוּ וגו'.  מַגִּיד, שֶׁמֵּאַחַר שֶׁנִּתְּנָה רְשׁוּת לַמַּשְׁחִית לְחַבֵּל, אֵינוֹ מַבְחִין בֵּין צַדִּיק לְרָשָׁע (שם); וְלַיְלָה רְשׁוּת לַמְחַבְּלִים הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "בּוֹ תִרְמֹשׂ כָּל חַיְתוֹ יָעַר" (תהלים ק"ד):
23God will pass through Egypt to strike the firstborn of Egypt. He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts. God will mercifully pass over the entrance to your houses, and not allow the destructive plague to enter your houses to strike you.   כגוְעָבַ֣ר יְהֹוָה֘ לִנְגֹּ֣ף אֶת־מִצְרַ֒יִם֒ וְרָאָ֤ה אֶת־הַדָּם֙ עַל־הַמַּשְׁק֔וֹף וְעַ֖ל שְׁתֵּ֣י הַמְּזוּזֹ֑ת וּפָסַ֤ח יְהֹוָה֙ עַל־הַפֶּ֔תַח וְלֹ֤א יִתֵּן֙ הַמַּשְׁחִ֔ית לָבֹ֥א אֶל־בָּֽתֵּיכֶ֖ם לִנְגֹּֽף:
וּפָסַח - means: “He will have pity”; and one may say it means: He will skip over.   וּפָסַח.  וְחָמַל, וְיֵשׁ לוֹמַר וְדִלֵּג:
וְלֹא יִתֵּן הַמַּשְׁחִית - (lit.) And He will not give the destroying angel - means: “He will not give it the ability to enter your houses.” Similarly we find this meaning of the verb נתן in וְלֹא נְתָנוֹ אֱלֹהִים לְהָרַע עִמָּדִי “but God did not let him harm me.” 4   וְלֹא יִתֵּן הַמַּשְׁחִית.  וְלֹא יִתֵּן לוֹ יְכֹלֶת לָבֹא, כְּמוֹ "וְלֹא נְתָנוֹ אֱלֹהִים לְהָרַע עִמָּדִי" (בראשית ל"א):
24You must observe the practices of Passover as a rule for you and your children forever.   כדוּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה לְחָק־לְךָ֥ וּלְבָנֶ֖יךָ עַד־עוֹלָֽם:
25You must maintain this service only once you have come into the land that God will give you, as He has spoken.   כהוְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִתֵּ֧ן יְהֹוָ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־הָֽעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת:
וְהָיָה כִּֽי־תָבֹאוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ - Once you have come into the land. Scripture makes the observance of this commandment contingent on their entering the Land of Israel, but in the desert they were not obligated in it, except for only one Passover service that they performed in the second year after the Exodus by explicit Divine order.   וְהָיָה כִּֽי־תָבֹאוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ.  תָּלָה הַכָּתוּב עֲבוֹדָה זוֹ בְּבִיאָתָם לָאָרֶץ, וְלֹא נִתְחַיְּבוּ בַמִּדְבָּר אֶלָּא פֶּסַח אֶחָד שֶׁעָשׂוּ בַשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית עַל פִּי הַדִּבּוּר:
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר - As he has spoken. And where did He say this? “I will bring you to the land…”. 5   כַּֽאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר.  וְהֵיכָן דִּבֵּר? "וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ וְגוֹ'" (שמות ו'):
26When your children ask you, ‘What is this service of yours?’   כווְהָיָ֕ה כִּי־יֹֽאמְר֥וּ אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם בְּנֵיכֶ֑ם מָ֛ה הָֽעֲבֹדָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את לָכֶֽם:
27You must answer, ‘It is the Passover offering to God, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He plagued the Egyptians, and spared our homes.’” The people bowed down and prostrated themselves.   כזוַֽאֲמַרְתֶּ֡ם זֶֽבַח־פֶּ֨סַח ה֜וּא לַֽיהֹוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר פָּ֠סַ֠ח עַל־בָּתֵּ֤י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם בְּנָגְפּ֥וֹ אֶת־מִצְרַ֖יִם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּ֣ינוּ הִצִּ֑יל וַיִּקֹּ֥ד הָעָ֖ם וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲוֽוּ:
וַיִּקֹּד הָעָם - The people bowed down - in thanksgiving for the news of the impending redemption and their entering the Land of Israel, and for the news that they would have children.   וַיִּקֹּד הָעָם.  עַל בְּשׂוֹרַת הַגְּאֻלָּה וּבִיאַת הָאָרֶץ וּבְשׂוֹרַת הַבָּנִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לָהֶם:
28The Israelites went and did so, just as God had instructed Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron did so as well.   כחוַיֵּֽלְכ֥וּ וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־משֶׁ֥ה וְאַֽהֲרֹ֖ן כֵּ֥ן עָשֽׂוּ:
וַיֵּֽלְכוּ וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - The Israelites went and did so. But did they do so already at this point? Was not all this said to them at the beginning of the month and they were to carry it out only on the 10th and 14th of the month? Rather, since they accepted upon themselves to do it, Scripture considers it as if they had already done it.   וַיֵּֽלְכוּ וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.  וְכִי כְּבָר עָשׂוּ, וַהֲלֹא מֵרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ נֶאֱמַר לָהֶם? אֶלָּא מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם מַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ עָשׂוּ (מכילתא):
וַיֵּֽלְכוּ וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ - Went and did so. The verse also reckons their going, to give them reward for going and reward for doing.   וַיֵּֽלְכוּ וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ.  אַף הַהֲלִיכָה מָנָה הַכָּתוּב, לִתֵּן שָׂכָר לַהֲלִיכָה וְשָׂכָר לַעֲשִׂיָּה (שם):
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת־משֶׁה וְאַֽהֲרֹן - Just as God had instructed Moses and Aaron. This is written to tell us the praise of the Israelites, that they did not omit any detail of all the instructions of Moses and Aaron. And what is the meaning of the additional words כֵּן עָשׂוּ “they did so”? Moses and Aaron themselves also did so.   כַּֽאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת־משֶׁה וְאַֽהֲרֹן.  לְהַגִּיד שִׁבְחָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁלֹּא הִפִּילוּ דָּבָר מִכָּל מִצְווֹת מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, וּמַהוּ כן עשו? אַף מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן כֵּן עָשׂוּ (שם):