Commentary for Exodus 34:25

לא תשחט וגו׳ THOU SHALT NOT OFFER [THE BLOOD OF MY SACRIFICE TOGETHER WITH LEAVEN] — i. e. thou shalt not kill the Passover lamb whilst leaven is still existent in your possession. This is an admonition addressed to him who slaughters the Passover lamb, as well as to him who sprinkles its blood or to one of the members of the party formed to eat that lamb in company (Pesachim 63a).

NEITHER SHALL THE SACRIFICE OF THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER BE LEFT UNTO THE MORNING. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture this admonition applies to the whole [Passover-] offering, [the sacrificial portions burnt on the altar, and the flesh eaten by the Passover celebrants]: that one should not leave over of the flesh unto the morning, for that which remains of it until the morning shall be burnt with fire,⁵³¹Above, 12:10. and also the fat of it should be burnt on the altar only until the morning. Onkelos, however, translated the verse as applying [only] to the fat which had to be taken up to be burnt on the altar,⁵³²Thus Onkelos translated: “There shall not remain [overnight] away from the altar till the morning the fat of the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover.” for this “feast” [mentioned there] is explained there, neither shall the fat of My feast remain all night until the morning,⁵³³Above, 23:18. since all these commandments [mentioned here] are based upon those cited there.
Now Rashi wrote: “Neither shall [the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover] be left unto the morning. This is to be understood as the Targum renders it [namely, that it refers to the fat, as explained above]. An offering left overnight is not invalidated if it was placed on top of the altar [during the night, even though it was not burnt at night; and it may be burnt on the altar the following day], neither is it invalidated until the dawn of morning [i.e., if at that time it is not on top of the altar, it is deemed to have been ‘left-over’]. The sacrifice of the feast of the Passover. This refers to the sacrificial portions. From here you derive the law concerning the burning of all fats and limbs of sacrifices [which were burnt on the altar].” In the section of Tzav⁵³⁴Leviticus 6:2. I will explain this with the help of G-d. And with regard to what Rashi wrote about an offering left overnight if it was placed on top of the altar [during the night it is not invalidated] — there is a difference of opinion on this matter in the Gemara,⁵³⁵Zebachim 87a. and in the opinion of Raba it does become invalidated even if on top of the altar; thus if limbs of a sacrifice were left there [on top of the altar] overnight, and then by accident they were taken down [from the altar to the pavement], they may no longer be taken up. On the other hand, if they were not taken down, then even those limbs that had been left over on the pavement of the Court for many days, and by accident were taken up, do not need to come down [and are burnt upon the altar], as is found in the Chapter “The Altar.”⁵³⁵Zebachim 87a.

While chometz still remains. . . I.e., rearrange the verse and explain it as follows: “Do not slaughter My [Pesach] sacrifice, and do not sprinkle its blood, ‘on’ chometz.” [The word “on”] means while chometz still remains. It does not mean literally [that the sacrifice is] actually “on” it.

V. 25. Oben, Kap. 23, 18: לא תזבח על חמץ דם זבחי, wo schon von vornherein in der Opferung das פסח als זבח, als Familienmahl begriffen, und die Opferung selbst als Einleitung dazu זבוח genannt wird. Hier aber wird die Opferung in ihrer selbständigen Bedeutung, als שחיטה, Aufgebung der Persönlichkeit, Gott gegenüber, erfasst und ihr als Gegensatz: חמץ im Besitzgebiete, d. i. Verneinung der Abhängigkeit von Gott hinsichtlich des Besitzes, gegenüber gestellt. Im Zusammenhange spricht sich dies dahin aus: diesen unmittelbaren Gottesschutz wirst du aber nur dann erlangen, wenn du die Unterordnung deiner Person unter Gott nicht von der deines Besitzes trennst, nicht im Tempel deine נפש opferst und für das Haus deinen Selbstdünkel bewahrest, vielmehr: חמץ in deinem רשות gestattet nicht שחיטת דם זבחך im Tempel, und hinwiederum: ולא ילין לבקר זבח חג הפסח: die Nahrung des Gottesfeuers auf dem Altar durch deine כליות וחלב, durch dein Besitz- und Genussesstreben selbst, sowie der genießende Aufbau deines Familienlebens auf Grund deines Opfers im Tempel gehören wesentlich selbst zu deinem Tempelopfer. Deine Opferung soll nicht von der Altar- und Tischnahrung getrennt sein, Altar- und Tischnahrung nicht von deiner Opferung. Jenes machte deine Opferung zu einer Vernichtung, dieses ließe Altar- und Tischnahrung ohne Umwandlung deines persönlichen Wesens als möglich und heilig erscheinen. Oben heißt es dem Zusammenhange gemäß חלב חגי und spricht, dem Begriffe der sittlichen Staatsgerechtigkeit gemäß, die dort im Vordergrunde steht, von הקטרת אימורי חגיגה (siehe daselbst); hier, wo mehr die Gottesnähe des Individuums und der Familie auch mit ihrem Besitz- und Genussesstreben und Leben hervortreten soll, heißt es demgemäß זבח חג הפסח, und spricht von הקטרת אימורים ואכילת בשר des פסח. (Siehe תוספ׳ Peßachim 59 b ד׳ה ולא עולת חול. Siehe jedoch auch מל׳׳מ ה׳ קרבן פסח א׳ ז׳.)

לא תשחט על חמץ דם זבחי, “Do not slaughter (offer) the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread;” Rashi explains that this verse is a warning not to offer the Passover lamb at an hour when the use of leavened products is still permissible. All of the people invited to eat from that lamb are included in this prohibition. Compare the baraitha in Pessachim 63. It is stated there that this prohibition is one of the negative commandments. When is that commandment applicable? As long as either the person slaughtering the lamb, sprinkling its blood, or a guest invited to partake of it, still has leavened products in his possession on Passover eve. It had to be inserted here as previously, in 23,18, this had not been spelled out. Here it is called: “the meat offering of the Passover festival.”

ולא ילין NEITHER SHALL [THE SACRIFICE OF THE FESTIVAL OF PASSOVER] REMAIN OVER NIGHT — Understand this as the Targum renders it: ולא יביתון ... בר ממדבחא … ‎“There shall not remain overnight away from the altar till the morning the fat of the sacrifice” — this law of leaving the fat away from the altar overnight does not serve to invaliditate the sacrifice if it has been placed on the top of the altar some time during the night, even if it be not entirely burnt by morning, nor is the law about leaving the fat overnight infringed except if it has not been placed on the altar by the dawn of the morning (but any time during the night one may lift it up from the pavement on to the altar (Zevachim 87a; cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:18).

Or to any member of the group. Rashi is not saying that the prohibition is on the slaughterer, or on the sprinkler, [etc]. Rather, he is saying that if one of them has chometz in his house [when the korban Pesach is slaughtered], he transgresses a negative precept. However, Rashi does not explain who transgresses: the slaughterer, the sprinkler, or both.

ולא ילין לבקר “and none of it must be left over until morning.” In 23,18, the Torah had referred only to the entrails, etc., not the edible parts of the meat. Here it refers specifically to the edible parts of the sacrifice.

זבח חג הפסח means the pieces of its fat (which had to be burnt on the altar). From here you may derive the law concerning all cases of burning the pieces of fat and the limbs of sacrifices (i. e. you may derive the general rule regarding all sacrifices).

Remaining overnight does not render it unfit. . . מועלת is similar to the word מעילה [misappropriation of consecrated property]. Rashi is saying that if the sacrifice was on top of the altar, remaining overnight does not render it unfit. In other words, if the parts to be burnt were brought up to the altar’s top before dawn, they are not rendered unfit [at dawn,] even if they were not yet offered [on the altar’s fire].

Applies only at dawn. I.e., only if the fat remains until dawn is it rendered unfit. However, if it remains all night but is burnt before dawn, this is not called remaining overnight.

The parts to be burnt. . . [Rashi knows this] because from the korbon Pesach, [most of the meat is eaten]; only the parts to be burnt ( אימורים ) are offered.

All fats and limbs that require burning. I.e., [we learn] not to offer them after dawn, [since they are then unfit. Rashi knows] that all offerings are included, and become unfit through remaining overnight, because it is written זבח חג הפסח and not just חג הפסח .