All seven days was the Holy One, praised be He, speaking with Moses at the thornbush,1R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that the statement "all seven days" is based on a simple computation of the three "three days ago" mentioned in the verse. Meir Ayin notes that this statement is quoted in Yalqut Shemot 152. as it is written: "And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." (Exodus 4:10). "Heretofore" is three days, and three [times] "neither, nor, nor," and the day on which He was speaking, in all seven days. And this section was [at the time of] Passover, and they fix it on the 15th of Nissan.2R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that this follows from his commentary on the preceding chapter, that the ten plagues took a full year from the time Moses was first sent to Pharaoh. He also notes that in a different midrashic source (Exodus Rabbah 9(12)) it is stated that the duration of each plague was one month; hence, there would not have been time to accommodate the entire sequence of ten plagues in half a year. R. Jacob Emdin notes that he already explained this in chapter 3. Meir Ayin notes that the statement "and they fix it on the 15th of Nissan" is not found in the Yalqut. And in that same time the next year, the Children of Israel went out from Egypt. Also on the 15th of Nisan was our father Abraham spoken to at the Covenant Between the Pieces,3R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that the Covenant Between the Pieces and the Exodus both happened on the same calendar date, Nisan 15, "exactly on that day." (Ex. 12:41). Meir Ayin notes that this tradition is found in Tanhuma Buber, Beshallah 9. on the 15th of Nisan the angels came to our forefather Abraham to announce to him [the birth of Isaac], and in that same Section of the year following was Isaac born,4This is in accordance with Genesis 18:14: "At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Meir Ayin notes that Tanhuma, Pequdei 11, places the birth of Isaac on Nisan 1. as it is written "At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son" (Genesis 18:14), and on the 15th of Nisan the Children of Israel went out from Egypt, as it is written "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:41), [that is] one term for all [of these events]. On the 14th [of Nisan] the Children of Israel slaughtered their Passover offerings in Egypt, and on the fifth day [after that] was the last festival day of Passover. 5R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that according to Seder Olam, Passover started on a Friday. This is also the opinion of Rashi and Tosaphot (Sabbath 87b). R. Jacob Emdin notes that in Megillah 8a it is reported that the Rabbis disagree about the date of the Exodus. In the opinion of R. Yose, it was on a Friday and in the opinion of R. Yehuda, it was on a Tuesday. According to all Babylonian sources, the giving of the Torah was on a Sabbath, and the day of the giving of the Torah is the holiday of Shavuot, which is 50 days after Passover. Hence, in Babylonian tradition Passover started on a Friday. R. Jacob Emdin explains that the 14th of Nisan, the day of slaughtering the Paschal lamb, was a Thursday, and that the Children of Israel left Egypt the next morning, Friday the 15th. He adds that it is explicitly stated in the Bible that they travelled day and night; hence, it is reasonable to assume that the places mentioned in the Biblical narrative are places of rest, one per day. The argument for placing the Exodus on a Friday is that according to Jewish tradition, Pentecost was on a Sabbath, as derived from Ex. 13:3: "Remember this day, in which ye came out of Egypt" and Ex. 20:8: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." By applying the principle "Scripture does not come to hide but to explain," one sees that since Ex. 13:3 was spoken on the 15th of Nisan, also Ex. 20:8 refers to a Sabbath. Since the giving of the Torah was 50 days after the Exodus, the Exodus must have been on a Friday. R. Jacob Emdin notes that according to the Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 8a) the Children of Israel left Rameses, the first station of their journey to the Red Sea, on a Sabbath, since Scripture does not specifically state that they travelled for seven days. However, Meir Ayin notes that the text here reflects the opinion of the Babylonian Talmud, Sabbath 8a, that "the 14th [of Nisan] the Children of Israel slaughtered their Passover offerings in Egypt," while in the Yalqut it says "on the 14th day the Children of Israel slaughtered their Passover offerings in Egypt and the day was Wednesday." And in that night the firstborn [of Egypt] were stricken. From the day after Passover,16R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that the term "Passover" here refers to the ritual of slaughtering the Paschal lamb on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan. which was a Friday, they travelled from Rameses, as it is written: "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children" (Exodus 12:37), and it is written "And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the Lord had smitten among them: upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments" (Numbers 33:3-4).17The verse states explicitly that the Children of Israel left Egypt on the day after the slaughtering of the Passover sacrifice. R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that according to Seder Olam, the Children of Israel traveled day and night, resting only one day at each of the places mentioned in the Exodus narrative. R. Jacob Emdin notes that there is a disagreement in the Talmud (Shabbat 8a) regarding the day on which the Children of Israel left Rameses. According to Rab, it was on a Friday, while according to Shmuel, it was on a Sunday. The former opinion is adopted by Rashi, the latter by Tosafot. From Rameses they traveled to Succoth, and from Succoth to Etham, and from Etham to Pi-hahiroth, in all three days.18The implication is that the places mentioned in the list of Num. 33 are resting places for the Israelites. On the fourth day, "And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled" (Exodus 14:5).19The news that the Children of Israel had left their assigned place of residence reached Pharaoh on the day following their arrival at Pi-hahiroth. On the fifth and the sixth, "And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon" (Exodus 14:9).20R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that this disagrees with Rashi, who thinks that Pi-hahiroth was close to Egypt, just two days away from the last place where Pharaoh resided. The implication of Seder Olam is that there were at least five days between Pharaoh's residence and Pi-hahiroth. In the evening of the seventh day, they went down to the sea, as it is written "And the cloud and darkness [were there, but it gave] light by night [to them]" (Exodus 14:20).21The implication here is that the sea split during the night, and the Egyptians were drowned the next morning. In the morning, Israel went up from the sea, and Egypt sank, and in that hour the Children of Israel said the song, as it is written "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord" (Exodus 15:1).22R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that since Iyyar 1 was a Sabbath, it follows that Nisan 14, the day on which the Children of Israel slaughtered the Passover sacrifice in Egypt, was a Thursday. The statement that the Israelites sang the song of the sea on the last festival day of Passover disagrees with the Midrash (Exodus Rabbah 23(11), Mechilta Beshallah 4, Shirata 3) that Moses and the Children of Israel said the song on the seventh day after the crossing of the Red Sea, when Miriam and the women sang and danced with timbrels. Guggenheimer explains that according to R. Yehoshua in the Mekhilta, Exodus 15:1, the Children of Israel sang on the holiday of the last day of Passover but Miriam and the women sang and danced on Sabbath, the seventh day after the crossing. And the day was Thursday, and it was the last festival day of Passover. From the Red Sea they traveled to Marah, as it is written "And they came to Marah" (Exodus 15:23). And it says "And he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them" (Exodus 15:25).23Meir Ayin notes that this is explained in Sanhedrin 56b, Yalqut Beshallah 117, and the Mekhilta. There were given to the Children of Israel ten commandments; of them, seven were already commanded to the Children of Noah, as it is written: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat" (Genesis 2:16).24R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that "commanded" here refers to the giving of laws. Meir Ayin cites Sanhedrin 56b. R. Jacob Emdin notes that this is explained in Sanhedrin 56b. "Commanded" - these are the judgments,25The detailed argument for deriving the seven Noahide commandments from Gen. 2:16-17 is given in the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 56b, in the name of R. Yohanan. R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that in some manuscripts of Seder Olam and the Talmud, the wording of the arguments is almost identical. He explains that in Yerushalmi sources, the six commandments given to Adam are: recognition of God, prohibition of idolatry, prohibition of murder, prohibition of adultery, prohibition of robbery, and establishment of courts. The prohibition of eating limbs of a live animal was added for Noah, since before the Flood only vegetarian food was permitted. In Genesis Rabbah, R. Jacob of Kfar Hanin notes that the verse Gen. 2:17 also contains a hint to the future prohibition of eating limbs of a live animal. Guggenheimer notes that the detailed derivation of the seven Noahide laws from Gen. 2:16-17 presented here is based on the hermeneutic principle of "gezerah shavah" ("equal decree"), that all words of God in the Pentateuch have the same meaning. He explains that the verse Gen. 2:16 only serves as mnemonic device, since all seven laws are explicitly stated elsewhere in Genesis: the prohibition of incest and adultery in 2:24 and the prohibition of murder in 9:6. He also explains that the term "law" ("dinim") in the text refers to the specific laws mentioned in Ex. 21-23, while the term "ordinance" ("hukim") refers to ritual laws. and so it says "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him" (Genesis 18:19). And it is written "[to do] justice and judgment."26R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that the term "judgment" refers to the appointment of courts. He notes that constitutional safeguards regarding the testimony of relatives, the composition of the court, and the right of appeal were only added at Marah, and before that they were not applicable to gentiles. "The Lord" this is the blasphemy of the [Divine] Name, as it is written "And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 24:16). "God" - this is idolatry,27R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that the term "God" here refers to the prohibition of worshipping any deity besides God. as it is written: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). "The man"- this is bloodshed,28R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that the term "man" (Adam) here refers to the prohibition of murder. as it is written: "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6). "Saying"- this is adultery,29R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that in some manuscripts one finds a tradition that the prohibition of adultery was derived from the verse (Ex. 20:14): "Thou shalt not commit adultery." In his opinion, this is a later addition, probably taken from Leviticus Rabbah 23. He notes that the Talmud (Yevamot 11:12) understands the prohibition of adultery to be derived from the verse (Gen. 2:24): "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Guggenheimer explains that "saying" refers to adultery by gezerah shavah from the verse in Jeremiah: "Saying, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 3:1). Since there are no divorces for non-Jews, the verse in Jeremiah cannot apply to gentiles and therefore must be taken as symbolic. R. Jacob Emdin notes that this is explained in Sanhedrin 56b. as it is written "Saying, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 3:1). "Of every tree of the garden" this is robbery, as it is written: "or anything else about which one swore falsely, that person shall repay the principal amount and add a fifth part to it." (Leviticus 5:24). And R. Hiyya taught: "[produce] that is guarded on the roof is forbidden because of [the laws of] robbery, and [produce] that is not guarded on the roof is permitted because of [the laws of] robbery." "Thou mayest freely eat" - this is [the prohibition of eating] a limb from a live animal,31R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that this is based on Genesis 9:4: "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." as it is written: "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." (Genesis 9:4). The Children of Israel added to these at that time [Sabbath], the laws, and the honoring of father and mother.32R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that according to R. Yehoshua (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ismael, Beshallah 1, ed. Horovitz-Rabin p. 156) "ordinances" ("hukim") refer to the Sabbath, and "laws" ("dinim") refer to the honoring of father and mother. In his opinion, since the Sabbath was given before the Children of Israel arrived at Sinai (Ex. 16) and "as I commanded you" refers to a commandment given at Marah, the commandment to honor one's parents must also have been given at Marah. In a different tradition (Jerusalem Talmud, Bezah 2:1, fol. 61a) it is discussed whether the Sabbath was given at Marah or at Alush, the station before Rephidim (Num. 33:13, Ex. 16:1). R. Jacob Emdin explains that the statement that the Children of Israel received the Ten Commandments at Marah refers to the specific rulings on the thirty-nine categories of forbidden work on the Sabbath, as opposed to the general prohibition to work on Sabbath that was given earlier. He notes that this agrees with the general approach of Seder Olam, that if a matter is stated in general terms, it was already given before; a subsequent statement of details of the law implies that before that the general law was already known. From Marah they travelled to Elim, as it is written: "And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they encamped there" (Numbers 33:9).33Meir Ayin notes that the verse implies that the Children of Israel encamped only near water. So we learn [from here] that the Children of Israel only encamped near water.34R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that "near water" means that they encamped near a sufficient source of water, for example, a spring or a well. From Elim they travelled to Alush,35The resting place before Rephidim is called "Wilderness of Sin" in Exodus (16:1) and "Alush" in the list of Numbers 33. Meir Ayin notes that in Keddushin 38a, the location is given as "Alush". as it is written: "And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 16:1).36Meir Ayin notes that in this verse we see that Alush was in the Wilderness of Sin. And it was Sabbath. So we learn that the first [day] of Iyyar was on Sabbath, and in addition we learn [from here] that the Children of Israel ate of the cakes that they brought out in their hands from Egypt for thirty full days,37R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that in the Mechilta to Exodus 15:1 it is stated that the Children of Israel ate of the unleavened bread they took from Egypt for 30 days, and on that day it was finished. In the evening they ate quail and in the morning they collected manna. Guggenheimer notes that according to R. Yehoshua in the Mekhilta, Israel arrived at Alush on Sunday and rested there on the next day, Monday. However, manuscripts of Seder Olam put the day of rest at Alush on Sabbath and this is the reading of most Yerushalmi sources. R. Eliyahu from Vilna points out that the Babylonian Talmud (Sabbath 87b) notes that it is possible that Israel arrived at Alush on Sabbath if one assumes that the month of Iyyar of that year had 30 days. Meir Ayin notes that Keddushin 38a gives the 15th of Iyyar as the date the Children of Israel arrived at Alush. and on that day it finished. And in the evening they ate quail and in the morning they collected the manna. And at Alush they were given the Sabbath,38Guggenheimer notes that the statement that the rules of Sabbath observance were given at Alush contradicts R. Yehoshua's opinion in the Mekhilta (Beshallah 1, ed. Horovitz-Rabin, p. 156) that the rules of Sabbath were given at Marah, and therefore the Babylonian Talmud (Sabbath 87b) notes that it is possible that the Children of Israel arrived at Alush on Sabbath if one assumes that they made the month of Iyyar 30 days long. However, Guggenheimer prefers to follow the manuscript readings against the reading of the editio princeps. R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that in Ashkenazic manuscripts one reads here "Sabbath," not "Sunday." He explains that this is the reading of the Mekhilta. R. Jacob Emdin notes that Seder Olam is of the opinion here that at Alush the Israelites received the commandments regarding "techum Shabbat" ("Sabbath limit"), the prohibition to leave the camp on Sabbath, but that they did not yet observe the laws of Sabbath since the verse Ex. 16:22 states that "on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread," implying that on the following Sabbath, they left the camp to gather manna. Meir Ayin, quoting Keddushin 38a, states that they learned that at Alush the Children of Israel received the law of "techum Shabbat." and there the Children of Israel kept the first Sabbath, as it is written "And the people rested on the seventh day" (Exodus 16:30). On Sunday, on the 23rd of Iyyar, they travelled from Alush and came to Rephidim,39Meir Ayin notes that this is derived from the fact that Alush was in the Wilderness of Sin. and there the well was given to them, and they fought with Amalek, and there they observed the second Sabbath.40R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that at Alush they received the law of Sabbath but they did not yet observe it. They only started to observe Sabbath after their victory over Amalek. They travelled from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai, and found its top in clouds of glory. All five days was Moses ascending to the top of the mountain, and descending, and telling the people the words of the Omnipresent, and returning their answer to the Omnipresent.41The five days were Sivan 2-6. R. Eliyahu from Vilna notes that this proves that Moses went up to the mountain every day at dawn and that he did not ascend the mountain more than once on any given day. Meir Ayin notes that the five days are a later addition to the text. In the third month, on the sixth of the month, the Ten Commandments were given to them; that was Sabbath.42R. Eliyahu from Vilna explains that according to R. Aqiba (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11b), the Ten Commandments were given to Israel on the seventh day of the week, the seventh day of the month, and the seventh day of their encampment at Sinai. However, this chronology is impossible to accept if the holiday of Shavuot, the "time of the giving of the Torah," was on Sabbath, the 50th day after the Exodus. Therefore, Seder Olam follows here the chronology of R. Yose the Galilean (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashana 11a). Meir Ayin notes that this is a Baraita and not according to R. Yose, but to the Sages.