출애굽기 34:20의 주석

ופטר חמור AND THE FIRST OFFSPRING OF AN ASS [THOU SHALT REDEEM] — but not that of any other unclean animal (Bekhorot 5b).

בכור בניך תפדה, the amount to be paid has been spelled out in Numbers 18,16.

כל בכור בניך תפדה ולא יראו פני ריקם. “You shall redeem every firstborn of your sons. They shall not appear before Me empty-handed.” If someone has the good fortune to be a firstborn this is a true distinction. To some degree he shares this distinction with G’d Himself Who is also “a first in the universe.” The offering of sacrifices prior to the sin of the golden calf was always performed exclusively by the respective firstborn of the family. This is why Yaakov was envious of his twin brother Esau who had this privilege. The wicked Esau sold his privilege, thereby displaying his contempt for service of the Lord. After the sin of the golden calf the firstborn were disqualified seeing they had participated in that sin instead of acting as true priests restraining the other Jews from worshipping the golden calf. Their function was taken over by the tribe of Levi, some of whom became priests, others performing tasks allocated to the Levites in the Book of Numbers. Although the firstborn were no longer accorded the privilege of performing priestly functions, they did retain the distinction of being firstborn, a distinction vis-a-vis people who are not firstborn. Our sages (Vayikra Rabbah 2,2) state that whenever the Torah speaks of someone being לי, “for Me,” i.e. for G’d, the meaning is that such a status is accorded permanently both in this world and in the world to come. The Jewish people who are described as being set aside for G’d with the words ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי, “I have separated you from the other nations to belong to Me,” are an example of what we just said. Another example is Numbers 3,45 והיו לי הלוים, “the Levites will remain Mine.” The same expression occurs in connection with the earth seeing G’d says in Exodus 19,5 כי לי כל הארץ for the entire earth is Mine. The Torah also writes of the firstborn that they belong to the Lord, i.e. כי לי כל בכור. This means that the firstborn does not forfeit this status either in this life or in the world to come. Thus far the Midrash.
The commandment involving the firstborn applies exclusively to male firstborns This is what is meant when the Torah wrote כל פטר רחם בבני ישראל, “every opening of the womb amongst the sons of Israel” (Exodus 13,2). The Torah also writes וכל בכור אדם בבניך תפדה, “and every firstborn human amongst your sons you shell redeem” (verse 13 in that chapter). It is incumbent upon a firstborn to devote himself to Torah and G’d’s commandments more than other people who do not share this distinction with him. His father must perform the duty to redeem him as this commandment devolves in the first instance on the father. Should the father have failed to perform this redemption the firstborn son must redeem himself when he comes of age (Kidushin 29). If the redemption is neglected both by his father and himself he is subject to being punished for our sages write that the reason that this legislation is written in connection with the duty to perform the pilgrimage to the Temple is to remind people to redeem the firstborn as the firstborn who have been redeemed will experience the privilege of welcoming the Shechinah and will live to see the Temple rebuilt. Those who have not been redeemed will not see the rebuilding of the Temple.

Not of any other unclean animal. The reason it is specifically a donkey and not other unclean animals is explained by Rashi in 13:13.

ופטר חמור תפדה, “and the firstborn male donkey you shall redeem;” why is this repeated? It is not fit as a sacrifice.

תפדה בשה THOU SHALT REDEEM WITH A LAMB — one gives a lamb to the priest and it remains in his possession with the character of a non-holy object (חולין — an ordinary animal). The firstborn ass is then permitted to the owner to be used for work (Bekhorot 9b).

It remains non-sacred in the hands of the kohein. . . [Rashi is explaining that] this is different from other consecrated and unfit animals which were redeemed, since they and [even] their replacements may not be shorn or used for work, since [the replacements] stand in their place. [And here, the baby donkey is consecrated as a first-born, but is unfit to be a sacrifice due to its species. Yet, after being redeemed with a sheep, it may be used for work.]

ולא יראו פני ריקם, “neither the firstborn males nor their children who make the pilgrimage must not appear before Me emptyhanded as they belong to Me. They must offer sacrifices to Me.”

וערפתו THEN THOU SHALT BREAK ITS NECK — one breaks its neck with a hatchet and so slays it (Bekhorot 10b). The reason is: he (the owner of the ass) has caused loss to the possessions of the priest (by not giving him the lamb) therefore must he suffer loss in his possessions (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 13:13:2).

To teach about the severance pay to a Hebrew slave that it must be five sela’im. . . I.e., it is written “empty-handed” here, relating to a donkey’s redemption. And it is written “empty-handed” in Devarim 13:15, relating to the severance pay of a Hebrew slave. Therefore, just as the redemption of a first-born [human being, as mentioned in v. 19,] is five sela’im, so the severance pay is five sela’im. Furthermore, the “empty-handed” of severance pay is at the beginning [of the section there], while [ostensibly] it should be at the end. Thus, we apply [the meaning of] “emptyhanded” [to all that follows it:] to “flocks,” to “winery” and to “threshing floor,” so that [the value of] five sela’im of each [of the abovementioned] kind should be [paid to the Hebrew slave].

ולא יראו פני ריקם, according to Rashi, quoting a baraitha in the Midrash, this phrase is superfluous and has been written primarily to enable us to learn a g’zeyrah shavveh, to teach us that the amount that a slave that has to be freed after six years of service must be given as a gift, must have the value of five shekels, i.e. the amount paid by the father to a priest when redeeming his firstborn son. He also uses the word: ריקם “emptyhanded,” which appears in both legislations [and appears to derive that rule as it is otherwise unnecessary, Ed.]

כל בכור בניך תפדה ALL THE FIRSTBORN OF THY SONS THOU SHALT REDEEM — Five Sela’im are the ransom fixed for him, as it is said (Numbers 18:16) “And those that are to be redeemed, from a month old shalt thou redeem [according to thy valuation, for the money of five shekels]”. (For the whole of this verse cf. Rashi on 13:13).

ולא יראו פני ריקם AND NONE SHALL APEAR BEFORE ME EMPTY — According to the plain sense of the verse this is an independent statement and does not refer to the firstborn just mentioned — because in connection with the command concerning the firstborn there is no duty of appearing before the Lord; but it is another (a separate) prohibition merely connected by a conjunctive ו with the former statement and means: when you go up to the festival gathering to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord, none shall appear before Me empty; it is your duty to bring the burnt offering prescribed for the appearance before My face (Chagigah 7a). According to the Halachic explanation of the Boraitha this portion of the verse is redundant (since the same commandment already appears Exodus 23:15) and is consequently “free” (מופנה) to be used for a גז"ש (an analogy based on verbal similarity in two texts, viz., the word ריקם here and in the text Deuteronomy 15:13 לא תשלחנו ריקם “thou shalt not let him go away ריקם”) — it is repeated here after the law about the first born to teach you that the outfit given to a Hebrew slave when he leaves your service should consist of five Sela’im-worth of each of the things (mentioned Deuteronomy 15:14: thy sheep, thy threshing floor, and vinepress) just as the ransom of the firstborn is five Sela’im. Thus are we taught in Treatise Kiddushin 17a.