Commento su Esodo 12:43

זאת חקת הפסח THIS IS THE ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER — This chapter was spoken to them on the 14th day of Nisan.

AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES AND AARON: THIS IS THE ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER. “This chapter was related to them on the fourteenth day of Nisan.” Thus the language of Rashi. This is correct, since at the end of this chapter it is written, Thus did all the children of Israel, as the Eternal hath commanded,³⁴⁰Further, Verse 50. attesting concerning them that they and their servants were circumcised, [as this is a prerequisite for eating the Passover-offering].³⁴¹Verses 44 and 48. But if so, Scripture should have logically mentioned this chapter before the section, And it came to pass at midnight.³⁴²Above, Verse 29. But the reason [the section of the ordinance of the Passover is placed here] is as follows: The chapter of This month shall be unto you the beginning of months³⁴³Ibid., Verse 2. was said on the first of the month.³⁴⁴Pesachim 6b. Immediately on that day, Moses fulfilled his mission, [as it states], Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them,³⁴⁵Above, Verse 21. meaning that he commanded them concerning the ordinance of the Passover [mentioned here], and he assured them that they will be redeemed on the night of the fifteenth day [of Nisan]. They believed, and the people bowed the head and worshipped.³⁴⁶Ibid., Verse 27. To this account Scripture adjoined the section, And it came to pass at midnight,³⁴²Above, Verse 29. in order to state that He fulfilled the promise He made to them. On finishing this section, Scripture then reverts to the first theme in order to complete the ordinance of the Passover.
This chapter adds many commandments [concerning the Passover-offering]: the prohibitions of an alien or an uncircumcised Israelite eating thereof, the prohibitions of removing the flesh thereof from where it is eaten and of breaking any of its bones, and the law of the Passover-offering of a proselyte. These commandments applied immediately and for all generations.³⁴⁷Unlike certain other laws which applied only to the Passover-offering in Egypt. (See Ramban above, Verse 24 and Note 267). Then Scripture completed the section by saying that the children of Israel did all this; as G-d commanded… so did they.³⁴⁰Further, Verse 50. It uses the expression, all the children of Israel,³⁴⁰Further, Verse 50. in order to explain that there was not one person who transgressed the command of G-d concerning all these matters [mentioned here in the section beginning, This is the ordinance of the Passover], as well as all He commanded regarding the laws of the Passover mentioned in the sections above.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that this chapter dealing with the Passover of the generations, [as distinguished from the Passover of Egypt], was said after the Passover of Egypt, and the verse, Thus did all the children of Israel,³⁴⁰Further, Verse 50. refers to the Passover in the wilderness, which they observed in the second year after the exodus.³⁴⁸Numbers 9:1. [Although it should logically precede the Passover in the wilderness, according to Ibn Ezra] it is written here because of the general commandment [on the Passover here], the case being similar [to that of the jar of manna which Aaron was to put up before the Testimony in the Tabernacle, of which Scripture says], And Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, for a charge.³⁴⁹Further, 16:34. [This account should logically follow that of the building of the Tabernacle, but instead it was mentioned in the chapter dealing with the manna in order to complete the subject.]
This opinion [of Ibn Ezra here] is a mistake. The commandments in all these chapters deal only with the Passover of Egypt and the Passovers which they were to observe in the Land of Israel, as it is said above, And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the Land, etc.³⁵⁰Above, Verse 25. The Passover in the wilderness, however, was a commandment only for that particular time.³⁵¹I.e., only for the second year after the exodus. During all other years in which they were in the wilderness, they did not sacrifice the Passover-offering (see Joshua 5:5), although the other laws of the Passover were of course, observed.

זאת חקת הפסח, for the generations following the Exodus. The Torah legislates where it is to be eaten, by whom, how, when, etc. Only the requirement to put the blood of the sacrificial animal on the doorposts and to eat it in haste, ready for marching, were commandments applicable to the first such offering. All the other ordinances would apply for all future times. (compare Pessachim 96)

ויאמר ה׳…זאת חוקת הפסח, G'd said: "this is the statute of the Passover, etc." It is puzzling why this verse does not follow the usual procedure of introducing a direct commandment, i.e. "speak to the children of Israel, etc." According to what we wrote on verse 3 that this paragraph was said on the 14th of Nissan there was no need to write: "speak to the children of Israel" because it is a continuation of what is written in verse 3, i.e. "speak to the whole community, etc." We must explain then why this paragraph is not recorded as part of what Moses said in that verse. The answer is that this whole commandment is designed for observance of the Passover in future generations only, hence it was revealed after the Exodus. The principle reason for the legislation is to inform Israel that every detail mentioned here is essential for performance of the Passover in the future.

זאת חוקת הפסח, “this is the decree of the Passover offering.” Ibn Ezra says that the whole paragraph deals with the observance of the Passover in future generations, claiming that the words ויעשו בני ישראל את הפסח (verse 50) refers to the observance of the Passover in the year following, in the desert, as described in Numbers The matter is not surprising as the Torah also commanded Aaron to save the manna in a bottle, almost 40 years before this was done, although it is reported already in Exodus How could Aaron be reported, in the past tense, as having deposited this bottle next to the Holy Ark, when there had not yet been a Holy Ark at that time, in fact the legislation of building a Tabernacle had not yet been given? Nachmanides disagrees, claiming that in none of the paragraphs other than in Numbers were the Israelites commanded how to observe these rites in the desert. He points out that prior to the performance of the circumcision of all the males, the Torah had to record the legislation about all uncircumcised males not being allowed to partake of the meat of that sacrifice. Actually, this paragraph should have been written prior to the paragraph describing the killing of the firstborn, however, seeing that paragraph about the new moon, etc., was written (announced) on that very day. Moses told the people immediately and he commanded them regarding all the laws of the Passover. He added numerous other commandments, such as the prohibition of idolaters eating from the meat of that sacrifice, he added what had occurred in the middle of that night, assuring the people that on that night they would be redeemed. He told them that the Exodus that would occur on that night would change their status for all future generations. When completing this interlude, the Torah reverts back to details such as not breaking a bone of the Passover lamb (in order to suck out the marrow), not to take any part of the meat out of the house, as well as details about how a proselyte will be able to observe these rites. These latter regulations apply for the generations after the Exodus.

This section was told to them on the 14th of Nissan. For if it was told on the first of the month, it should have been written above with (v. 12:2), “This month shall be [reckoned] to you,” if they were both stated at the same time.

V. 43. Vers 38 ward berichtet, dass eine große Menge verschiedenartiger Fremden sich Israel beim Auszuge angeschlossen, daran knüpft sich diese חקת הפסח, dieses Gesetz über die Anforderung des Peßachs, die es hinsichtlich der Persönlichkeit der Teilnehmer zu machen hat.

זאת חקת הפסח, “this is the statute of the Passover;” this paragraph is of relevance for all future generations.

כל בן נכר NO STRANGE PERSON — one whose actions are estranged from his Heavenly Father (Zevachim 22b); both a heathen and an apostate Israelite therefore are implied in this term (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:43:2).

THERE SHALL NO ‘BEN NEICHAR’ (ALIEN) EAT THEREOF. “This means one whose actions are estranged from his Heavenly Father, and applies both to a non-Israelite and an Israelite.”³⁵²In our Rashi: “an apostate Israelite.” Thus the language of Rashi quoting from the Mechilta.³⁵³Mechilta on the verse before us. The verse of course is needed only for the case of an [apostate] Israelite. And so did Onkelos translate: “There shall no ‘ben neichar’ eat thereof, i.e, any Israelite who has become an apostate,” meaning he has estranged himself from his brethren and from his Heavenly Father through his evil deeds.
This is the word neichar, mentioned by the Sages in all places, which means estranged, and the purport thereof is m’shumad, one who is a known [opponent to the Torah]. The usage of the word is similar to the Aramaic expression, ‘ve’isht’moda’ (And) Joseph (knew) his brethren, but they ‘isht’modei’ (knew) him not.³⁵⁴Genesis 42:8. In the case of the word m’shumad, it is missing the letter ayin, just as it is absorbed in many [Aramaic] words: midam (anything) in place of mida’am; dor kati in place of dor katia (a chopped generation),³⁵⁵Kethuboth 10b. baki in place of b’kia (expert).³⁵⁶Sanhedrin 5b.

כל בן נכר לא יאכל בו, “no person alienated from his faith is allowed to partake in it.” According to Rashi what are meant are people alienated from their father in heaven, The law applies both to gentiles, as well as to Jews who act like gentiles. Nachmanides writes that there was no need to exclude gentiles specifically, and this also agrees with the translation by Onkelos who speaks of a Jewish “stranger.” A heretic is known either as a משומד, “someone who has destroyed himself,” in the spiritual sense, or a מנוכר, from the word נכר,alien, i.e. someone who has estranged himself to his Creator.

I have seen a view expressed in Shemot Rabbah 19,5 according to which G'd despatched a special wind from Paradise which lent its fragrance to Moses' Passover. When the Israelites inhaled this fragrance they all begged Moses to allow them a taste of his Passover lamb. Moses replied they could not do this as they had not been circumcised, seeing it states in our verse that you have to be circumcised in order to eat from the Passover. Thereupon the Israelites performed the rite of circumcision upon themselves. According to this Midrash we can easily explain why the Torah here did not write: "speak to the children of Israel, etc." An alternative explanation is that this paragraph was addressed only to Moses and Aaron and that G'd commanded them that uncircumcised people should not eat from the Passover. After the Israelites came to Moses and wanted to eat from his Passover they decided to circumcise themselves. [after all the commandment to circumcise themselves dated back to Abrahamitic times and was not valid only for consumption of the Passover. Ed.]

Im Peßachopfer stellt sich das jüdische Volk in seinen zu Familiengruppen gesammelten Gliedern Gott zur "Herde" hin und erhält im Genusse desselben sich, von physischem und bürgerlichem Tode frei, zurück. Es ist dies die ewig zu erneuende Bundesschließung mit Gott für Israels welthistorischen Gang durch die Zeiten. Grundbedingung ist: dass nur der daran teilnehmen darf, der national, sei es durch Geburt, Hörigkeit oder Wahl, und an Gesinnung diesem jüdischen Gottesbunde angehört und das Zeichen dieser Bundeshörigkeit, die Mila, an sich und den Seinen vollzogen hat. Ausgeschlossen ist somit: מומר, der durch seine Lebensweise dem jüdischen Gottesbund entfremdete Jude, תושב ושכיר ,שנתנכרו מעשיו לאביו בשמים, der nur durch Domizil oder Vertrag zum jüdischen Kreise in Beziehung stehende Nichtjude, ערל, der Unbeschnittene — selbst שמתו אחיו מחמת מילה, siehe Jebamoth 70 a. Raschi und Tosaphoth daselbst — und der an seinen Söhnen oder Leibeigenen die Mila nicht vollzogen hat. Dagegen nimmt der der Mila gerecht gewordene Leibeigene und Proselyte in völliger Ebenbürtigkeit, wie der eingeborene Jude, an dem Peßach Teil. —

לא יאכל בו, “he must not eat thereof. (the gentile)” Compare a similar formulation i.e. (addressed to the outsider in the third person instead of directly) והנותר בבשר ובלחם, “and anything left over either from the meat or the bread, etc.” (Leviticus 8,32)

According to the aforementioned Midrash how was it possible that Moses would let everyone partake of his Passover seeing it could only be eaten by people who had been invited prior to its being slaughtered? Perhaps Moses only promised them that they could eat from it in order to encourage them to perform circumcision. As soon as the Israelites had circumcised themselves they found that their own Passover exuded the same fragrance as that of Moses so that they did not need to ask him to share it with them. I have seen a proof that the words of that Midrash are true, i.e. that the Israelites had not been prepared to circumcise themselves up to that point. We read in Ezekiel 20,8: "they rebelled against Me and did not want to listen to Me, and I threatened to pour out My wrath over them in the land of Egypt." Clearly, the prophet speaks of the Israelites' unwillingness to observe even the few commandments of G'd which applied at that time, primarily that of circumcision.

נֵכָר .בן נכר ist nicht wie נָכְרִי, ein Adjektiv oder adjektives Substantiv. Es ist vielmehr ein Abstraktum und bezeichnet überall: das unjüdische, heidnische Wesen, das Heidentum, nicht den Heiden. So: אלהי נכר הארץ: die Götter des Heidentums des Landes, d. i. die heidnischen Götter des Landes. בן נכר ist derjenige, der entweder durch Geburt oder durch das Prinzip seines Wandels dem Heidentum angehört. Dass hier auch das letztere, der abgefallene Jude, darunter zu verstehen sei, ergibt sich schon durch die Betrachtung der andern genannten Kategorie. Wenn selbst der גר תושב durch תושב ושכיר, und durch ערל jeder Unbeschnittene ausgeschlossen ist, so ist der durch nichts in Beziehung zur Judenheit und zum Judentum stehende Heide gewiss ausgeschlossen, und bedurfte es dann nicht des כל בן נכר וגו׳. — Charakteristisch ist es aber, dass das Gesetz durch den Anschluß des ערב רב in erster Linie die Möglichkeit voraussetzt, dass dadurch auch ein Jude zum Abfall vom Judentum kommen könne.