Kommentar zu Schemot 13:12

והעברת This word והעברת is an expression for “setting apart”. Similarly it says, (Numbers 27:8) “And ye shall set his inheritance apart (והעברתם) for his daughter” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 13:12:1).

V’HA’AVARTA’ UNTO THE ETERNAL ALL THAT OPENETH THE WOMB. This is an expression of setting apart, i.e., that one is to remove the firstling from the flock and it is to be for the Eternal. Then He reverts and explains that this “setting apart” means that every first male offspring dropped by a beast, and every first offspring of an ass and every firstborn son of a man shall be the Eternal’s. But Rashi commented: “And thou shalt set apart unto the Eternal all that openeth the womb. Scripture is speaking of the firstborn of man.”

והעברת, you will remove it from your flock and give it to the priest to offer as a sacrifice.

והעברת כל פטר רחם, “you shall set apart every first born issue of the womb, etc.” Rashi says that the verse speaks of human firstborns, seeing that there is a break in the verse before it continues mentioning first born animals. Nachmanides writes that the word והעברת refers to the setting apart of these animals from the flock as something sacred for G’d. Having made that point, the Torah goes into further detail, commencing with the words וכל פטר שגר בהמה, detailing three categories of firstborns.

והעברת כל פטר רחם לה', “you will transfer every firstborn of the womb to Hashem.” The Torah employs the term העברה in this instance to indicate that the status of being something secular has been removed from such firstborn seeing it had already been designated as sacred while inside the רחם אמו, the womb of its mother.

Should you ask: does it refer also to a first-born of an unclean animal? In other words, you might suggest that שגר in this verse does not refer to one prematurely born, just as שגר אלפיך does not. Even though it is already written, “Every one that [is first to] open the womb,” [apparently forcing us to say that שגר refers to one prematurely born, you might suggest:] perhaps שגר comes to include the first-born of an unclean animal.

V. 12. והעברת ל־, wörtlich: so sollst du an allen andern Verhältnissen vorüber- und Gott zuführen, d. h. mit Lossagung von allen andern Beziehungen Gott weihen. So auch: אתם נצבים וגו׳ לעברך בברית וגו׳, d. h. mit Lossagung von allem andern in den Bund mit Gott einzutreten. Hier nun: Wenn du Besitzer des Landes und dort nun mit deinen Hausesgruppen wirklich sesshaft geworden bist, dann sollst du alle männlichen Erstgebornen deiner Menschen und Güter mit Lossagung von allen Privatbeziehungen zum Ausdruck der Gotteshörigkeit aller Deinigen und alles Deinigen Gott zuführen, d. h. Gott weihen. —

'והעברת כל פטר רחם לה, “you shall set apart for the Lord every first issue of the womb;” we encounter a similar expression in Numbers 27,8: והעברתם את נחלתו אל בתו, “you will set side his inheritance for his daughter.” In that instance, the inheritance of potential male heirs is set aside for a female heir, a daughter if there is one. Here too, the firstborn is set apart from the other heirs as an inheritance for the Lord.

שגר בהמה DROPPED BY BEAST— a premature birth; and this is termed שגר because its mother casts it out (שגר) and expels it (שלחתו) from the womb before its due time (שגר is a synonym of שלח “to let go”). Scripture teaches you that although it is a premature birth it is nevertheless holy by reason of its being first born, in so far that it exempts from the law regarding the firstborn the young that comes (is born) after it (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 13:12:2). It is true that an animal that is not a premature birth) is also called שגר, as (Deuteronomy 7:13) “the שגר of thy kine” (where it speaks of blessing this, and it is therefore evident that it cannot there denote a premature birth), but this שגר (i. e. its use here) is intended only to tell us something about a premature birth, because, you see, it has already written in this verse: “Every first offspring of the womb”! And if you say that also the firstborn of an unclean animal (and not a premature birth) is implied by שגר (and that this also must be hallowed) then I reply that Scripture comes and expressly states in another passage, (Deuteronomy 15:19) “[All the firstling males that are born] of thy herd and of thy flocks (thus only clean animals) [shalt thou sanctify etc.]”. Another meaning may be given in explanation of והעברת כל פטר רחם “thou shalt set apart every first born of the womb” — viz., that Scripture by the term פטר רחם is speaking of the firstborn of man (consequently the following words, שגר בהמה, need not denote an animal of premature birth, but an animal born in the natural course as it certainly means in Deuteronomy 7:13, and we thus avoid the necessity of here assigning to שגר a meaning different from that which it bears in the latter passage).

שגר, an expression describing something being ejected from the belly, the womb.

There is a possible alternate explanation. And according to this explanation, שגר does not refer to one prematurely born.

שגר, lautverwandt mit שקר ,שכר ,שיר, aus sich hinaussetzen, Ausdruck für die tierische Geburt, rabbinisch heißt es überhaupt: fortschicken. — אשר יהיה לך haben wir übersetzt: das dir gehören wird. Nur wenn sowohl das Muttertier als das zu werfende erste Tier ausschließlich jüdisches Eigentum ist, unterliegt es der Erstgeburtsweihe.

וכל פטר שגר בהמה, likewise every male firstling that emerges from the womb of a beast;” at that time the Israelites did not own any ritually impure beasts except donkeys; (no camels or horses) this is why there was no need for the Torah to add the expression: טהורה, “ritually pure,” in our verse.sworn to your forefathers.“and every firstling of a donkey;” this paragraph has been repeated because the laws about the firstlings of donkeys, and the redemption of them was a totally new concept.בבניך תפדה, “as well as amongst your sons, you have to redeem.” This law did not become applicable until after the Levites had become sanctified in lieu of the firstborn sons during the second year of the Israelites in the desert. (Numbers 3,45)