| 1God spoke to Moses, saying, |
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אוַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־משֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר: |
| 2“Consecrate to Me, from among the Israelites, every firstborn of man or beast—the first issue of every womb; it is Mine.” |
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בקַדֶּשׁ־לִ֨י כָל־בְּכ֜וֹר פֶּ֤טֶר כָּל־רֶ֨חֶם֙ בִּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בָּֽאָדָ֖ם וּבַבְּהֵמָ֑ה לִ֖י הֽוּא: |
| פֶּטֶר כָל־רֶחֶם - means: The one that first opened the womb. The root פֶּטֶר connotes “opening,” as in: “like one who makes an opening for water to gush forth (פּוֹטֵר), so is the beginning of strife”; and similarly: יַפְטִירוּ בְשָׂפָה, which means: “they will open their mouths with their lips.” |
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פֶּטֶר כָל־רֶחֶם.
שֶׁפָּתַח הָרֶחֶם תְּחִלָּה, כְּמוֹ: "פּוֹטֵר מַיִם רֵאשִׁית מָדוֹן" (משלי י"ז), וְכֵן "יַפְטִירוּ בְשָׂפָה" (תהלים כ"ב) – יִפְתְּחוּ שְׂפָתַיִם:
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| לִי הֽוּא - It is Mine. I acquired them for Myself by virtue of My smiting the Egyptian firstborn. |
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לִי הֽוּא.
לְעַצְמִי קָנִיתִי, עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהִכֵּיתִי בְכוֹרֵי מִצְרַיִם:
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| 3Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you went out of Egypt, the house of bondage, for with a mighty hand God brought you out of here. No leavened food may be eaten on Passover. |
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גוַיֹּ֨אמֶר משֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָעָ֗ם זָכ֞וֹר אֶת־הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצָאתֶ֤ם מִמִּצְרַ֨יִם֙ מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֔ים כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣זֶק יָ֔ד הוֹצִ֧יא יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יֵֽאָכֵ֖ל חָמֵֽץ: |
| זָכוֹר אֶת־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה - Remember this day. The expression “this day” teaches that one must mention the Exodus from Egypt every day. |
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זָכוֹר אֶת־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.
לִמֵּד, שֶׁמַּזְכִּירִין יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל יוֹם:
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| 4This day, on which you are going out, is in the month of the beginning of the grain-ripening. |
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דהַיּ֖וֹם אַתֶּ֣ם יֹֽצְאִ֑ים בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָֽאָבִֽיב: |
| בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָֽאָבִֽיב - In the month of ripening. Now, did they not know in which month they were leaving Egypt? Rather, this is what he was saying to them: See how kindly God treated you, that He took you out of Egypt in a month that is suited for departure – not hot, not cold, and not rainy; and so it says: “Who took out the prisoners בַּכּוֹשָׁרוֹת,” i.e., in a month that was fitting (כָּשֵׁר) for them to depart. |
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בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָֽאָבִֽיב.
וְכִי לֹא הָיִינוּ יוֹדְעִין בְּאֵיזֶה חֹדֶשׁ? אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר לָהֶם, רְאוּ חֶסֶד שֶׁגְּמַלְכֶם, שֶׁהוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם בְּחֹדֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא כָשֵׁר לָצֵאת, לֹא חַמָּה וְלֹא צִנָּה וְלֹא גְּשָׁמִים, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, "מוֹצִיא אֲסִירִים בַּכּוֹשָׁרוֹת" (תהלים ס"ח) – חֹדֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא כָשֵׁר לָצֵאת (מכילתא):
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