Commentary for Exodus 12:17

ושמרתם את המצות AND YE SHALL WATCH THE UNLEAVENED BREAD that it shall not reach the stage of becoming leavened; hence the Rabbis said, if it (the dough) is rising (a sign that the leavening process is setting in) she (the woman kneading the dough) polishes it with cold water (i. e. she slaps the dough with hands dipped in cold water). Rabbi Josiah said: Do not read “את המַּצּוֹת”, the unleavened bread, but את הַמִּצְוֹת “[ye shall watch] the commandements” — just as we may not cause the unleavened bread to become leavened by letting the dough remain in its raw state too long so we may not let the commandment become “leavened” by waiting too long before we perform it; but if it (a commandment) comes to your hand, perform it immediately (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:17:1).

ושמרתם את המצות, which are called such to reflect the speed with which they have been baked without giving the dough a chance to ferment and rise.

ושמרתם את המצות, to eat them on this day as a memorial.

ושמרתם את המצות, “guard the unleavened bread (flour) from the time it is being harvested (against it becoming moist).” You are to watch it again at the time of kneading the dough so that it will not become chametz (leavened). Our sages (Mechilta 9) read the word המצות as if it had both been spelled with the vowel patach under the letter מ, and had again been spelled with the vowel chirik under the letter מ. The message is that just as one does not let a commandment (mitzvah) become soured through procrastinating in its performance, so one must not allow the dough for the unleavened bread to stand around too long for the same reason.

If it has begun to rise, pat it with cold moisture. I.e., when dough merely begins to rise, this does not make it into chametz. Nevertheless, if the matzoh begins to rise and is on its way to become chametz, [the woman kneading it] should place her hands in cold water and smear the surface of the dough to cool it down. This is [not because of the prohibition to eat chametz, rather] because of the obligation of “You must be vigilant.”

ושמרתם את המצות, "You shall guard the unleavened breads, etc." G'd told us that just as He had carefully guarded that date and had not redeemed us a single day later than the timetable He had planned, so we should be careful not to allow the dough for the unleavened bread to remain inactive a minute too long ; otherwise it might begin to rise.

V. 17. Wie das קרבן פסח vier Tage vor dem Opfer למשמרת sein sollte und lange vor der Feier der jüdische Sinn mit dem Gedanken erfüllt sein soll, den Ausdruck seiner gänzlichen Hingebung an seinen Hirten nicht mangelhaft werden zu lassen: so sollen wir auch dem jedesmal wiederkehrenden Tage unseres Auszuges mit sorgfältiger Darstellung eines ungesäuerten Brotes entgegengehen und es in dem Sinne vor Gärung hüten, weil an diesem Tage Gott uns in die Freiheit geführt und dieser Tag daher nicht mit dem Brote der Selbständigkeit, sondern mit dem Brote der eigenen Unselbständigkeit empfangen werden will. Diese schon vor dem Feste unsere Aufmerksamkeit in Anspruch nehmende Fürsorge ist zugleich eine Fürsorge für die Erhaltung des Tages, der damit gegen Vergessenheit und Vernachlässigung gesichert ist.

ושמרתם את המצות, “you shall observe the commandment to eat unleavened bread on these days for the future.” We find this formulation being use in this sense also in Numbers 28,2 in connection with the daily communal offering where the Torah writes: תשמרו להקריב לי במועדו, ”make sure that you offer it at the time appointed for it.”

ושמרתם את היום הזה AND YE SHALL GUARD THIS DAY — against work,

כי בעצם היום הזה, “on this self-same day;” for on the same day they were all being gathered. They were not being given time to assemble over a period of a few days and nights (seeing that we are speaking of between 2-3 million people)

'כי בעצם היום הזה הוצאתי, וגו, as a result their dough did not have time enough to rise before baking, resulting in it becoming cakes of unleavened bread. It was all due to the haste of being expelled (compare verse 39)

Do not read it the matzos, but rather, the mitzvos. [Rashi offers this midrashic explanation because] according to its simple meaning, [explained in the previous entry,] the verse is out of place. It should come right after (v. 15), “You must eat matzos for seven days,” and teach that we must vigilantly guard them from becoming chametz. The Torah separated these two verses with other laws, to indicate that “You must be vigilant” is not limited to matzos. (Devek Tov)

The Torah added: "you shall observe this day" to teach that not only must we be very careful in the preparation of the unleavened bread, but we must also be very careful with our calendar calculations so as not to observe the Passover on the wrong day of the month. We cannot substitute a different day for celebrating this holiday. The reason is that what occurred happened בעצם i.e. this word is to be read in both directions. The careful watch over the dough and the careful observance of the correct date are both because of what occurred on that very day. We are to emulate what G'd did at that time to the best of our ability.

לדרתיכם חקת עולם THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS, AN ORDINANCE FOR EVER — Because the expressions, “[throughout your] generations”, and “an ordinance for ever” have not been mentioned in connection with the prohibition of work but only in reference to the celebration of the Festival (v. 14), it is therefore repeated here in order that you should not say: the prohibition, (v. 16) “no work shall be done”, was not spoken for future generations but for that generation alone to whom the words were addressed.

הוצאתי את צבאותיכם, the entire community of Israel including their flocks and herds all simultaneously.