Chasidut zu Schemot 13:13
וְכָל־פֶּ֤טֶר חֲמֹר֙ תִּפְדֶּ֣ה בְשֶׂ֔ה וְאִם־לֹ֥א תִפְדֶּ֖ה וַעֲרַפְתּ֑וֹ וְכֹ֨ל בְּכ֥וֹר אָדָ֛ם בְּבָנֶ֖יךָ תִּפְדֶּֽה׃
Jeden Erstgeborenen vom Esel kaufe mit einem Lamme los, und wenn du ihn nicht lösest, brich ihm das Genick; auch alles Erstgeborene vom Menschen (unter deinen Söhnen) sollst du lösen.
Kedushat Levi
When we appreciate the foregoing, we can better understand what Moses said to the people in Exodus 13,3 "to remember this day, etc,.” It is interesting that the Talmud is in two minds whether the day Moses wanted the people to remember was a day in Nissan or in Tishrey. Moses left open if the redemption in the future would be under the auspices of the attribute of Mercy or under the auspices of the attribute of Justice. If the former, it would have to occur in the month of Nissan, as had the original redemption when it occurred under the auspices of the attribute of Mercy. If it would occur in Tishrey, this would be proof that the people had sufficient merit to be redeemed even in the month in which G’d sits on His throne as King and judges us all. The Talmud in Rosh Hashanah posits that if the redemption does not occur until the last day in G’d’s “timetable,” it will occur under the auspices of the attribute of Mercy in Nissan. If the redemption will occur sooner, i.e. as a result of the people having accumulated the necessary merits, it will occur in Tishrey under the auspices of the attribute of Justice.
When G’d said to Moses in Exodus 13,2 קדש לי כל בכור, “sanctify for me every firstborn, etc.;” He reminded him that as far as the attribute of Justice was concerned every Jewish firstborn required to be sanctified seeing he had just been spared by the attribute of Justice when it killed the Egyptian firstborns. The Jewish firstborns had been redeemed together with the whole people by an act of Mercy. But the firstborns had a special reason to be grateful; therefore they had to be sanctified to G’d. This is why before relating the content of this legislation concerning the holiness of the firstborn, Moses added a preamble reminding them of the date on which this had occurred. The reminder was an oblique reference that their lives had been spared although they had not been worthy of this at the time. He did not want the Jewish firstborn to interpret the fact that they had survived as proof that they had been more deserving than the rest of the people.
Now we can also understand the verse (5,22) in which Moses asked G’d what had been His purpose in allowing the Jewish people to become subjected to more abuse by the Egyptians since he had appeared on the scene so that he could not understand why G’d had sent him to orchestrate their release.
When G’d said to Moses in Exodus 13,2 קדש לי כל בכור, “sanctify for me every firstborn, etc.;” He reminded him that as far as the attribute of Justice was concerned every Jewish firstborn required to be sanctified seeing he had just been spared by the attribute of Justice when it killed the Egyptian firstborns. The Jewish firstborns had been redeemed together with the whole people by an act of Mercy. But the firstborns had a special reason to be grateful; therefore they had to be sanctified to G’d. This is why before relating the content of this legislation concerning the holiness of the firstborn, Moses added a preamble reminding them of the date on which this had occurred. The reminder was an oblique reference that their lives had been spared although they had not been worthy of this at the time. He did not want the Jewish firstborn to interpret the fact that they had survived as proof that they had been more deserving than the rest of the people.
Now we can also understand the verse (5,22) in which Moses asked G’d what had been His purpose in allowing the Jewish people to become subjected to more abuse by the Egyptians since he had appeared on the scene so that he could not understand why G’d had sent him to orchestrate their release.
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