Bamidbar (Numbers) Chapter 9

1God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert—in the first month of the second year since their exodus from Egypt—saying:   אוַיְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהֹוָ֣ה אֶל־משֶׁ֣ה בְמִדְבַּר־סִ֠ינַ֠י בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הַשֵּׁנִ֜ית לְצֵאתָ֨ם מֵאֶ֧רֶץ מִצְרַ֛יִם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הָֽרִאשׁ֖וֹן לֵאמֹֽר:
בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָֽרִאשׁוֹן - In the first month. The passage at the beginning of this book was not said until Iyar, the second month. From here you learn that there is no set chronological order in the Torah. And why did the Book of Numbers not begin with this subject? Because it involves a matter embarrassing to the Israelites, namely, that during all 40 years the Israelites were in the desert, they only offered up this one Passover sacrifice.   בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָֽרִאשׁוֹן.  פָּרָשָׁה שֶׁבְּרֹאשׁ הַסֵּפֶר לֹא נֶאֶמְרָה עַד אִיָּר, לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁאֵין סֵדֶר מֻקְדָּם וּמְאֻחָר בַּתּוֹרָה, וְלָמָּה לֹא פָתַח בְּזוֹ? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא גְנוּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁכָּל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִדְבָּר לֹא הִקְרִיבוּ אֶלָּא פֶּסַח זוֹ בִּלְבָד (ספרי; תוספתא קידושין ל"ח):
2“The Israelites must offer up the Passover sacrifice in its appointed time.   בוְיַֽעֲשׂ֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־הַפָּ֖סַח בְּמֽוֹעֲדֽוֹ:
בְּמֽוֹעֲדֽוֹ - In its appointed time - even on the Sabbath; “in its appointed time” – even if most or all of the community are defiled at that time due to contact with a corpse.   בְּמֽוֹעֲדֽוֹ.  אַף בְּשַׁבָּת, בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ — אַף בְּטֻמְאָה (ספרי):
3On the afternoon of the 14th of this month, you must offer it up in its appointed time; you must offer it up in accordance with all its rules and all its ordinances.”   גבְּאַרְבָּעָ֣ה עָשָֽׂר־י֠וֹם בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֜ה בֵּ֧ין הָֽעַרְבַּ֛יִם תַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ בְּמֹֽעֲד֑וֹ כְּכָל־חֻקֹּתָ֥יו וּכְכָל־מִשְׁפָּטָ֖יו תַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ:
כְּכָל־חֻקֹּתָיו - In accordance with all its rules. These are the commandments that apply to the Passover sacrifice itself, i.e., that it be an unblemished male lamb or kid in its first year.   כְּכָל־חֻקֹּתָיו.  אֵלּוּ מִצְוֹת שֶׁבְּגוּפוֹ — שֶֹה תָמִים זָכָר בֶּן שָׁנָה:
וּכְכָל־מִשְׁפָּטָיו - And in accordance with all its ordinances. These are the commandments that apply to the Passover sacrifice extrinsically, such as that for seven days one must eat matzos, and that one must remove any leaven before slaughtering it.   וּכְכָל־מִשְׁפָּטָיו.  אֵלּוּ מִצְוֹת שֶׁעַל גּוּפוֹ מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר, כְּגוֹן שִׁבְעַת יָמִים לְמַצָּה וּלְבִעוּר חָמֵץ (מִצְוֹת שֶׁבְּגוּפוֹ — שֶׂה תָמִים זָכָר בֶּן שָׁנָה; שֶׁעַל גּוּפוֹ — צְלִי אֵשׁ רֹאשׁוֹ עַל כְּרָעָיו וְעַל קִרְבּוֹ; שֶׁחוּץ לְגוּפוֹ — מַצָּה וּבִעוּר חָמֵץ):
4Moses told the Israelites to offer up the Passover sacrifice.   דוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר משֶׁ֛ה אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לַֽעֲשׂ֥ת הַפָּֽסַח:
וַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה וגו' - Moses told… Why does Scripture state this? Does it not already say: “Moses told the Israelites the laws of God’s appointed holy days”? 1 It is only said in order to tell us that when he heard the passage regarding the festivals at Sinai he told it to them, and he repeated the instructions for each festival when it was time to perform its laws.   וַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה וגו'.  מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמָר? וַהֲלֹא נֶאֱמַר "וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶת מֹעֲדֵי ה'", אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁשָּׁמַע פָּרָשַׁת מוֹעֲדִים מִסִּינַי אָמַר לָהֶם, וְחָזַר וְהִזְהִירָם בִּשְׁעַת מַעֲשֶׂה (ספרי):
5They offered up the Passover sacrifice on the afternoon of the 14th day of the first month, in the Sinai Desert; the Israelites did according to all that God had commanded Moses.   הוַיַּֽעֲשׂ֣וּ אֶת־הַפֶּ֡סַח בָּֽרִאשׁ֡וֹן בְּאַרְבָּעָה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֥וֹם לַחֹ֛דֶשׁ בֵּ֥ין הָֽעַרְבַּ֖יִם בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר סִינָ֑י כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־משֶׁ֔ה כֵּ֥ן עָשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: