"And it shall come to pass, when your children say to you" (Exodus 12:26). At that hour Israel received bad tidings, that in the end the Torah was destined to be forgotten. And some say they received good tidings, that they would see children and children's children. "And the people bowed down and worshiped" (Exodus 12:27). Why did they bow? Because it is said, "And the children of Israel went up armed" (Exodus 13:18), meaning one out of five; and some say one out of fifty; and some say one out of five hundred. Rabbi Nehorai says: By the Temple service! Not even one out of five hundred went up, as it is said, "A myriad, like the growth of the field," and so forth (Ezekiel 16:7), and it says, "And the children of Israel were fruitful and swarmed" (Exodus 1:7), for a woman would bear six in a single womb; and yet you say that one out of five hundred went up. And when did they die? During the three days of darkness, as it is said, "They did not see one another" (Exodus 10:23), for they were burying their dead, and they gave thanks and praise that their enemies did not see their downfall and rejoice. "And you shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover" (Exodus 12:27). Our Rabbis taught: All sacrifices that were slaughtered not for their own sake are valid, except that they do not count for the owners as fulfillment of their obligation, apart from the Passover offering and the sin offering. And the Passover, from where do we learn it? As it is written, "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover" (Deuteronomy 16:1), meaning that all your doing of it shall be for the sake of the Passover. We have thus found a change of designation; a change of owners, from where do we learn it? "And you shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Passover," meaning that the slaughtering shall be for the sake of the Passover; if this verse is not needed for the matter of a change of designation, since that is derived from elsewhere, apply it to the matter of a change of owners. We have found this as a precept; that it is indispensable, from where do we learn it? "It is" indicates that it is indispensable, both here and there. We have found this regarding slaughtering; the other rites, from where do we learn them? Since it was revealed in one case, it is revealed in all. Rav Ashi said: We do not say "since it was revealed in one, it is revealed in all"; rather, from where do we learn it? As it is written, "This is the law of the burnt offering, of the meal offering," and so forth (Leviticus 7:37), and it was taught: "On the day He commanded" (Leviticus 7:38), this refers to the firstborn, the tithe, and the Passover, which Scripture compared to peace offerings: just as with peace offerings, whether a change of designation or a change of owners, it is a precept, so too with all of them, whether a change of designation or a change of owners, we require it as a precept; and as with peace offerings, just as you did not distinguish in them between slaughtering and the other rites regarding the precept, so too with the Passover you shall not distinguish in it between slaughtering and the other rites as indispensable. And then why do I need "it"? For that which was taught: Wherever "it" is stated regarding slaughtering, it serves only to make it indispensable; but regarding the guilt offering, "it" is stated only after the burning of the fat portions, meaning the offering itself is valid even if its fat portions were not burned.
When Your Children Ask and the Rules of the Paschal Lamb
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 208:1
(שמות יב כו) וְהָיָה כִּי יֹאמְרוּ אֲלֵיכֶם בְּנֵיכֶם. בְּשׂוֹרָה רָעָה נִתְבַּשְּׂרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, שֶׁסּוֹף עֲתִידָה תּוֹרָה לְהִשְׁתַּכֵּחַ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, בְּשׂוֹרָה טוֹבָה נִתְבַּשְּׂרוּ, לִרְאוֹת בָּנִים וּבְנֵי בָנִים. (שמות יב כז) וַיִּקֹּד הָעָם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ. לָמָּה הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ, לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג, יח) "וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשָּׁה, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשִּׁים, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אֶחָד מֵחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת. רַבִּי נְהוֹרַאי אוֹמֵר, הָעֲבֹדָה, אֶחָד מֵחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת לֹא עָלוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל טז, ז) "רְבָבָה כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה" וְגוֹ', וְאוֹמֵר "וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּרוּ וַיִּשְׁרְצוּ", שֶׁהָיְתָה הָאִשָּׁה יוֹלֶדֶת שִׁשָּׁה בְּכֶרֶס אֶחָד, וְאַתְּ אוֹמֵר, אֶחָד מֵחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת עָלוּ, וְאֵימָתַי מֵתוּ בְּשְׁלוֹשָׁה יְמֵי אֲפֵלָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות י, כג) "לֹא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו", שֶׁהָיוּ קוֹבְרִין אֶת מֵתֵיהֶן וְהוֹדוּ וְשִׁבְּחוּ שֶׁלֹּא רָאוּ אוֹיְבֵיהֶם מַפַּלְתָּם וְיָשִׂישׂוּ. וַאֲמַרְתֶּם זֶבַח פֶּסַח. שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, כָּל הַזְּבָחִים שֶׁנִּזְבְּחוּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָן כְּשֵׁרִין אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא עָלוּ לַבְּעָלִים לְשֵׁם חוֹבָה חוּץ מִן הַפֶּסַח וְהַחֲטָאת. וּפֶסַח מִנָּלָן, דִּכְתִיב "שָׁמוֹר אֶת חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב וְעָשִׂיתָ פֶּסַח", שֶׁיְהֵא כָּל עֲשִׂיָּיתְך לְשֵׁם פֶּסַח. אַשְׁכְּחַן שִׁנּוּי קֹדֶשׁ, שִׁנּוּי בְּעָלִים מִנָלָּן, וַאֲמַרְתֶּם זֶבַח פֶּסַח הוּא, שֶׁתְּהֵא זְבִיחָה לְשֵׁם פֶּסַח, אִם אֵינוֹ עִנְיָן לְשִׁנּוּי קֹדֶשׁ. דְּנָפְקָא לֵיהּ מֵהָתָם, תְּנֵהוּ לְעִנְיַן שִׁנּוּי בְּעָלִים. אַשְׁכְּחַן לְמִצְוָה, לְעַכֵּב מִנָּלָן, הוּא, לְעַכֵּב, בֵּין הָכָא וּבֵין הָכָא אַשְׁכְּחַן זְבִיחָה, שְׁאַר עֲבוֹדוֹת מִנָּלָן, הוֹאִיל וְגַלִי גַּלִי, רַב אַשִׁי אָמַר, הוֹאִיל וְגַלִי גַּלִי לָא אַמְרִינַן, אֶלָּא מִנָּלָן, דִּכְתִיב (ויקרא ז, לז) "זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה לָעֹלָה לַמִּנְחָה" וְגוֹ', וְתַנְיָא (שם לח) "בְּיוֹם צַוֹּתוֹ", זֶה בְּכוֹר וּמַעֲשֵׂר וּפֶסַח הִקִּישׁוֹ הַכָּתוּב לִשְׁלָמִים, מַה שְּׁלָמִים בֵּין שִׁנּוּי קֹדֶשׁ בֵּין שִׁנּוּי בְּעָלִים לְמִצְוָה, אַף כֹּל בֵּין שִׁנּוּי קֹדֶשׁ בֵּין שִׁנּוּי בְּעָלִים בָּעִינַן לְמִצְוָה, וְכִשְׁלָמִים, מַה שְּׁלָמִים לֹא חָלַקְתָּ בָּהֵן בֵּין זְבִיחָה לִשְׁאַר עֲבוֹדוֹת לְמִצְוָה, אַף פֶּסַח לֹא תַּחֲלֹק בּוֹ בֵּין זְבִיחָה לִשְׁאַר עֲבוֹדוֹת לְעַכֵּב, וְאֶלָּא הוּא לָמָּה לִי, לִכְדְּתַנְיָא, כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הוּא בִּזְבִיחָה אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא לְעַכֵּב, אֲבָל אָשָׁם לֹא נֶאֱמַר בּוֹ הוּא אֶלָּא לְאַחַר הַקְטָרַת אִמּוּרִין, הוּא עַצְמוֹ שֶׁלֹּא הוּקְטְרוּ אִמּוּרָיו כָּשֵׁר.