출애굽기 12:13의 주석

והיה הדם לכם לאת AND THE BLOOD SHALL BE UNTO YOU FOR A SIGN — it shall be to you for a sign, and not to others for a sign (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:13:1). From this we may learn that they put the blood only inside their houses.

ולא יהיה בכם נגף למשחית, so you will not be struck with a plague as a corollary to the retributive action I am taking against Egypt.

ולא יהיה בכם נגף למשחית, "so there will be no plague against you to destroy, etc." What is meant is that the destructive force (angel of death) will have no excuse to attack you rather than his other natural targets; he will notice the blood on the doorposts of your homes as if it were the seal of the Almighty and be afraid to approach and inflict harm. This was the reason G'd commanded the Israelites to use the blood as a sign. Should you say that in that case any Egyptian hiding out in the house of an Israelite which bore the sign of that blood could escape the plague, the Torah wrote בכם, the restrictions on the angel of death applied only "to you." The "light" of having performed the commandment illuminated only Israel; we find confirmation of this in Isaiah 60,2: ועליך יזרח ה וכבודו עליך יראה, "but upon you the Lord will shine and His Presence will be seen over you."

V. 13. לכם לאות: zum symbolischen Ausdruck der in diesem Blute ausgesprochenen völligen Hingebung eures Wesens an Gottes Führung. — נגף למשחית soviel als: נגף להיות משחית ein Stoß, der zu einem vernichtenden wird.

והיה הדם לכם לאות, “the blood (on your door frames) will serve as symbol on your behalf;” it will signal that you kept G-d’s commandments. A different interpretation: “the blood will serve as a reminder to G-d that the Egyptians have spilled your blood.”

וראיתי את הדם AND WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD — But surely everything is manifest to Him and He therefore did not need to look whether the blood had been put on the door-posts? But the meaning is: God says, I will set My eye (my attention) to take notice of the fact that you are engaged in the performance of My commands — then will I pass over you (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:13:1).

בהכותי, G’d caused other harm to the Egyptians during that night, in addition to killing all their firstborn. Had it not been for the “passing over” He had performed as an act of pity for the Israelites, they would not have escaped that judgment even if their firstborn had not been killed. The matter is similar to what the angel had told Lot concerning his not turning around, when he warned פן תספה בעון העיר, “lest you will be wiped out on account of the guilt of the people inside the city.” (Genesis 19,15) G’d commanded the Israelites to smear the blood as a sign so that they would escape. This was for the sake of His great name, as we know from Ezekiel 20,9 when the prophet reminded the people that G’d had said בדמיך חיי, בדמיך חיי, ”by your blood you shall live, by your blood you shall live.”(Ezekiel 16,6) [both the blood of the circumcision and that of the Passover lamb. Ed.]

וראיתי את הדם, “as soon as I will see the blood, etc.” Even though the blood that the Egyptians had spilled was inside their bodies and as such not visible from the outside, everything is visible to G-d. The following is in response to the question of how the angel could see this even though G-d could see it. The text sounds as if G-d is speaking about Himself. The fact is that once G-d has appointed an angel as His executor, that angel assumes the role of the One Who has appointed him, and when the Torah Speaks of: “when I see,” the reference is to the emissary whom G-d appointed. He is entitled to use that description as applicable to himself while on that mission. The author’s point about the role of the messenger, i.e.angel, is proved when the Torah speaks of G-d not giving the destroyer permission to kill Jewish firstborn. The part of the Exodus story which was orchestrated by G-d personally, without the help of any angels, was that of taking the Jewish people out of Egypt. This is emphasised in the haggadah of Passover where the author writes, quoting Deuteronomy 26,8: ויוציאנו ה' ממצרים, “the Lord took us out of Egypt,” and the author of the haggadah adds; לא על ידי מלאך “not by means of an angel;” לא על ידי שרף, “not through a higher ranking angel called seraph; ולא על ידי שליח, “and not by means of any other agent at His disposal;. אלא הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו ובעצמו, “but only the Holy One blessed be He, in His glory, personally.

ופסחתי — This signifies I WILL SPARE you; similar to this is, (Isaiah 31:5) “Sparing (פסוח) and delivering”. (This is the explanation of Menachem ben Seruk). But I say that wherever the root פסח occurs it is an expression for leaping and springing over, so that ופסחתי here denotes that He sprang from the houses of the Israelites when He reached them, without having entered them, to the houses of the Egyptians — for they (the Egyptians and the Israelites) dwelt one next to the other. Of a like import is, (1 Kings 18:21) “How long will ye leap (פוסחים) upon two twigs?” So, too, all פסחים lame people walk as though they were springing, and are therefore termed פסחים. This, too, is the meaning of, (Isaiah 31:5) פסוח והמליט “He springs over him and delivers him” from amongst those who are being killed.

”ופסחתי עליכם, “I will pass over you; “the word פסח is a variant of פסע; it appears again in the same sense as here in Kings I 18,26: ויפסחו על המזבח, where the prophet Elijah mocked the priests of the Baal and they jumped over the altar again and again to no avail.

ולא יהיה בכם נגף AND THE INFLICTION SHALL NOT BE UPON YOU — but it will be upon the Egyptians. — In the case that an Egyptian was in an Israelite’s house one might think that he would escape! Therefore Scripture says: “and the infliction shall not be upon you”, but it shall be upon the Egyptians who happen to be in your houses! In the case that an Israelite was in an Egyptians house, I might understand from this that he would be smitten just the same as he (the Egyptian)! Therefore Scripture says, “and the affliction shall not be upon you”, wherever you may happen to be (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:13:2).