Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai Reader

"And Moses was shepherding" (Exodus 3:1), "in a flame of fire from within the thornbush." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heights of heaven and speak with Moses from within the thornbush? Just as this thornbush is the harshest of all the trees in the world, and any bird that enters it does not come out from it whole but is cut limb from limb, so too the servitude of Egypt was harsher before the Omnipresent than all the servitudes in the world. Never did a slave or a maidservant go out free from Egypt except Hagar alone, as it is said, "And Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had" (Genesis 12:20). Another interpretation of "from within the thornbush": Rabbi Yehoshua says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heights of heaven and speak with Moses from within the thornbush? Because whenever Israel is in distress, it is as though there is distress before Him, as it is said, "In all their distress He was distressed" (Isaiah 63:9). And it says, "I am with him in distress" (Psalms 91:15). And it says, "For whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye" (Zechariah 2:12). Scripture thereby teaches that whoever harms Israel, it is as if, so to speak, he harms only the One who spoke and the world came into being. And thus would Rabbi Yehoshua say: Come and see how great are the mercies and merits of the Holy One, blessed be He, toward Israel. They went down to Egypt; the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said, "I will go down with you to Egypt" (Genesis 46:4). They went up; the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said, "And I will surely bring you up again" (ibid.). They went down to the sea; the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said, "And the angel of God moved" (Exodus 14:19). They came to the wilderness; the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said, "And in the wilderness, which you have seen, where the LORD your God carried you" (Deuteronomy 1:31) until they came to the Temple. When they dwell in suffering, He, so to speak, dwells with them in suffering, as it is said, "from within the thornbush." When they dwell in ease, He dwells with them in ease, as it is said, "to behold the good of Your chosen, to rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, to glory with Your inheritance" (Psalms 106:5). Another interpretation of "from within the thornbush": Rabbi Yose says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heights of heaven and speak with Moses from within the thornbush? Because it is pure, and the nations of the world do not make it into an idol. Another interpretation of "from within the thornbush": A certain gentile asked Rabban Gamliel. He said to him: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself to Moses from within the thornbush? He said to him: Had He revealed Himself upon a single carob or upon a single fig tree, I would have said there is a place on earth empty of the Divine Presence. Now He revealed Himself upon the thornbush to teach you that there is no place on earth empty of the Divine Presence. Another interpretation of "from within the thornbush": Rabbi Yose said: And why from within the thornbush? Rather, what is the way of a thornbush? A person puts his hand into it and is not injured, because its thorns bend downward; but if he seeks to take his hand out, the thorns seize it. So too, when Israel went down to Egypt, they received them, as it is said, "The land of Egypt is before you; in the best of the land settle your father and your brothers" (Genesis 47:6); but once they sought to leave, they seized them, as it is said, "And also Israel I will not let go" (Exodus 5:2). Rabbi Eliezer says of "from within the thornbush": A great miracle did Moses see, for he saw the thornbush sprouting and rising up out of the fire. And if you are astonished at this thing, come and see from the staff of Aaron, which was of dry wood and yet brought forth almonds and blossoms. Another interpretation of "why from within the thornbush": Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heights of heaven and speak with Moses from within the thornbush? Because the Omnipresent could have spoken from the tops of mountains and from the tops of hills, from the high places of the world and from the cedars of Lebanon; yet He lowered Himself and spoke from within the thornbush. And concerning Him, Solomon said, "And the lowly of spirit shall uphold honor" (Proverbs 29:23). You find no tree lower than the thornbush. And thus it says, "For though the LORD is exalted, He sees the lowly" (Psalms 138:6).

"And Moses said" etc. (Exodus 4:1). Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh said: For seven days the Holy One, blessed be He, kept pressing Moses to go on His mission, as it is written, "neither yesterday, nor the day before, nor since You first spoke" (Exodus 4:10): "also yesterday" (one), "also the day before" (two), "also the third day before" (three), "since You first spoke" (and so on) "also since then" (counting six), and this was the seventh day.

"And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses" (Exodus 4:14). Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh said: The Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with Moses only in the way of decent conduct, so that the base people of the world should not say, "Because He is God and Master of the world, He did His business unjustly." Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, kept pressing Moses all six days, as it is written, "neither yesterday, nor the day before, nor since You first spoke to Your servant," and on the seventh he said to Him, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send" (Exodus 4:13). They told a parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a servant whom he loved with a complete love. The king sought to make him steward, to provide for the members of the king's household. What did the king do? He took his servant by the hand and brought him into his treasure-house and showed him silver and gold and precious stones and pearls and all that he had in his treasure-house. He took him out to the field and showed him gardens and orchards and all that he had in the field. The servant stretched out his hand and said, "I cannot be made steward to provide for the members of the king's household." The king grew angry at him and said to him, "If you cannot be made steward, why did you trouble me with all that trouble?" He swore to him that he would not enter the gate of his palace. So too the Omnipresent kept pressing Moses all six days regarding His mission to Egypt, and on the seventh He said to him, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Moses, you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send," Joshua your disciple and the work of your hands; he will bring Israel into the land. You yourself will not enter the land with them, as it is said, "Therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land" (Numbers 20:12). Moses replies and says before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, You say to me, "Go down to Egypt and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt." Surely I am one man sent on two missions at one time. My Master, this errand is fitting only with two men together, as it is said, "Two are better than one" (Ecclesiastes 4:9), and it says, "By the mouth of two witnesses shall a matter be established" (Deuteronomy 19:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, replies and says to Moses: Moses, I make known to you on whose account you stand and seek mercy that he should go with you on My mission to Egypt. The holy spirit has already rested upon him, and he goes out and watches for you on My account on the road to Egypt; and now that he sees you he rejoices, as it is said, "And behold, he also comes out to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart" (Exodus 4:14). The Holy One, blessed be He, replies and says to Moses: At first, when I revealed Myself to you at the thornbush, you would hide your face from Me, as it is said, "And Moses hid his face" (Exodus 3:6); now, when have you been given an opening to speak before Me like a servant of flesh and blood who has permission to speak before his master? Moses, you are a man of words. "I have no envoys, I have no troops, I have no seraphim, I have no ophanim, I have no ministering angels, and I have no wheels of the chariot, that I should send and bring out My children from Egypt," that you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send"? "I am He who called the world from the rising of the sun to its setting." By that law you would be fit for chastisement at once; but what shall I do? I am the Master of mercy. "Therefore it is said, And God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD" (Exodus 6:2). And the Sages say: The Holy One, blessed be He, says to Moses: Moses, the merit of Amram your father stood by you, for he did a great thing in Israel. When the Egyptians made the labor harsh upon Israel and were drowning them in the river, they said, "We marry wives and beget children, and the Egyptians drown them in the river. Why should we weary ourselves for nothing?" Amram arose and did a great thing in Israel, and his counsel agreed with the counsel of the Omnipresent: he sent away his wife when she was three months pregnant; at the end of three months he returned and betrothed her again, as it is said, "And a man of the house of Levi went and took the daughter of Levi" (Exodus 2:1). And the ministering angels were praising before her like grooms and brides, as it is said, "a joyful mother of children" (Psalms 113:9). The Egyptians counted nine months for her, but she gave birth within six months. And why was this necessary? Whether Amram took a wife or did not take one, it was only to make known to all who come into the world the merit of Amram the righteous. Moses replies and says before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, I am a prophet, son of a prophet; with doubts upon doubts I have entered into Your words. Pharaoh is a wicked man, son of a wicked man, and the Egyptians are rebels, sons of rebels. How will they enter into my words? He said to him: You shall speak in the holy tongue like an angel, and Aaron your brother will speak in the Egyptian tongue, as it is said, "See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet" (Exodus 7:1). Moses replies and says before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, You say to me, "Go down to Egypt and bring out six hundred thousand from under the burdens of Egypt." I am afraid of the men from before whom I fled. He said to him: Do not fear, Moses, they have already died, as it is said, "For all the men who sought your life have died" (Exodus 4:19). The Holy One, blessed be He, replies and says to Moses: Moses, you say to Me, "I am afraid of the men from before whom I fled." The men whom Pharaoh sent against you to seize you, who made them dumb, who made them deaf, who made them blind? Was it not I, the LORD? Rabbi Elazar ben Yehudah of Bartota says: Moses replies and says before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, You say to me, "Go down to Egypt and bring out six hundred thousand from under the burdens of Egypt." Had You said this to me concerning a hundred men or two hundred men, I would say to You the matter is still hard for me; how much more so when You say to me, bring out six hundred thousand from under the burdens of Pharaoh from Egypt. And had You warned them a year or two before You spoke, the matter would already be accomplished; but since they have been enslaved for two hundred and ten years, Pharaoh will say to me: One who has enslaved a slave for ten years and no creature has protested against him, shall another come and take him out of his hand? Or one who has worked a vineyard ten years and no creature has protested against him, shall another come and take it out of his hand? Master of the universe, weighty and heavy are these words You say to me, "for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue" (Exodus 4:10).

"And God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD" (Exodus 6:2). Rabbi Eliezer says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am He who spoke and the world came into being, as it is said, "God of gods, the LORD has spoken and called the earth" (Psalms 50:1). I am He who said to Abraham your father at the covenant between the pieces, "Know surely that your seed shall be a stranger" (Genesis 15:13). Now behold, an oath rushes upon you and you have come before Me improperly, that I should bring out My children from Egypt, and you say, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yehoshua says: "And God spoke to Moses, I am the LORD": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am faithful to pay the reward of Isaac son of Abraham, who gave a quarter-measure of blood upon the altar, and to whom I said, "By the greatness of Your arm release the children of death" (cf. Psalms 79:11), and I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Shimon says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am faithful to pay what I said to Jacob, "And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth" (Genesis 28:14). Now behold, an oath rushes upon you and you have come before Me improperly, that I should bring out My children from Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yehudah says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am the Master of the world, I am full of mercy, I am faithful to pay the reward of My children who are enslaved at the hand of flesh and blood, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Nehemiah says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: It is revealed and known before Me the suffering of My children in Egypt, as it is said, "And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew" (Exodus 2:25). My children dwell in distress and you dwell in ease, and I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: My children became wholly guilty before Me in Egypt, as it is said, "And I said to them, Let every man cast away the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; but they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me" (Ezekiel 20:7-8). Behold, I act with them for the sake of My great name, that it not be profaned, as it is said, "And I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned before the eyes of the nations" (Ezekiel 20:9). And behold, I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Tarfon says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Israel deserve to be given into the hand of Ammon and Moab and Amalek, but it is a decree from before Me that I shall not deliver them into their hand, as it is said, "For a hand is upon the throne of the LORD" etc. (Exodus 17:16), and it says, "And I acted for the sake of My name" etc. (Ezekiel 20:9). And behold, I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Israel did not deserve to be given the manna in the wilderness, but only hunger and thirst, naked and bare; but what shall I do, for I am paying them the reward of Abraham My beloved, who served before Me the ministering angels, as it is said, "And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate" (Genesis 18:8). And behold, I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Akiva says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: By word and by decree and by oath from before Me, you shall not enter the land. And thus it says, "Therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land" (Numbers 20:12), and "therefore" means nothing but an oath, as it is said, "And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli" (1 Samuel 3:14). And all this anger, why? Because he said, "And since I came to Pharaoh" etc. (Exodus 5:23). Rabbi Elazar of Modiim said: Far be it from that righteous man to speak in this manner; rather, thus he said before Him: Master of the worlds, is it not the One who redeems who delivers? Master of the worlds, I know that You are destined to bring out Your children from Egypt; perhaps by the hand of another are You destined to bring them out; I have not merited that they go out by my hand. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied and said to Moses: Moses, you have merited it, and by your hand I bring them out. Know this, for from the answer that He gave you, you learn it, as it is said, "And the LORD said to Moses, Now you shall see" etc. (Exodus 6:1).

"And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:1). This teaches that all lands were fit for divine speech until the Land of Israel was sanctified; but once the Land of Israel was sanctified, there was no speech to the prophets in any place except over water, as it is said, "The word of the LORD surely came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar" (Ezekiel 1:3). And it says, "And I was at the Ulai canal" (Daniel 8:2); "And I was by the side of the great river, which is the Tigris" (Daniel 10:4). So too Jonah: He spoke with him only over water. Rabbi Yehudah says: Even at first He spoke with the prophets only over water, as it is said, "surely came" [a doubled verb]. Rabbi Nehemiah says: At first He spoke with the prophets in every place; what then does "the word of the LORD surely came to Ezekiel" teach? That the holy spirit was not constant upon him. "In the land of Egypt": Might one think within the city? Scripture says "in the land"; in a field He spoke with him. Not in the field [proper] did He speak with him, but outside the city. And so Moses says to Pharaoh, "When I go out of the city" (Exodus 9:29): if a light matter such as prayer he did not pray within the city, a weighty matter all the more so. And why did He not speak with him within the city? Because it is full of idols. And still I might say He spoke with Moses outside the city, but when Moses spoke with Aaron he did not speak with him outside the city; Scripture says, "And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt," comparing the speech of Aaron to the speech of Moses: just as Moses [received it] outside the city, so too Aaron outside the city. Just as Moses said, "Thus says," so too Aaron said, "Thus says." Just as Moses was a god to Pharaoh, speaking and not fearing, so too Aaron was a god to Pharaoh, speaking and not fearing. Just as Moses was mentioned regarding the heifer, the lamp, the anointing oil, and the incense of spices, so too Aaron was mentioned regarding the heifer, the lamp, the anointing oil, and the incense of spices. Scripture says, "And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron," comparing the greatness of Aaron to the greatness of Moses. "Saying": Rabbi Eliezer says: From where do we know that just as the order of the divine words was in the wilderness, so it was in the land of Egypt? There is no need; it is a logical inference. It says here "spoke" and it says "spoke" in the wilderness (Leviticus 11:1): just as the speech said in the wilderness, Aaron heard first and repeated first, so too the speech said here, Aaron heard first and repeated first. What of the case where Aaron preceded the sons in the wilderness because he was anointed with the anointing oil? Let Aaron precede the sons here, where he was not yet anointed with the anointing oil. Scripture says, "And the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying," teaching that Aaron preceded the sons. And from where do we know that the sons precede the elders? There is no need; it is a logical inference. It says here "spoke" and it says there "spoke" in the wilderness: just as the speech said in the wilderness, the sons preceded the elders, so too the speech said here, the sons preceded the elders. What of the case where the sons preceded the elders in the wilderness because they went up the mountain first? Let the sons precede the elders here, where they did not go up the mountain first. Scripture says, "And to his sons He spoke," teaching that the sons precede the elders. And from where do we know that the elders precede Israel? There is no need; it is a logical inference. It says here "spoke" and it says "spoke" in the wilderness: just as the speech said in the wilderness, the elders preceded Israel, so too the speech said here, the elders preceded Israel. What of the case where the elders preceded Israel in the wilderness because they were sanctified with the holy spirit? Let the elders precede Israel here, where they were not yet sanctified with the holy spirit. Scripture says, "And Moses called to all the elders of Israel" (Exodus 12:21), teaching that the elders precede Israel.

"This month is for you" (Exodus 12:2): the early fathers did not count by it. Might one think the early fathers did not count by it because the Torah had not been given in their days, but from the time the Torah was given onward all who came into the world would count by it? Scripture says "for you": you count by it, and those who came into the world do not count by it. "The head of months": Might one think also for years and for sabbatical cycles and for jubilees? Scripture says "the head of months": it is the head for months, but it is not the head for years, nor for sabbatical cycles, nor for jubilees. "It is the first for you": and not for the tithe of cattle, nor for produce. For what is it first? For kings, and for festivals, and for the contribution of shekels, and for the renting of houses. "It is the first": from the fact that it is said, "Observe the month of Abib" (Deuteronomy 16:1)—how do you observe it? You add days to it [by intercalation]. Might one think that if the year was short by ten days or twenty days he should let it pass thus? Scripture says "a month": no less than a month [is added]. Might one think that if the year was short by forty days or fifty days he should let it pass thus? Scripture says "a month": no more than a month. Might one think he should intercalate Nisan? Scripture says "it is the first for you": you make one Nisan, and you do not make a second Nisan. Might one think he should intercalate Tishrei? Scripture says "Observe the month of Abib": observe the month adjacent to the spring, and which is that? Adar. Might one think that just as if the year was late he adds days to it, so too if the year was early he should subtract days from it? Scripture says, "And you shall keep this ordinance in its season from days to days" (Exodus 13:10): no less than twelve months. "It is the first for you for the months of the year": that he not make a second Nisan.

"Speak to all the congregation of Israel" (Exodus 12:3): this teaches that this passage was said in a public assembly. "Saying": Rabbi Yehudah says: to attach a negative commandment to every positive commandment stated in the passage. "On the tenth of this month, and they shall take for themselves": this teaches that the Passover of Egypt was taken from the tenth. Might one think that the Passover of the generations should also be taken from the tenth? Scripture says "this": the Passover of Egypt was taken from the tenth, but the Passover of the generations was not taken from the tenth. I would exclude the first Passover [of the generations], but not exclude the second Passover; Scripture says, "And it shall be for you for keeping until the fourteenth day of this month" (Exodus 12:6): the first Passover is taken from the tenth, but the second Passover is not taken from the tenth. "And they shall take": this teaches that each and every one takes for himself. "And they shall take for themselves": this teaches that one individual takes on behalf of all the members of the company. From here they said: a man's agent is like himself. "And they shall take for themselves a man": from here they said there is no acquisition for a minor. "A lamb for a father's house": Might one think the Passover of Egypt was slaughtered only for fathers' houses? And from where do we know also for families? Scripture says, "Draw out and take for yourselves a flock for your families" (Exodus 12:21). From where do we know also for households? Scripture says "a lamb for a house." From here they said: a man slaughters on behalf of his minor son and daughter and on behalf of his Canaanite slave and maidservant, whether with their knowledge or without their knowledge.

"And if the household is too small" (Exodus 12:4): this teaches that they may keep diminishing in number, provided that one of the original company remains there; these are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Yose says: whether from the first company or from the last, provided they do not leave the Passover offering as it is. Scripture says "too small": by the measure of eating, and not by the measure of purchase. Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi] says: even by the measure of purchase, that if he has nothing, others are added to his portion and unconsecrated coins, for from the outset they bought only on that condition. "Then he and his neighbor shall take": this teaches that each and every company takes for itself. From here they said: one does not slaughter the Passover at the outset for a single individual, as it is said, "You may not slaughter the Passover within one" (Deuteronomy 16:5); these are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Yose says: sometimes there is one individual and they slaughter for him, and sometimes there are ten and they do not slaughter for them. How so? One individual who is able to eat it, they slaughter it for him; ten who are not able to eat it, they do not slaughter it for them, so as not to bring the Passover offering to disqualification. "And his neighbor": Ben Bag Bag says: I might understand his neighbor in the fields; from where do we know his neighbor on the rooftops? Scripture says "the one near to his house": doorway to doorway. Rabbi says: all three were stated: "his neighbor," this is his neighbor in the fields; "his neighbor," this is his neighbor on the rooftops; "near," this is the one near to his house, adjacent to the doorway. The Passover of Egypt had "his neighbor near to his house," but the Passover of the generations did not have "his neighbor near to his house." Rabbi Shimon says: even the Passover of the generations has "his neighbor near to his house," and the Torah spoke all this only for the sake of the ways of peace, that a person should not leave his loved ones and his close neighbors and his acquaintances and his familiars and one of his townsmen, and go and make his Passover with others, to fulfill what is said, "Better a near neighbor than a distant brother" (Proverbs 27:10). "By the number": "number" means nothing but a count, and thus it says, "And their levy for the LORD was thirty-two souls" (Numbers 31:40). Might one think it is a commandment to slaughter it for those counted, and if he slaughtered it for those not counted he has transgressed a commandment but it is valid? Scripture says "by the number you shall count": Scripture repeated it to disqualify. Since it says "a man," I have only a man; from where do we know to include a woman and a minor? Scripture says "souls." If so, why is "a man" stated? Just as a man is one who can eat an olive's measure, so too a minor who can eat an olive's measure. Rabbi Yehudah says: just as a man knows the distinction of eating, so too a minor who knows the distinction of eating. What is the distinction of eating? Anyone to whom one gives an egg and he takes it, and a stone and he throws it away. "By the number you shall count": this teaches that they are counted and they count others. From here they said: members of a company who counted others onto their portion, the right is theirs; if they wished to withdraw and count others onto their portion, the right is theirs. One member of a company who counted one onto his portion, the right is his; if he wished to withdraw and count others onto his portion, the right is his. "According to what each can eat" (Exodus 12:4): excluding the sick, the uncircumcised, and the impure, who are not able to eat it. "For the lamb": Ben Bag Bag says: I might understand a live lamb or a slaughtered lamb. You may reason: it says "lamb" here and it says "lamb" elsewhere; just as the "lamb" said elsewhere is a live lamb and not a slaughtered lamb, so too the "lamb" said here is a live lamb and not a slaughtered lamb. From here they said: one is always counted onto the Passover and may withdraw from it until it is slaughtered.

"A lamb" (Exodus 12:5). What does the verse teach by saying "without blemish"? Rabbi Akiva says: It is necessary to state it, since now, wherever Scripture says "a lamb" it includes both unblemished animals and those with a blemish. One might think this lamb is the same; therefore the verse says "without blemish" [perfect] and not blemished. Everywhere Scripture says "a lamb" it includes both large and small; one might think this lamb is the same; therefore the verse says "a year old." I would know only that at the time of its slaughter it must be unblemished and a year old. From where do I learn to include the receiving of its blood and the sprinkling of its blood? The verse says "it shall be for you" (Exodus 12:5): as long as it is yours, it shall be unblemished and a year old. "From the sheep or from the goats" (Exodus 12:5) excludes a crossbreed. "Sheep and goats" is a royal decree. "From the sheep or from the goats" comes to exclude what is taken from the cattle, and to exclude an animal that mounted a person or was mounted by one. I would know only the matters stated here. "You shall take" (Exodus 12:5) comes to include the fourteenth day, which is not fit for the taking. Is this not a matter of logic? If the tenth day, which is unfit for slaughter, is fit for the taking, then the fourteenth, which is fit for slaughter, surely should be fit for the taking. Therefore the verse says "you shall take," to include the fourteenth day, which would otherwise not be fit for the taking.

"And it shall be for you in safekeeping" (Exodus 12:6). Ben Azzai says: that it should not go out and graze with the flock. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: that they should be tied to the legs of the bed, and the Egyptians would come in and see them and their souls would expire, for they feared the lambs. So it says, "Behold, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?" (Exodus 8:22). "For safekeeping" (Exodus 12:6). Rabbi Akiva says: "safekeeping" is stated here and "safekeeping" is stated elsewhere (Numbers 28:2). Just as the safekeeping stated here means they must be examined and standing ready three days before slaughter, so the safekeeping stated elsewhere means they must be examined and standing ready three days before slaughter. From here they said: one does not keep fewer than six examined lambs in the lamb chamber, enough for the Sabbath and the two festival days of the New Year. "Until the fourteenth day of this month" (Exodus 12:6). This is the basis for what they said: the second Passover is not acquired from the tenth. "And they shall slaughter it" (Exodus 12:6): that one should not slaughter ordinary meat with it, and not slaughter a festival offering with it. But in later generations one does slaughter a festival offering with it. When? When it comes on a weekday, in purity, and the company is small. "The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel" (Exodus 12:6). This teaches that the Passover of Egypt was slaughtered in three groups: "assembly," "congregation," and "Israel." "Between the evenings" (Exodus 12:6). One might think after dark; the verse says "day." Or one might think from the second hour; the verse says "between the evenings." How then? From the sixth hour onward. For the House of Shammai say: there is no "evening" except after the day has turned. Hanina ben Hakhinai says: "between the evenings" means between the two evenings, between the dawn of the fourteenth and the dawn of the fifteenth, with a day and a night in between. When it says "day," the night has already been excluded. One might think the morning is part of "between the evenings"; but just as "between the evenings" means after the day has turned, so when it says "day" it means after the day has turned, from the sixth hour onward. So it says, "Woe to us, for the day has turned, for the shadows of evening are stretched out" (Jeremiah 6:4). From here they said: if he slaughtered before noon it is invalid, since Scripture says of it "between the evenings." If he slaughtered it before the daily offering it is valid, provided someone keeps stirring its blood until the blood of the daily offering is poured; and if it was then sprinkled, it is valid.

"And they shall take of the blood" (Exodus 12:7): that there be enough blood for a taking. "Of the blood": from the blood of the lifeblood, and not from the blood of the flesh, nor from the blood of the hide, nor from the blood that drains out at the end. "You shall put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel" (Exodus 12:7). One might think he places it on the lintel and doorposts of the windows; the verse says "on the houses." On the lintel and doorposts of the houses he places it, and he does not place it on the lintel and doorposts of the windows. One might think ten houses one inside another, with the company eating in the innermost one, that he must place blood on all of them; the verse says "on the houses in which they eat it." From where do you say that a company eating in one house with five doorways must place blood on every single lintel and every single doorpost? The verse says "they shall put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel": blood on every lintel and blood on every doorpost. From where do you say that five companies eating in one house with five doorways must each place from its own blood on every lintel and from its own blood on every doorpost? The verse says "on the two doorposts and on the lintel": from every quantity of blood on the lintel and from every quantity of blood on the doorpost. "On the houses in which they eat it" (Exodus 12:7). Since it says "in one house it shall be eaten" (Exodus 12:46), this teaches that the Passover is eaten only in one house. From where that it may also be eaten in two places? The verse says "on the houses in which they eat it." You have thus learned that the Passover of Egypt was eaten in two places. But the eater himself eats only in one place. "They shall eat it" (Exodus 12:7): that they shall not eat ordinary meat with it, and shall not eat a festival offering with it. "In them": Scripture speaks of the body of the Passover itself.

"And they shall eat" (Exodus 12:8): there is no "eating" of less than an olive's bulk. "The flesh": and not from the bones, nor from the sinews, nor from the horns, nor from the hooves, but whatever is edible on a full-grown ox. Just as on a full-grown ox the wing-tips and the cartilage are edible, so here the wing-tips and the cartilage. From here they said: the soft sinews are like flesh in every respect, yet even so one is not counted for the offering on their account. "On this night" (Exodus 12:8). Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: "on this night" is stated here, and below it says "I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night" (Exodus 12:12). Just as "this night" stated below means until midnight, so "this night" stated here means until midnight. Rabbi Akiva said to him: why do I need that? It already says "you shall eat it in haste" (Exodus 12:11), at the hour of haste. Then what does "on this night" teach? That it is eaten by night and is not eaten by day like other holy offerings. "Roasted with fire" (Exodus 12:8): and not roasted on a spit, nor roasted on a grill, nor roasted by any other means. From here they said: one does not roast the Passover on a metal spit; and if he roasted it so, he pares away the spot it touched and eats the rest. Rabbi Yehudah says: just as a wooden spit is not burned through, so a metal one does not transmit heat. They said to him: a wooden spit is unlike a metal one, for of wood, when part is hot the whole is not hot, but of metal, when part is hot the whole is hot. "Roasted with fire" (Exodus 12:8): from the fact that it says "but roasted with fire, its head with its legs and its inner parts" (Exodus 12:9), it is a commandment to roast it whole as one. From where, if he wished, may he cut it up and lay it limb by limb on the coals? The verse says "roasted with fire" in any case. "With matzah and bitter herbs" (Exodus 12:8): here Scripture includes many bitter herbs: lettuce, endive, horseradish, and others, and bitter herb. Rabbi Yehudah says: also wild herbs and field lettuce. Rabbi Ilai in the name of Rabbi Eliezer says: also another bitter plant. I went around to all his disciples seeking a colleague to confirm this, and I did not find one. "With matzah and bitter herbs they shall eat it" (Exodus 12:8): it is a commandment to eat them all together. Hillel the Elder used to wrap them together and eat them. One might think they hold one another back; the verse says "they shall eat it," even one of them.

"Do not eat any of it raw" (Exodus 12:9): "raw" means only that it is not cooked as much as needed. One might think it is permitted to eat it raw; the verse says "roasted with fire": roasted is permitted to you, and all the rest is forbidden to you. It says "do not eat any of it raw, but only roasted with fire." If it were only so, I would say one might think it is permitted to eat it raw; the verse says "do not eat any of it raw." So if one ate any of it raw, he receives the forty lashes. One might think that just as it is forbidden to eat it raw, so if it is fully cooked it is forbidden; the verse says "boiled in water": boiled in water is forbidden to you, but if it is fully cooked otherwise it is not forbidden to you. "In water" (Exodus 12:9): I would know only water. From where to include wine, oil, and honey? The verse says "and thoroughly boiled": wherever Scripture says "boiled" without specifying, you take it to mean as opposed to roasted, until Scripture spells out "in water" for you. From here Rabbi Yoshiyah used to say: one who vows away from "boiled" food is forbidden roasted food too. If he boiled it and afterward roasted it, or roasted it and afterward boiled it, it is forbidden, since it says "and thoroughly boiled." One might think that if he ate any of it before nightfall he is liable. Is this a matter of logic? If at the hour when roasting is required it falls under "do not eat it raw," then at the hour when roasting is not yet required it surely should fall under "do not eat it raw"; the verse says "but only roasted with fire": at the hour when roasting is required, they are liable for it under "raw" and "boiled," but at the hour when roasting is not yet required, they are not liable for it under "raw" and "boiled." "But only roasted with fire, its head with its legs and its inner parts" (Exodus 12:9): he would bring its head, its legs, and its entrails inside it. These are the words of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. Rabbi Akiva said to him: but then they too would be scorched and cooked by what is inside it; rather, one hangs them outside it. Rabbi Yishmael calls it a crowned kid. Rabbi Tarfon calls it tukhbar, because its inside is like its outside.

"And you shall leave none of it until morning" (Exodus 12:10). One might think that if he left any of it until morning he should receive the forty lashes; the verse says "and that which remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire," Scripture comes to set a positive commandment alongside a negative one. These are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Yaakov said to him: not for that reason, but because in leaving it he has done no deed. "And that which remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire" (Exodus 12:10). One might think he should burn it on the festival day; the verse says "you shall leave none of it until morning," and "that which remains of it until morning": two mornings here, the morning of the fifteenth and the morning of the sixteenth, to teach you that the burning of holy things does not override the festival day, and it goes without saying it does not override the Sabbath.

"And thus you shall eat it" (Exodus 12:11): "and you shall eat it in haste," in the alarm of people setting out on a journey. I would know only that its eating must be in haste. From where to include the receiving of its blood and the sprinkling of its blood? The verse says "and thus." One might think I should include its roasting and the rinsing of its entrails; the verse says "thus," "thus" [restricting it]. "It" (Exodus 12:11): it is eaten in haste, but the Passover of later generations is not in haste. Another interpretation: it is eaten in haste, but the matzah and bitter herbs are not in haste. "A Passover" (Exodus 12:11): that all its actions be for the sake of the Passover. "It is": this excludes one who slaughtered it not for its own sake. "To the LORD": for the sake of the One whose Name is unique.

"And I will pass through the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12): like a king who passes from place to place. Another interpretation: "passing" is stated here and "passing" is stated below, "and the LORD will pass over to strike the Egyptians" (Exodus 12:23). Just as the "passing" stated below is a plague, so the "passing" stated here is a plague. So it says, "and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst, says the LORD" (Amos 5:17). "On this night" (Exodus 12:12): this is what Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: "on this night" is stated here and "on this night" is stated above. Just as "on this night" stated here means until midnight, so "on this night" stated above means until midnight. "And I will strike every firstborn" (Exodus 12:12): I would know only the firstborn of Egypt who were in Egypt. From where the other firstborn who were in Egypt? The verse says "every firstborn." From where the firstborn of Egypt who were in other places? The verse says "every firstborn." From where the firstborn of Ham, Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan? The verse says "every firstborn." So it says, "and He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first of their strength in the tents of Ham" (Psalms 78:51). "From man to beast" (Exodus 12:12): I would know only the firstborn of beasts that were struck. From where the beasts that were themselves firstborn? The verse says "from man to beast." You have no man punished whose attendants are not punished with him. "And against all the gods of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12): I would know only the gods of Egypt that were in Egypt. From where the other gods in Egypt? The verse says "against all the gods of Egypt." From where the gods of Egypt in other places? The verse says "all the gods." From where the gods of Ham, Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan? The verse says "all the gods." So it says, "I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place" (Isaiah 43:3). "I will execute judgments" (Exodus 12:12): judgments differing one from another. Those of wood rotted, those of stone shattered, those of metal corroded. "I am the LORD" (Exodus 12:12): I am the One who exacted punishment from the generation of the Flood, and from the generation of the Dispersion, and from the men of Sodom. I am destined to exact punishment from Gog and his hordes. And if you do not believe regarding the future, believe regarding the past. Another interpretation: "I am the LORD," the Kingdom. Wherever Scripture mentions the arrogance of idolatry, there it mentions the praise of the Omnipresent. So it says, "silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and the hands of the smith; their clothing is blue and purple, all the work of skilled men" (Jeremiah 10:9). What does it then say? "Thus shall you say to them: the gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens" (Jeremiah 10:11). And it says, "but the LORD is the true God, He is the living God and the everlasting King; at His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation" (Jeremiah 10:10). And it says, "He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens" (Jeremiah 10:12). And it says, "they have a mouth but cannot speak" (Psalms 115:5). And it says, "but our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalms 115:3). "And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments, I am the LORD" (Exodus 12:12): there is no nation that is struck whose god is not struck with it. So it says, "Bel is shamed, Merodach is dismayed; her images are shamed, her idols are broken" (Jeremiah 50:2). And it says, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and all the carved images of her gods are shattered to the ground" (Isaiah 21:9). And it says concerning our fathers, "I will lay your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols" (Leviticus 26:30). And so too in the future, when the nations of the world perish, their gods are broken with them, as it is said, "and the idols shall utterly pass away" (Isaiah 2:18).

"And the blood shall be for you" (Exodus 12:13) - for you and not for resident strangers; for you and not for women; for you and not for slaves. This teaches that in Egypt they did not form fellowship-groups with such people. "For a sign upon the houses where you are" - one might think he may place the blood on the place where he sleeps; therefore Scripture says "upon the houses where they shall eat it" (Exodus 12:7). One might think he places it only on the place of eating; therefore Scripture says "upon the houses where you are." One might think he places it here and there; therefore Scripture says "for a sign" and not "for signs." Say from now on: the place of eating was also where they slept. "And I will see the blood" - why do I need this? Is not everything revealed before Him? Rather, that he should place it only on the visible place [seen by all who pass]. "And I will pass over you" - were it not a verse already written, it would be impossible to say it. ["And I will pass over" - like a father who brings to his son. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. And the Sages say:] like a king who hurries his strides with his feet. "And there shall be no plague upon you" - this teaches that in Egypt there was a plague. "To destroy" - this teaches that in Egypt there was destruction. "When I strike the land of Egypt" - this teaches that in Egypt there was a striking. It teaches that the Egyptians were smitten [on that night] with three kinds of calamity: with plague, with destruction, and with striking.

"And this day shall be for you a memorial, and you shall celebrate it" (Exodus 12:14) - the day that was a memorial for you, you shall celebrate. And which is this? The festival of your going out from Egypt. But the matter still hangs on what is not yet established; therefore Scripture says "On the morrow of the Passover the children of Israel went out" (Numbers 33:3). When did they eat the Passover offering? On the night of the festival day. And so too they did not go out except on the festival day. "And you shall celebrate it" - a festal offering is stated here and a festal offering is stated regarding the wilderness. Just as the festal offering stated regarding the wilderness requires a burnt offering and peace offerings, so the festal offering stated here requires a burnt offering and peace offerings. [The matter is derived by a verbal analogy of "to the LORD" / "to the LORD."] One might think the festal offering may be brought all seven days; therefore Scripture says "it" - one day alone. If so, why is it said "seven days"? To make up [the offering] throughout all seven. From where do we learn that one who did not celebrate on the first day may celebrate all seven? Scripture says "in the seventh month you shall celebrate it" (Leviticus 23:41). One might think that one who did not celebrate on the pilgrimage festival may celebrate after the festival; therefore Scripture says "it" - "it" you may celebrate, but you may not celebrate outside the festival. One might think the offering is held back until the eating of the flesh; therefore Scripture says "it," and elsewhere it says "and he shall sprinkle it" (Leviticus 16:15). Just as the "it" stated there refers to blood, so the "it" stated here refers to blood and not flesh. "Throughout your generations, an everlasting statute" - that the matter shall be practiced for all generations.

"Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread" (Exodus 12:15) - unleavened bread that can be eaten all seven days, by which a person fulfills his obligation on Passover. This excludes the loaves of the thanksgiving offering and the wafers of the Nazirite, which cannot be eaten all seven days. "On the first day you shall remove leaven" - from the eve of the festival. [Or is it only on the festival itself?] Scripture says "no work shall be done on them"; and is not burning a kind of work? Why then does it say "on the first day you shall remove leaven"? From the eve of the festival. "You shall remove leaven from your houses" - by the Torah, removal is in the heart, and by the words of the scribes it is by clearance, and by what means? By burning. If the hour of clearance arrives and one has no fire to burn it, he crumbles it and scatters it to the wind or casts it into the sea. Rabbi Yehudah says: he waits until he reaches a settled place and burns it, for Rabbi Yehudah used to say there is no commandment of removal except by burning. He would reason: just as leftover sacrificial flesh, of which it is not written "it shall not be seen" or "it shall not be found," requires burning, all the more so leaven, of which it is written "it shall not be seen" and "it shall not be found," should require burning. They said to Rabbi Yehudah: every argument you reason begins with stringency and ends with leniency, and is no argument: for if one has no fire to burn it, he would have to sit and guard it and remain liable for "it shall not be seen" and "it shall not be found." The Torah said "you shall remove leaven from your houses" - you may remove it by any means. Rabbi Yehudah reasoned by another argument: leftover sacrifice is forbidden as food and leaven is forbidden as food; just as leftover sacrifice requires burning, so leaven requires burning. They said to him: let an animal carcass prove otherwise, for it is forbidden as food yet requires no burning. He said: there is a distinction - leftover sacrifice is forbidden in benefit and leaven is forbidden in benefit, so let not a carcass prove otherwise, which is permitted in benefit. They said to him: let an ox condemned to stoning prove otherwise, for it is forbidden in benefit yet requires no burning. He said: there is a distinction - for leftover sacrifice one is liable to excision and for leaven one is liable to excision, so let not the stoned ox prove otherwise, for which one is not liable to excision. They said to him: let the fat of the stoned ox prove otherwise, for which one is liable to excision yet requires no burning. He said: there is a distinction - for leftover sacrifice one is liable under "you shall not leave it over" and for leaven one is liable under "you shall not leave it over," so let not the fat of the stoned ox prove otherwise, which carries no liability under "you shall not leave it over." They said to him: let the suspended guilt offering prove against your words, for one is liable under "you shall not leave it over" yet it requires no burning. The Torah said "you shall remove leaven from your houses" - you may remove it by any means. "For whoever eats leavened bread" - from the general statement "for whoever eats what is leavened" (Exodus 12:19) I would know only of dough that became leavened on its own; from where do I learn of dough leavened by other agents? Scripture says "for whoever eats leavened bread." "That soul shall be cut off" - and not the community. "That one" - not one under compulsion, nor one who acted in error, nor one who was misled. "From Israel" - while Israel remains at peace. "From the first day until the seventh day" - one might think the first day and the seventh day are not included, as is said of the leper "from his head to his feet" (Leviticus 13:12) where the head and feet are not included; therefore Scripture says "until the twenty-first day of the month at evening" (Exodus 12:18). Rabbi says: its place settles the matter, "from the first day until the seventh day."

"And on the first day a holy convocation" (Exodus 12:16) - sanctify it. By what do you sanctify it? Sanctify it with food, sanctify it with drink, and sanctify it with clean clothing. "On the first day a holy convocation and on the seventh day a holy convocation" - I know only of the first festival day and the last that are forbidden in work; from where the intermediate days of the festival? You say: if the first and last festival days, which have no sanctified days before and after them, are forbidden in work, the intermediate days, which have sanctified days before and after them, all the more should be forbidden in work. But let the six days of Creation prove otherwise, which have sanctified days before and after them yet are not forbidden in work. No: if you spoke of the six days of Creation, which have no additional offering with them - will you say so of the intermediate festival days, which have an additional offering with them? But let the new moons prove otherwise, which have an additional offering yet are not forbidden in work. No: if you spoke of the new moons, which are not called a holy convocation - will you say so of these, which are called a holy convocation? Since they are called a holy convocation, it is right that they be forbidden in work. "No manner of work shall be done on them" - one might think one may not trim vegetables, nor rinse dishes, nor make the beds. You must reason: "work" is stated here and "work" is stated regarding the Tabernacle. Just as the work stated regarding the Tabernacle is work accompanied by intention, so the work stated here is work accompanied by intention. Or: just as the work regarding the Tabernacle is complete work - so here I would know only of complete work, that one may not write the whole scroll, nor weave the whole garment, nor make the whole sieve. From where that one may not write two letters, nor weave two threads, nor make two loops, with baskets and wicker, with sieve and strainer? Scripture says "work, all manner of work." I know only of permitted work; from where forbidden in a precept? That one may not write two letters in scrolls, phylacteries, and mezuzot, nor weave two threads in tunic, breeches, and robe? Scripture says "work, all manner of work." I know only of work for which one is liable to a sin offering; from where work for which one is not liable to a sin offering? That one may not write one letter, nor weave one thread, nor make one loop? Scripture says "work, all manner of work." From where that one may not climb a tree, nor ride a beast, nor swim on the water, nor clap, nor strike the thigh, nor dance? Scripture says "work, all manner of work." From where that one may not consecrate, nor make valuations, nor devote, nor lift up heave offerings and tithes? Scripture says "a day of solemn rest" (Leviticus 23) - a ceasing. "Save that which every soul must eat" - if Scripture said "shall not be done on them that which every soul eats," I would say only food-preparation may not be done but other work may. Therefore Scripture says "save" [Hebrew akh], which interrupts the matter. These are the words of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. Similarly you say "there was nothing in the ark save [rak] the two tablets of stone" (1 Kings 8:9) - one might think there were not two tablets in it; therefore Scripture says "save," which interrupts the matter, the words of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. Similarly "that you speak to me nothing but [rak] the truth in the name of the LORD" (1 Kings 22:16); similarly "who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD... save [rak] in the matter of Uriah the Hittite" (1 Kings 15:5); similarly "there remained no Anakim in the land of Israel; only [rak] in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did they remain" (Joshua 11:22). Each "save" interrupts the matter, the words of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. Rabbi Akiva said to him: why do I need this? They already remained! Rather it teaches that a curse entered them and they kept dwindling away. "It alone" - what does "alone" teach? That one may not pick over, nor grind, nor sift. From where that one who makes a fire and warms himself by it, they heat water for him and he washes his hands and feet in it and bathes an infant in it? Scripture says "for you" - for all your needs. One might think one may prepare today for tomorrow; Scripture says "which every soul must eat" - that which is eaten on that day you may prepare, and that which is not eaten on it you may not prepare. Or "which every soul eats" - I might hear even the souls of beasts, which are called "soul," as it is said "and he who strikes the soul of a beast shall make it good" (Leviticus 24:18); one might think one may gather bran for the chickens and prepare feed for the dogs; Scripture says "for you" - for you and not for gentiles, for you and not for dogs. It happened with Shimon the Timnite that he did not come to the study house on the night of the festival. In the morning Rabbi Yehudah ben Bava found him and said: why did you not come last night to the study house? He said: a certain commandment came my way and I performed it. A raiding band entered the city, and we feared they would provoke the townspeople; we slaughtered a calf for them, fed and gave them drink and anointed them, so they would not provoke the townspeople. He said to him: I would be astonished if your reward did not come out balanced by your loss, for they said one does not prepare on a festival day either for the food of gentiles or for the food of dogs. "For you" - for you and not for the Most High. For Abba Shaul reasoned another argument: if at a time when the doors are not opened by human hands they are opened by Heaven, then at a time when they are opened by human hands it is right that they be opened by Heaven.

"And you shall guard the unleavened bread" (Exodus 12:17) - Rabbi Yehudah says: be exacting in the precise details of the commandments. This teaches that three women may knead at three troughs one after another. The Sages say: three women may be busy with the dough, one kneading, one shaping, and one baking. Rabbi Akiva says: not all women, nor all woods, nor all ovens are alike. This is the rule: if it swells, smooth it down with cold water. Rabbi Shimon says: "and you shall guard the matzot" - matzah that is fit to be guarded; this excludes scalded dough, which is not fit to be guarded. Rabbi Eliezer says: "bread of affliction" (Deuteronomy 16:3) - in the manner a poor man works on other days; just as on other days his wife kneads and he heats the oven, so here too his wife kneads and he heats the oven. "For on this very day I brought your hosts out" - this teaches that the hosts of the Omnipresent are called the hosts of Israel, and the hosts of Israel are called the hosts of the Omnipresent. "And you shall guard this day" - guard it beforehand. From here they said: on the eve of the fourteenth one searches for leaven by the light of a lamp; one does not search by daylight nor by moonlight, but by lamplight, because searching by a lamp is finer than by the light of the sun or the moon. Even though there is no clear proof of the matter, there is a hint of the matter: "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps" (Zephaniah 1:12), and it says "The lamp of the LORD is the soul of man, searching all the chambers of the belly" (Proverbs 20:27). "Throughout your generations, an everlasting statute" - that the matter shall be practiced for all generations.

"In the first month" (Exodus 12:18) - one might think during the whole of it; therefore Scripture says "on the fourteenth." Or "on the fourteenth" - one might think in the morning; therefore Scripture says "day." Or "day" - one might think from two hours in; therefore Scripture says "at evening." Just as "at evening" means after the day has turned, so when it says "day" it means after the day has turned, from the sixth hour and onward. One might think you are obligated in matzah on the fourteenth; therefore Scripture says "upon it" (Deuteronomy 16:3) - upon it [the Passover offering] you are obligated in matzah, but you are not obligated in matzah on the fourteenth. If so, why is "on the fourteenth" said? If it does not apply to the eating of matzah, apply it to the removal of leaven. ["Until the twenty-first day of the month" - one might think you are obligated in matzah all seven days; therefore Scripture says "upon it" - upon it you are obligated in matzah, but you are not obligated in matzah all seven days. I know this only when the Temple stands; from where when the Temple does not stand? Scripture says "in the evening you shall eat unleavened bread" - Scripture established it as an obligation. I know this only in the Land; from where outside the Land? Scripture says "in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread." If we are in the end to include all these, what does "until the twenty-first day of the month" teach? If it does not apply to what precedes it, apply it to what follows it.] "Seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses" - I know only days; from where nights? Scripture says "until the twenty-first day of the month at evening no leaven shall be found in your houses."

"No leaven shall be found in your houses" (Exodus 12:19) - from the general statement "and no leaven shall be seen with you" (Exodus 13:7), one might think that if it were hidden or made ownerless in another city he would not be liable; therefore Scripture says "no leaven shall be found." Or "shall not be found" - even leaven belonging to others or consecrated to the Most High; therefore Scripture says "no leaven shall be seen with you" (Exodus 13:7) - yours you may not see, but you may see leaven of others and of the Most High. And from where to apply what is said of one to the other and what is said of the other to the one? Scripture says "leaven, leaven" for a verbal analogy. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: was it not already included in "it shall not be seen" and "it shall not be found"? What then does "shall not be found" teach? That which is available to you, you must remove; that which is not available to you, you need not remove. From here you say: leaven that fell into a pit, or into a cistern, or into a vat - if dogs and swine can search after it and bring it out, you must remove it; and if not, you need not remove it. A gentile who comes into the house of an Israelite with leaven in his hand - one need not concern himself with it. If the gentile deposited it with him, he must remove it, for it is said "no leaven shall be seen with you." If he set aside a room for him and placed it inside, one need not concern himself with it. "For whoever eats what is leavened" - one might think figs and dates that became leavened on their own would make one liable for them; or, if dough leavened by other agents makes one liable, all the more dough leavened on its own. Therefore Scripture says "leaven" (Exodus 12:15) - just as leaven is distinctively a species of grain, these are excluded, for they are not a species of grain. Rabbi Shimon says: since we have not learned that one is liable to excision for leaven-starter, Scripture says "no leaven shall be seen with you" and "no leaven-starter shall be seen with you" (Exodus 13:7) - just as one is liable for the leaven that shall not be seen, so one is liable to excision for the leaven-starter that shall not be seen. "For whoever eats what is leavened" - from the general statement "for whoever eats leavened bread" (Exodus 12:15), I would know only of dough leavened by others; from where of dough leavened on its own? Scripture says "for whoever eats what is leavened." "That soul shall be cut off" - and not the community. "That one" - not one under compulsion, nor one who acted in error, nor one who was misled. "From the congregation of Israel" - while Israel remains at peace. "Whether a sojourner" - this is the convert. "Or one native-born" - this is the native. "Of the land" - to include all other ownerless things.

"You shall eat nothing leavened" (Exodus 12:20) - this includes Babylonian kutach, Median beer, Edomite vinegar, and Egyptian zithom. One might think one would be liable for them; therefore Scripture says "leaven" - just as leaven is a complete species, these are excluded, for they are not a complete species. Why then are they mentioned? To place upon them a negative commandment. One might think a person fulfills his obligation with dough of rice; therefore Scripture says "bread" (Deuteronomy 16:3) - just as the "bread" stated elsewhere (Numbers 15:19) is of the five species, so the "bread" stated here is of the five species. Another interpretation: "unleavened cakes, for it was not leavened" (Exodus 12:39) - matzah that is capable of coming to a state of matzah and of leavening; this excludes dough of rice, which does not come to leavening. One might think a person fulfills his obligation with first fruits; therefore Scripture says "in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread" - this excludes first fruits, which are not eaten in all dwellings. These are the words of Rabbi Yose the Galilean. Rabbi Akiva says: "with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it" (Numbers 9:11) - just as bitter herbs have no first-fruit counterpart, so matzah has no first-fruit counterpart. One might think a person fulfills his obligation with untithed produce that was not set right, or with first tithe from which the heave offering was not taken, or with second tithe and consecrated produce that were not redeemed; therefore Scripture says "leaven" - just as leaven is forbidden by its own nature, these are excluded, for their prohibition comes from another matter. And from where that the priests fulfill their obligation with heave offering in the provinces, and Israel with second tithe in Jerusalem? Scripture says "unleavened bread, unleavened bread" - Scripture made an inclusion. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: a person does not fulfill his obligation with second tithe in Jerusalem, for it is said "bread of affliction" - this excludes second tithe, which is eaten only in joy. The Sages say: they do fulfill their obligation with second tithe in Jerusalem, for it is said "unleavened bread, unleavened bread" - Scripture made an inclusion. If so, why is "bread of affliction" said? To exclude matzah kneaded with wine, oil, and honey.

"And Moses called for all the elders of Israel" (Exodus 12:21). This teaches that Moses showed honor to the elders. It teaches that the elders take precedence over all Israel. It teaches that Moses made use of the elders of his generation. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: Great is old age. If they are great men, old age is great, for thus has Scripture cherished it; and if they were young in their conduct, old age is great, for thus has youthfulness been joined to it. "And he said to them" (Exodus 12:21). This teaches that he fixed his eyes upon them from the moment he said to them, "Draw out." Rabbi Eliezer says: He said to them, "Withdraw your hands from idolatry," as in the matter that is said, "And I said to them, Cast away every man the detestable things of his eyes" (Ezekiel 20:7). Rabbi Akiva says: "Draw out" — whoever has a lamb of his own; "and take" — whoever has none; "for yourselves" — this includes one who gives it as a gift. "A lamb" (Exodus 12:21) — wherever "flock" is stated, it embraces sheep and goats. Another interpretation: "Draw out and take for yourselves a lamb" — we thus learn that a small domestic animal is acquired by drawing it. "And slaughter the Passover offering" (Exodus 12:21). Its commandment is fulfilled only by slaughtering. For one might argue: if a burnt offering, for which no time of slaughter was set, may be fulfilled only by slaughtering, then the Passover, for which a time of slaughter was set, all the more should require slaughtering. But no: you could say of the burnt offering that a place of slaughter was set for it, whereas for the Passover no place of slaughter was set; and since no place was set for it, perhaps its commandment is not fulfilled by slaughtering. Therefore Scripture teaches, "And slaughter the Passover offering" — its commandment is fulfilled only by slaughtering.

"And you shall take" (Exodus 12:22). Rabbi Yehudah says: "Taking" is stated here, and "taking" is stated regarding the red heifer, and "taking" is stated regarding the palm-branch [lulav], and "taking" is stated regarding the leper. Just as the "taking" stated here means a bound bunch, so too the "taking" stated in those places means a bound bunch. But the Sages say: "this" — if it is not bound, it is invalid; "that" [the leper's] — even though it is not bound, it is valid. "Hyssop" (Exodus 12:22) — not Greek hyssop, nor blue hyssop, nor wild hyssop, nor any hyssop that bears a qualifying name. "And dip it in the blood" — that there be enough blood for dipping. "That is in the basin" — I might understand this to mean a vessel's basin or a doorpost's socket [also called sap in Hebrew], since a vessel is called sap and a doorpost is called sap. And whence is it that a vessel is called sap? As it is said, "and the basins and the snuffers" (1 Kings 7:50). And whence is it that the doorpost is called sap? As it is said, "in their setting of their threshold by my threshold, and their doorpost beside my doorpost" (Ezekiel 43:8). Therefore Scripture says, "and you shall reach to the lintel and to the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin" — meaning a basin one can reach into. Say from now on: a vessel's basin, and not a doorpost's socket. Rabbi Akiva says: Since two verses stand, let one place blood both in a vessel's basin and on a doorpost's socket; the remainder of the blood he pours out upon the threshold. "And you" (Exodus 12:22). I have only you yourselves. Converts, women, and slaves — whence are they included? Scripture teaches, "And as for you, none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning."

"And the LORD will pass through to strike Egypt" (Exodus 12:23). "Passing through" is stated here; say it also there. Just as the "passing through" stated here means a plague, so too the "passing through" stated elsewhere means a plague. And so it says, "and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through the midst of you, says the LORD" (Amos 5:17). "And He will see the blood upon the lintel and upon the two doorposts" (Exodus 12:23) — this excludes a house that has no lintel and no doorpost. "And the LORD will pass over the door" — this is a warning concerning the door. "And He will not permit the destroyer to come into your houses to strike" — this teaches that once permission has been given to the agents of destruction to harm, they do not in the end distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. Nevertheless they do not return to the place of holiness.

"And you shall keep this matter" (Exodus 12:24) — keep the commandment stated in this passage. One might think this includes also the bunch of hyssop, the lintel, and the two doorposts; therefore Scripture teaches, "this." "As a statute for you and for your children forever" (Exodus 12:24) — that the matter should be practiced for the generations.

"And it shall be when you come to the land" (Exodus 12:25) — this is the land of the seven nations. "That the LORD will give to you and to your children" and so forth — this is the land of the three [nations]. "You shall keep this service" — it is revealed and known before the One who spoke and the world came into being that when Israel enters the land they are destined to perform the Passover. And so it says, "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho" (Joshua 5:10).

"And it shall be when your children say to you" (Exodus 12:26) — they are destined to say to you. "What is this service to you?" — this is the wicked son, who has removed himself from the community. And since he has removed himself from the community, you too remove him from the community, and say to him, "It is because of this that the LORD did for me" (Exodus 13:8) — "for me" He did it, and not for you. Had you been there, you would not have been redeemed.

"And you shall say, It is the sacrifice" (Exodus 12:27) — that all its acts be for the sake of a sacrifice. "of the Passover" — that all its acts be for the sake of the Passover. "it is" — this excludes one slaughtered not for its own sake. "to the LORD" — for the sake of the unique Name. "who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt." Three passings-over are stated in the passage: "who passed over," "and the LORD will pass over," and "I will pass over you." Whence do you say that in a courtyard entirely of Israelites the passing-over was only upon the houses? As it is said, "who passed over the houses of the children of Israel." Where Egyptians and Israelites dwelt in one courtyard, the passing-over was only upon the doorways, as it is said, "and the LORD will pass over the door" (Exodus 12:23). Where an Egyptian and an Israelite lay in one bed, the passing-over was only upon the Israelite, as it is said, "and I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). And so it says, "As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts shield Jerusalem; He will shield and deliver, He will pass over and rescue" (Isaiah 31:5). Were it not a matter written in Scripture, it would be impossible to say it: like a beast that bends over its young and suckles it. And so it says, "and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you" (Deuteronomy 1:31). And it says, "A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you" (Psalms 91:7). And it says, "The LORD is your keeper, the LORD is your shade upon your right hand," and so forth, "from this time forth and forever" (Psalms 121:5). "who passed over the houses of the children of Israel" — I have only the houses of Israel. The houses of converts, women, and slaves — whence? Scripture teaches, "and saved our houses." "And the people bowed the head and worshipped" (Exodus 12:27) — this teaches that they rejoiced at the good tidings as at the deed itself.

"And the children of Israel went and did" (Exodus 12:28) — to give them reward for the going as well as reward for the doing. "as the LORD commanded Moses" (Exodus 12:28). Since we find that the first passage the Omnipresent spoke to Moses, and the second Moses spoke to Israel, whence do we know that both of them too he heard from the mouth of the Holy One, and went back and repeated them to Israel? Scripture teaches, "as the LORD commanded Moses." I have only Moses, on whom the passage depends; whence do we know that Aaron too was with him? Scripture teaches, "as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron." One might think that Moses and Aaron, who were occupied with the commandment, had no Passover offering of their own; therefore Scripture teaches, "so they did." And whence do we know that even though it had not yet been said to them, they were ready and prepared, eager and made eager? Scripture teaches, "so they did" — so they did, and so it was in their heart to do.

"And it came to pass at midnight" (Exodus 12:29). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: Moses, who does not know the night's appointed times, its moments, and its exact hours, said "about midnight" (Exodus 11:4); but the Holy One, blessed be He, who knows the night's appointed times, its moments, and its exact hours, said "And it came to pass at midnight." Another interpretation: Moses said to Israel, "And I will pass through the land of Egypt in this night" (Exodus 12:12), and he did not fix for them a precise time, so that they would not sit and brood with evil thoughts, saying, "The hour has already arrived and we have not been redeemed." But when Moses spoke to Pharaoh, what does he say? "Thus says the LORD: About midnight" (Exodus 11:4) — meaning, the matter hangs in the balance; when the night is halved, whether a hairsbreadth above or a hairsbreadth below. But the Holy One, blessed be He, said "And it came to pass at midnight," for He sits upon the stone of the hours and aims at the hour to a hairsbreadth, so that no kingdom encroaches upon its fellow even by the breadth of a thread; rather, when the time of a kingdom has come to fall — if by day, it falls by day; if by night, it falls by night. And so it says, "And at Noph there shall be distress by day" (Ezekiel 30:16), and it says, "At Tehaphnehes the day shall be darkened" (Ezekiel 30:18), and it says, "In that night Belshazzar the king was slain" (Daniel 5:30). And even when the time of our fathers came to fall, what is said of them? "Woe to us, for the day declines, for the shadows of evening lengthen" (Jeremiah 6:4). "And the LORD struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:29) — and not by an agent. "From the firstborn of Pharaoh" — I might hear that this means his son. When it says "who sat upon his throne," his son is already mentioned; what then does "from the firstborn of Pharaoh" teach? It teaches that Pharaoh the wicked one was himself a firstborn, and yet the punishment did not touch him. Why so? In order to seduce the hearts of the Egyptians, so that they would say, "Pharaoh is mighty, for the punishment did not touch him." Of him it says, "He misleads the nations and destroys them" (Job 12:23). And so it says, "And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments; I am the LORD" (Exodus 12:12). Was not Baal-zephon among the gods of Egypt? Why did the punishment not touch it? In order to seduce the hearts of the Egyptians, so that they would say, "Mighty is Pharaoh, that the punishment did not touch him; mighty is Baal-zephon, that the punishment did not touch it." Of this it says, "He misleads the nations and destroys them." But in the end, what does it say? "The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left" (Psalms 106:11) — teaching that even Baal-zephon was ground to pieces. "Unto the firstborn of the captive" (Exodus 12:29) — and elsewhere it says, "unto the firstborn of the maidservant" (Exodus 11:5), teaching that by this measure they had enslaved Israel. "The firstborn of the captive" — this is the one placed in a dungeon. "Who was in the prison-house" — this is the one bound in the house of confinement. "The pit" — this is the one placed in a deep cell. Why were they struck along with the Egyptians? Because they would say, "Our god will exact vengeance for us from the Egyptians who enslave us." Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: Why were they struck along with them? Because they would say, "It is our wish that we remain in our enslavement [of Israel], that Israel remain enslaved." "Unto the firstborn of the captive" — teaching that they had taken them captive. "Unto the firstborn of the maidservant" — teaching that they had subjugated them as male and female slaves. "Who is behind the millstones" — teaching that they crushed them with hard labor. "And every firstborn of beast" — if man sinned, what did the beast sin? Rather, woe to the wicked, and woe to those attached to them.

"And Pharaoh rose up in the night" (Exodus 12:30) — he did not arise in the manner of kings, who arise in the third hour and sleep through two hours; he rose in the night. "He and all his servants and all the Egyptians" — just as he himself, no man roused him, so too his servants, no man roused them, and so too the Egyptians, no one roused his fellow. "And there was a great cry in Egypt" — teaching that they saw their gods splitting apart and falling before them. And although the matter is left obscure here, it is made explicit elsewhere: "Then the earth shook and quaked, the foundations of heaven trembled and were shaken, because He was angry; smoke rose from His nostrils, and fire from His mouth devoured" (2 Samuel 22:8-9). "For there was not a house where there was not one dead" (Exodus 12:30). Rabbi Yaakov says: But was there no house that had no firstborn? Rather, such was the custom of the ancients: one who had no firstborn son would call the eldest of his sons "firstborn," as it is said, "Of the sons of Merari: Shimri the chief, for though he was not the firstborn, [his father made him chief]" (1 Chronicles 26:10). In a house with many men, where none of them had children, the eldest in the house died. And from where do we know that the eldest in the house is called "firstborn"? For so it says of David, "I also will make him My firstborn" (Psalms 89:28). Rabbi Shimon says: There were no fewer than six hundred thousand firstborn who died that night, as it is said, "I gave Egypt as your ransom" (Isaiah 43:3) — and the ransom is one for one. Another interpretation of "For there was not a house where there was not one dead": Rabbi Nathan says, But was there no house there that had no firstborn? Rather, when a firstborn son was born to one of them, he would make for him a portrait-likeness, and on that day [of the plague] it was crushed and ground up and torn before them, and it was as hard for them as if they had buried him that very day. Another interpretation: because the Egyptians used to bury their dead in their houses, and dogs would enter through the drains and dig up and bring out the firstborn from their graves and toy with them, and it was as hard for them as if they had buried them that very day.

"And he called for Moses and Aaron by night" (Exodus 12:31). I might think they came to him; but has it not already been said, "And as for you, none of you shall go out from the door of his house until morning" (Exodus 12:22)? Rather, it teaches that they [Pharaoh and his people] peered down at him from atop a balcony and said to him, "By night we do not go out; we will go out at midday." "Go forth from among my people" (Exodus 12:31) — I might think with delay; therefore it says, "Rise up." "You" — I have only "you"; from where do I include the converts and the slaves? Therefore it says, "both you." "Both the children of Israel" — to include the women and the little ones. "And go, serve the LORD as you have spoken" (Exodus 12:31) — your own stance, as it is said, "And Moses said: With our young and with our old we will go" (Exodus 10:9).

"Your flocks" — "also your flocks" (Exodus 12:32): these are your own. "Your herds" — "also your herds": these belong to the officials. "Take them, as you have spoken, and go" — your own stance, as it is said, "And Moses said: You too shall give into our hands sacrifices and burnt offerings" (Exodus 10:25). "And bless me also" — even for the women and the little ones. Another interpretation: "And bless me also." From here you say that Pharaoh knew that he was lacking prayer, and that the Omnipresent does not pardon a person until he appeases his fellow. What reward did he receive for this? "On that day there shall be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt" (Isaiah 19:19). The mouth that said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice?" (Exodus 5:2) is the very mouth that said, "The LORD is the righteous one" (Exodus 9:27). What reward did it receive for this? "You shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land" (Deuteronomy 23:8). The mouth that said, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil" (Exodus 15:9) is the very mouth that said, "Let me flee from before Israel" (Exodus 14:25). What reward did it receive for this? "You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Exodus 15:12) — they merited to be buried, so that beasts and birds would not devour them.

"And the Egyptians pressed hard upon the people" (Exodus 12:33) — teaching that [the strength] fell to them. And it appeared so to Pharaoh, and they would leave their dead and their slain and bury them in the corners and in wagons. "To hasten to send them out of the land" — and not to the land of Canaan; so it says, "A three days' journey we will go into the wilderness" (Exodus 5:3). "For they said: We are all dead men" (Exodus 12:33). They said: Moses told us that firstborn die, yet we see both firstborn and those who are not firstborn [dying], and they did not know that they were all steeped in licentiousness: one man came upon ten women and they bore him ten sons, so that all of them were firstborn of their mothers; ten men came upon one woman and ten sons were born to them, so that all of them were firstborn of their fathers. Therefore they said, "We are all dead men."

"And the people took up their dough before it was leavened" (Exodus 12:34) — teaching that it was about to leaven [but did not]. "Their kneading-troughs bound up in their garments upon their shoulders" — what they had left over of the unleavened bread and what they had left over of the bitter herbs. Another interpretation: "Their kneading-troughs bound up in their garments upon their shoulders" — they had nothing of provisions [to carry]. And why would one take this [small amount]? But in the end of the matter Scripture praises them, that they were wealthy people. Rather, it teaches that they took in their hands only a small amount, and a blessing entered into it, and they ate from it thirty-one days, and it was as fine for them as the manna.

"And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses" (Exodus 12:35) — he said to them: Do not go wandering from quarter to quarter, so that you not appear like deceitful men. "And they asked of the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold and garments." From where do we know that the garments were more precious to them than everything? Therefore it says, "vessels of silver and vessels of gold and garments" — the most beloved is the one mentioned last.

"And the LORD gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians" (Exodus 12:36). What is this favor? "And the LORD gave the people favor" — teaching that for three days the Egyptians were in darkness while Israel went searching in their houses, and not one of them was suspected even of [taking] a spool of thread. The Egyptians reasoned a fortiori within themselves, saying: When are these people worthy to receive [our goods] — when we dwell in light or when we dwell in darkness? When they took for themselves, or when we give to them? Another interpretation: "favor of this people" — teaching that a holy spirit rested upon them; and so it says, "And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of favor and supplication" (Zechariah 12:10). It is not the same when one says, "Lend me a fish," and the other says, "I have none," "Lend me a measure," and he says, "I have none," as when one says, "Lend me the fish that is in such-and-such a place, lend me the measure that is in such-and-such a place." "And they let them have what they asked" (Exodus 12:36). Rabbi says: When Israel was in Egypt, what is said of them? "Each woman shall ask of her neighbor" (Exodus 3:22) — teaching that they were dwelling alongside them. When they ceased from the bondage, what is said of them? "They shall ask, every man of his fellow" (Exodus 11:2) — teaching that they were friends to them. When they were redeemed from the bondage, what is said? "And they let them have" — what they lent them did not return to them, and they were lending to them against their will, teaching that they feared them as people fear their masters. And because they said: Tomorrow the nations of the world will see them in the wilderness and say, "See how rich are the slaves of the Egyptians." From where do you say that there was no single one of Israel who could not set up the Tent of Meeting and all its vessels, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets? Therefore it says, "from every man whose heart prompts him" (Exodus 25:2) — there is no single one of Israel who could not make all that I have told you. I might think there was one among them who took nothing; therefore it says, "And He brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none that stumbled among His tribes" (Psalms 105:37). And who is one that stumbles? Like David, as it is said, "And he that stumbles among them in that day shall be like David" (Zechariah 12:8). I might think Moses and Aaron, who were occupied with the commandments, took nothing from the spoil of Egypt; therefore it says, "And it shall come to pass, when you go, you shall not go empty" (Exodus 3:21). Is it possible that Moses and Aaron transgressed a positive commandment and a negative commandment? Therefore it says, "Moreover the man Moses was very great" (Exodus 11:3) — teaching that people deposited their valuables with him. Why does Scripture praise the spoil of the sea more than the spoil of Egypt? Rather, what was in the houses they took in Egypt, and what was in the treasuries they took at the sea; for such is the way of kings: when they go out to war, they bring all their silver and gold with them, so as not to incite others to rebel against them. And so it says, "The wings of a dove covered with silver, and her pinions with yellow gold" (Psalms 68:14) — "the wings of a dove covered with silver," this is the spoil of Egypt; "and her pinions with yellow gold," this is the spoil of the sea. "We will make you rows of gold" (Song of Songs 1:11), this is the spoil of Egypt; "with studs of silver," this is the spoil of the sea. "And you grew and increased" (Ezekiel 16:7), this is the spoil of Egypt; "and you came to excellent ornaments," this is the spoil of the sea, doubled and redoubled by what they plundered at the sea.