Commentary for Exodus 12:14

לזכרון [AND THIS DAY SHALL BE UNTO YOU] FOR A MEMORIAL — in future generations (i. e. in the future).

חקת עולם תחגהו, "you will celebrate it as an everlasting statute." Why did the Torah not only use the expression לדורותיכם, "for your generations" which it uses normally? While it is true that the Mechilta states that the word "your generations" would imply only the minimum, i.e. two generations, and the expression חקת עולם means forever, it is still peculiar that the Torah had to use both expressions. The reason is connected to the discussion in Berachot 12 about the verse "in order that you remember the day you came out of Egypt for all the days of your life (including messianic times)." The opposing interpretation of that verse claims that the words "all the days of your life" mean "the whole days of your life" i.e. including the nights (Deut. 17,3). If the Torah had only used the words חקות עולם, I might have concluded that this day is to be observed only during periods when the Jewish people are free and independent; when they are in exile, however, I could argue that there would be no occasion to especially mark that date, therefore the Torah had to add the word לדורותיכם to tell us that the Passover rites are to be observed not only when we are free and independent but even when we are in exile. It is a statute, חוקה, and does not depend on our circumstances.

תחגוהו; the construction with the (chataf) kametz is in order when the root is חגג; a similar example would be Job 40,22 יסובוהו ערבי נחל, “the willows of the brook surround him.” There too, the root is סבב with a double consonant. On the other hand, when the root is חגה, as for instance in other examples of the ה"י categories of verbs such as כלה, or צוה, the correct vocalisation would be with the vowel patach i.e. techaguhu as in kaluhu, or tetzavu.

For [future] generations. Rashi explains this so we will not make a mistake and say that “for you” means only for this generation. Although it is written afterwards, “Throughout your generations,” thus Rashi did not really need to explain this, he did so to connect it to וחגותם אתו . (Nachalas Yaakov)

V. 14. Schmot 34, 25: ולא ילין לבקר זבח חג הפסח, wird der 14. Nissan entschieden חג genannt. Selbst das ולא ילין חלב חגי עד בקר (Kap. 23, 18) wird von einigen auf das קרבן פסח bezogen (siehe מ׳למלך zu הל׳ קרבן פסח א׳ ז). Es kann daher sehr wohl היום הזה sich auf den 14. Nissan beziehen. — חגג ,חיי) חקת עולם, חכך ,חקק, siehe Jeschurun VIII. 436). So wie לחם חק׳ ,חק לכהנים usw. das jemandem als das ihm Zukommende, ihm Gebührende, Erforderliche, Bestimmte bedeutet, so ist חק und חוקה im Gesetze immer dasjenige, was Gott zur Pflege, Erhaltung, Verwirklichung einer Idee, eines Verhältnisses usw. diesen als von uns ihnen zu Zollendes bestimmt hat. So ist פסח דורות dasjenige, wodurch die mit יציאת מצרים beabsichtigte Grundlegung unserer Nationalität als Gottesvolk für immer neu belebt, gepflegt und dadurch eben verwirklicht wird.

לכם לזכרון, “for you as a remembrance.” Prior to this verse the Torah dealt with Passover that the Israelites sacrificed and ate while in Egypt. From here on we have the legislation dealing with how to commemorate this event annually for all future generations. Whereas in Egypt, this ritual was a condition in order to bring about the redemption, from now on it would serve as a reminder of who it was who gave us freedom, not Pharaoh, neither did we gain freedom by our own efforts, but our freedom is due exclusively to the direct intervention of G-d personally in our fate.לדורותיכם חקת עולם, “for your generations as an everlasting statute.” According to Rashi, the last two words were added seeing that the word לדורותיכם, without a number, could be understood as the customary minimum plural mode, i.e. only two generations. You might counter that we have been taught in the Talmud Baba batra foliol20 that this is an instance the word לדורותיכם by itself is to be understood as an unlimited number of generations, so how could Rashi have written what he did? We must therefore understand Rashi as telling us that the word לדורותיכם even without the additional words חקת עולם, “an everlasting statute,” always means just that, as opposed to other nouns which appear in the plural mode.

וחגתם אתו AND YE SHALL CELEBRATE IT AS A FEAST— Scripture states: the day that is to serve you as a memorial, that day thou shalt celebrate as a feast, but we have not yet heard which is the day that is to be a memorial; therefore Scripture says (Exodus 13:3) “Remember (זכור) this day in which ye went out” and this teaches us that the day of the Exodus itself is the day which is to be the memorial (זכרון). Now, on which day did they go forth? Scripture states, (Numbers 33:3) “On the morrow after the Passover-sacrifice they went forth”. Thus you must say that the day of the fifteenth of Nisan is that of the Feast, for on the night of the fifteenth (i. e. what we would term the night following the day of the fourteenth) they ate the Passover-sacrifice, and consequently on the next morning they went forth (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:14:1).

Which day is the day of remembrance. This is because the Torah previously mentioned [several dates on which significant events occurred:] the first of Nisan, the tenth, and the fourteenth.

לדרתיכם וגו׳ [YE SHALL CELEBRATE IT] FOR YOUR GENERATIONS etc. — I might understand from this that it need be celebrated only for the minimum of a plurality of generations, viz., two; therefore Scripture goes on to state “an ordinance for ever shall ye celebrate it as feast” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:14:3).

The Torah therefore says: “As a statute forever shall you celebrate it.” We need not ask: Now [that it says “forever”], why do we need “throughout your generations”? The answer is: Otherwise, I would think it is an eternal statute for this generation to celebrate it every year, but not for future generations. Therefore, both phrases are necessary. (Nachalas Yaakov)