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והיה לכם למשמרת AND IT SHALL BE IN YOUR KEEPING (or watching) — This expresses the idea of examining, and the text therefore implies that it requires examination against any blemish during the four days before slaughter (Pesachim 96a). And why did He order that it should be taken from the flock four days before its slaughter, something which He did not command in respect to the paschal-lamb that was offered by succeeding generations? Rabbi Mathia, the son of Cheresh, said, in answer: Behold, it (Scripture) says, (Ezekiel 16:8) “And I passed over thee (an allusion to God’s passing over the Israelites in Egypt) and looked upon thee, and behold, thy time was the time of love” — there had arrived the time to fulfil the oath which I had sworn to Abraham to redeem his children. They, however, possessed no divine commands in which to engage in order that they should merit to be redeemed — as it is said (Ezekiel 16:7) “thou wast naked and bare” (i. e. bare of all merit earned through the fulfilment of God’s commands). He therefore gave them two commands, relating respectively to the blood of the paschal-lamb and the blood of the circumcision — for that night they circumcised themselves, as it is said (Ezekiel 16:6) “[When I passed over thee] I saw thee wallowing in thy bloods (בְּדָמַיִךְ is plural)” i. e. in two kinds of blood. Further it states, (Zechariah 9:11) “As for thee, also, because of the blood of the covenant I released thy prisoners out of the pit wherin there is no water”. And yet another reply to this question is, that because they were sunk in idolatry and had no merit gained by the practice of a divine command, He said unto them, (v. 21) משכו “Draw” — withdraw your hands from idols; וקחו לכם צאן “and take unto yourselves a lamb” to fulfil a divine command (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:1).

BEIN HA’ARBAYIM’ (AT EVENTIDE). “The period beginning at the sixth hour and onward, [counted from the beginning of the day, which in Torah-law is always divided into twelve hours], is called bein ha’arbayim (at eventide), because the sun inclines in the direction of its setting there to become darkened. It appears to me that the expression bein ha’arbayim denotes those hours which are between the beginning of the darkening of the day and the final darkening at night. The darkening of the day is at the beginning of the seventh hour of the day, from the time the shadows of the evening are stretched out,¹²⁰Jeremiah 6:4. and the darkening of the night is at the beginning of the night. The word erev (night) is an expression of gloom and darkness, just as in the verse, All joy is ‘arbah’ (darkened).”¹²¹Isaiah 24:11. Thus the language of Rashi.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra refuted [this explanation of Rashi] by pointing to the verse which says, And when Aaron lighteth the lamps ‘bein ha’arbayim’¹²²Further, 30:8. [‘There is no doubt that he lights the lamps at sundown”], as it is written there, Aaron and his sons shall set it in order from evening to morning.¹²³Ibid., 27:21. [Thus it proves that bein ha’arbayim does not begin with the seventh hour of the day as Rashi would have it, but at sundown near night.] Besides, the verse regarding the paschal offering itself states: There thou shalt sacrifice the Passover-offering at even, at the going down of the sun, at the time thou camest forth out of Egypt,¹²⁴Deuteronomy 16:6. and “the going down of the sun” occurs at sunset. [How then could Rashi explain bein ha’arbayim mentioned here as commencing at the seventh hour of the day?]
But this is no refutation of the Rabbi’s [Rashi’s] explanation. Our Rabbis have already said¹²⁵Berachoth 9a. that the meaning of the verse is as follows: “At even, you slaughter [the Passover-offering]; at the going down of the sun, you eat it; at the time thou camest forth out of Egypt, [i.e., in the morning of the fifteenth day of Nisan, it becomes nothar]¹²⁶Literally, “left over.” Portions of sacrifices left over after the prescribed time within which they are to be eaten must be burnt. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 103-4. Now since the Passover-offering is to be eaten only on the night of the fifteenth day, whatever is left by the morning of that day is to be burnt. The actual burning, however, takes place on the morning of the sixteenth day, since it is not permissible to burn nothar on a Festival day. and you burn it.” The Rabbi [Rashi] has already so commented [in his commentary to Deuteronomy 16:6].
The correct interpretation on this matter appears to me to be that the night is called erev, as it is said, ‘ba’erev’ ye shall eat unleavened bread.¹²⁷Further, Verse 18. and this is at night, as it clearly states, And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread.¹²⁸Ibid., Verse 8. Similarly, And there was ‘erev’ and there was morning,¹²⁹Genesis 1:5. means the beginning of night when the stars do come forth. The same applies to the verse, In the twilight, ‘ba’erev’ of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness,¹³⁰Proverbs 7:9. [where the word ba’erev, coming after “the twilight,” must signify the night]. Now the end of the day is also called erev, as the verses indicate: And the two angels came to Sodom ‘ba’erev,’ and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom;¹³¹Genesis 19:1. In view of the fact that Lot surely did not sit in the gate at night, ba’erev must mean at the end of the day. And it came to pass ‘ba’erev’ that the quails came up,¹³²Further, 16:13. and the quails did not come at night.¹³³Ibid., Verse 12: At eventide ye shall eat flesh. This clearly indicates that the quails came before the night. The word ba’erev in the verse, And it came to pass ‘ba’erev’ that the quails came up, must therefore mean at the end of the day. There are many other such cases.
It is further written: ‘Erev,’ and morning, and at noonday, I will sigh and moan.¹³⁴Psalms 55:18. Now these three periods include the whole day [of twenty-four hours. Therefore, if we interpret erev as meaning actual night, the hours from noonday to night will be missing here. We must] thus conclude that [the period] immediately after noonday is called erev, [which lasts from the latter part of the day till morning. Thus the verse encompasses the whole day of twenty-four hours].
Morning is so called from sunrise and thence onward as long as the sun remains in the east. This period lasts four hours, just as the Rabbis testified¹³⁵In Tractate Eduyoth 6:1. This testimony is attributed to Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba. that the morning Daily Whole-offering [for the entire congregation of Israel] may be offered in the [first] four hours of the day [but not later].
After morning, the time is called tzohorayim (noonday), just as it is said, from morning until ‘tzohorayim’ (noon).¹³⁶I Kings 18:26. It consists of two hours: the fifth and the sixth hours of the day. The word tzohorayim is of the root ‘tzohar’ (A light) shalt thou make to the ark,¹³⁷Genesis 6:16. and implies brightness. It is written in the plural [tzohorayim] because it is the two [brightest parts of the day] which, so to speak, make two tzohorayim. It may be that it is written in the plural because light is then disseminated on all sides. In the morning the light is centered in the east, and towards evening it is in the west, but in the middle of the day when it is high in the sky, it gives light on all sides.
When tzohorayim (noonday) passes and the sun departs from shining upon two sides, the time of the day is called arbayim — [from the root erev (darkness)] - because the sun has darkened from [its state of shining on] those two sides. This period [of arbayim] lasts as long as the sun shines in the sky [and is permissible for the slaughtering of the Passover-offering]. But beginning with sundown, which is about an hour and a quarter [before the day terminates with the coming out of the stars], it is no longer the time for the slaughtering thereof according to the opinion of our Rabbis,¹³⁸Mechilta Pischa, 5: “At eventide. I might understand this to mean at the evening twilight. Scripture therefore says, etc.” for that period of time is no longer arbayim but rather erev yom (the evening of the day).¹³⁹In the twilight, ‘b’erev yom’ (in the evening of the day) (Proverbs 7:9).
The reason it is called bein ha’arbayim [in the Torah, and not just arbayim], is not that the word bein signifies here “between,” [as Rashi above explained that the expression bein ha’arbayim denotes that time-period which is “between” the beginning of those hours, etc.], but it is something like “in their midst,” similar to these verses: Let there now be an oath ‘beinotheinu beineinu ubeinecha';¹⁴⁰Genesis 26:28. It is generally translated: between us, even between us and thee. But according to Ramban, the meaning thereof would be: “let there be an oath in our midst, even in us and in thee.” A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that ‘beini ubeincha’?;¹⁴¹Ibid., 23:15. It is generally translated: between me and thee. Ramban understands it: “in the midst of me and you, the value of the land is not worth discussing.” And her stature was exalted ‘al bein’ (among) the thick branches;¹⁴²Ezekiel 19:11. Ramban would explain it: “her stature was exalted in the midst of the thick foliage.” Take fire ‘mibeinoth’ the wheelwork,¹⁴³Ibid., 10:6. It is generally translated: “from ‘between’ the wheelwork.” which means from “within their midst”; Take up their fire-pans ‘mibein’ the burning,¹⁴⁴Numbers 17:2. which means “from the midst thereof,” similar to the expression, She rises also ‘be’od’ night,¹⁴⁵Proverbs 31:15. It is generally translated: “she rises also ‘while it is yet’ night.” which means in the midst of the night. And so is the expression bein ha’arbayim, [which signifies “in the midst of that part of the day called arbayim,” as explained above]. It does not state ba’arbayim, for that might have indicated the erev of many days. Thus Scripture is saying that we should slaughter the Passover-offering in the midst of the arbayim, since the time prescribed by the Torah for the slaughtering of the Passover-offering is from after the sixth hour of the day till the commencement of sunset. And Scripture also says, In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month ‘bein ha’arbayim’ (at eventide) is the Passover of the Eternal,¹⁴⁶Leviticus 23:5. which refers to the time of the slaughtering [of the Passover-offering]. Similarly, the verse, In the fourteenth day of this month ‘bein ha’arbayim’ ye shall observe it,¹⁴⁷Numbers 9:3. refers to the beginning of the observance, which is the slaughtering, [while the eating of the Passover-offering takes place on the following night]. The verse stating [in connection with the quails], ‘bein ha’arbayim’ ye shall eat flesh,¹⁴⁸Further, 16:12. also refers to the hours mentioned, [i.e., from after the sixth hour of the day till the start of sunset], since they had extensive time for the eating of meat. The following verse there which states, And it came to pass ‘ba’erev’ (at even), that the quails came up,¹⁴⁹Ibid., Verse 13. is [so stated] because on the first day, the quails came up for one hour within that period called erev.¹⁵⁰In other words, Scripture is stating that during the part of the day called erev which, as explained above, extends from immediately after tzohorayim until the end of the day — making a period of six hours — the quails came up for a time. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 327, for further discussion of this text. [Therefore it does not say, “and it came to pass bein ha’arbayim that the quails came up,” for that would have signified that the quails came up during the whole stretch of time from after the sixth hour of the day till sundown.]
It is possible to explain the expression bein ha’arbayim in accordance with the explanation of Rashi,¹⁵¹The plural form of arbayim suggests two kinds of erev, and the word bein signifies “between.” Thus bein ha’arbayim denotes those hours which are between the darkening of the day and the darkening of the night. Thus is the explanation of Rashi. Ramban proceeds to confirm Rashi’s explanation that the word bein means “between,” but adds that the plural form of arbayim denotes two different periods of the day, unlike Rashi who wrote that it is between the darkening of the day and the darkening of the night, as will be explained. i.e., that there are two kinds of erev, an erev of the morning and an erev of the day, for Scripture so calls them: the ‘minchah’ of the morning,¹⁵²Further, 29:41. Ramban will explain the word minchah. and the ‘minchah’ of the evening,¹⁵³II Kings 16:15. as it is said, And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of making the ‘minchah’,¹⁵⁴Ibid., 3:20. and it further says, And I sat appalled until the ‘minchah’ of the evening. And at the evening ‘minchah’ I arose up from my fasting.¹⁵⁵Ezra 9:4-5. Now the word minchah is an expression denoting the resting of the sun and the diminution of its great light, just as the Targum rendered [l’ruach hayom] l’manach yoma (where the day comes to rest).¹⁵⁶In Genesis 3:8, we read: And they [Adam and Eve] heard the voice of the Eternal G-d walking in the garden of Eden ‘l’ruach hayom,’ which Rashi interpreted: “in that direction towards which the sun travels, which is the west.” Onkelos rendered it: l’manach yoma, “in the afternoon,” or literally, “when the day comes to rest.” Thus it is seen that the word minchah denotes rest. And the plural form of arbayim connotes the two afternoons: “the greater afternoon,” [i.e., the time from six and a half hours after the beginning of the day], and “the smaller afternoon,” [i.e., from nine and a half hours after the start of the day until sunset], which the Sages have mentioned.¹⁵⁷Berachoth 26b. Now during this entire period [of bein ha’arbayim], it is permissible to kindle the lamps of the candelabrum [in the Sanctuary]¹⁵⁸Unlike the opinion of Ibn Ezra mentioned above, i.e., that the kindling of the lamps of the candelabrum in the Sanctuary was done at sundown. and to burn the incense, both of which are not permissible to be done at night but only at the time of the Daily Whole-offering of the eventide, and in fact their performance precedes the actual offering of the sacrifice upon the altar.
Onkelos’ opinion seems to incline towards this explanation [that the plural form of arbayim denotes two different parts of the day], for he translated bein ha’arbayim as bein shimshaya (between the suns), meaning the times when the sun is in the east and the sun is in the west. The verse stating, Aaron and his sons shall set it in order from evening to morning,¹⁵⁹Further, 27:21. From this verse, Ibn Ezra had proven at the beginning of this discussion — see at Note 123 — that the lamps of the candelabrum are kindled at sundown. Ramban proceeds to explain that the purport of the verse is that the priests are to put into the lamps their due measure of oil so that they will burn from evening to morning, but not that it mattered that they were kindled only at sundown. As explained above, that could be done anytime during “the greater afternoon” and “the smaller afternoon.” Thus Ibn Ezra’s strictures on Rashi are removed. means [that it be given its due measure of oil] so that it may burn a whole night [although the actual kindling thereof could be done anytime in the bein ha’arbayim. It does not mean, as Ibn Ezra explained, that this verse teaches that the kindling of the candelabrum took place at sundown].
Thus we can explain the verse, There thou shalt sacrifice the Passover-offering ‘ba’erev’ (at even),¹⁶⁰Deuteronomy 16:6. See above at Note 124 how Ibn Ezra brought this verse in proof against Rashi’s explanation. Ramban already refuted it above on the basis of the teaching of the Rabbis. Here he refutes Ibn Ezra on the basis of the plain meaning of what he has shown, i.e., that erev also means the afternoon, etc. Ramban’s own explanation of this verse is yet to follow. to mean at the above-mentioned time, [i.e., the afternoon], for that is called erev [as explained]. The following expression there, at the going down of the sun, is connected with the following verse, And thou shalt roast and eat it.¹⁶¹Ibid., Verse 7. There are many such cases in Scripture [where an expression in one verse is connected with the following verse].¹⁶²See Vol. I, pp. 437-8.
In my opinion however, the verse, There thou shalt sacrifice the Passover-offering, does not at all refer to the time of the slaughtering thereof, [which took place on the afternoon of the fourteenth day of Nisan]. Rather, the purport thereof is to state that at the place which the Eternal thy G-d chose to establish His name in, there thou shalt observe [the commandment concerning] the Passover-offering at night, at the going down of the sun, which is the time thou camest forth out of Egypt. It is concerning this performance that Scripture says [in the following verse], And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place¹⁶¹Ibid., Verse 7. mentioned. The sacrifice itself is called zevach,¹⁶³Ramban’s intent is to clarify that the word tizbach — There thou shalt ‘tizbach’ the Passover-offering — does not mean “slaughter,” in which case it would necessarily be referring to the afternoon of the fourteenth day of Nisan. Instead, Ramban proceeds to show that the word zevach refers to the sacrifice itself, and the verse therefore refers to the eating thereof which takes place on the following night of the fifteenth day. All this, however, is from the standpoint of the plain meaning of Scripture. Ramban has already noted that the Rabbis in the Talmud (see Note 125), as well as Rashi in his commentary to Deuteronomy 16:6, have explained tizbach as “slaughter.” as Scripture says, Thou shalt not offer the blood of ‘zivchi’ (My sacrifice) upon leaven,¹⁶⁴Further, 34:25. which means “My Passover-offering.”
This then is the purport of the whole chapter [in Deuteronomy]: Observe the month of Aviv, and observe the Passover unto the Eternal thy G-d; for in the month of Aviv the Eternal thy G-d brought thee forth out of Egypt by night, etc. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it.¹⁶⁵Deuteronomy 16:1-3. Thus He mentioned the observance of the Passover-offering and the night, [clearly indicating that in those verses, He refers only to the time of the eating of the Passover-offering, which occurs on the night of the fifteenth day, and not to the slaughtering thereof which takes place in the afternoon of the fourteenth day]. Commanding how they are to eat it, He then mentioned that [we must eat no leavened bread] for seven days.¹⁶⁶Ibid., Verse 3. But in this entire chapter, there is not a single reference to the fourteenth day of Nisan on which the slaughtering of the Passover-offering takes place. Similarly He said there, Neither shall any of the flesh which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning,¹⁶⁷Ibid., Verse 4. Now the expression, the first day at even, [definitely] means the fifteenth day of Nisan, the first of the seven days mentioned,¹⁶⁶Ibid., Verse 3. since the fourteenth day is not mentioned here at all. So also, the verse stating, On the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread,¹⁶⁸Further, Verse 18. means the night of the fifteenth day. Thus the intent of the expression, which thou sacrificest the first day at even,¹⁶⁷Ibid., Verse 4. is that neither shall any of the flesh of the offering which you are eating on the night of the first day [of the seven-day festival] remain until the morning.

והיה לכם למשמרת, "And you will keep it under observation until the fourteenth, etc." This means that the lamb required special examination just as any animals designated to become sacrificial offerings. This begins as soon as one has designated what "name" i.e. the specific offering the animal is to serve as. According to an opinion in Shir Hashirim Rabbah on the verse "like a lily amongst the thorns" this is a reference to the phenomenon that G'd had to liberate the Jewish people as גוי מקרב גוי, "one nation immersed within another nation" (Deut.4,34), the reason the Israelites had to set aside the lamb four days prior to being able to slaughter it was because it took that length of time to divest themselves of the remnants of their pagan practices. All of this is hinted at in the word משכו in verse 21. When the Midrash speaks about the Israelites having to divest themselves of vestiges of idol worship this is not to be understood as their being idol worshippers. However, they still used to wear clothing which the pagans wore, ate foods that the pagans ate, etc. The fastest and most effective way of countering the psychological impact of their former practices was to set aside the Egyptian deity in the knowledge that they would slaughter it in a few days' time. Inasmuch as the Egyptians believed in astrology, the constellation of the ram represented a handicap Israel had to overcome. Slaughtering a ram was the most effective way of doing this.

בין הערבים, “in the afternoon.” According to Rashi, this means any time from noon on, as this is called בין הערבים. Ibn Ezra disagrees, citing as his reason that when it come to lighting the Menorah in the Temple, the Torah describes that time as בין הערבים in Exodus 30,8 and this refers to a period close to sunset, as we know from the Torah’s own elaboration with the words יערוך אותו מערב עד בקר, Exodus 27,21, “that the time for the Menorah to be arranged to burn is from evening to morning.” Nachmanides writes that he believes that the night is referred to as ערב, seeing that the Torah has commanded us to eat the matzoh on the night of the 14th to the 15th of Nissan with the words בערב תאכלו מצה, seeing that the matzah had to be eaten with the meat of the Passover and the Passover is described as being eaten during the לילה, “night, roasted on the fire etc.” (12,8). He agrees that the end of the day is also called ערב, even if it is clearly still daylight, as we know from Genesis 19,1 ויבואו שני המלכים סדומה בערב ולוט יושב בשער סדם, “The two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening, while Lot was still sitting holding court in the public square of Sodom.” [the evening being a time when they were still clearly visible. Ed.] Furthermore, we have a verse in Psalms 55,18 ערב ובקר וצהרים אשיחה ואהמה, “evening, morning and noon I complain and moan.” Clearly, the psalmist, by mentioning these three parts of the day, means to describe the entire day as being divided into three parts. It follows that any part of the day which follows noon and is not yet evening must be called בין הערבים, “afternoon.” The period following dawn while the sun is still in the east is called בקר, morning, comprising a total of six hours. The period known as צהרים, “noon” comprises 2 hours, i.e. one hour before astronomical noon and one hour after astronomical noon. The term צהרים is taken from the word צהר, a bright light, as we find it in the top of Noah’s ark (Genesis 6,15) “a window for light, צהר, you are to make in the ark.” These two hours are the brightest part of the day. As soon as the shadows lengthen after the sun has passed its zenith and the sun has left the eastern part of the sky, we come to the period known as בין הערבים. This period until nightfall is known as ערב. The real meaning of the term בין הערבים is not that it is something that separates two time periods from one another, but it is similar to the meaning in מבין השרפה, Numbers 17,2 where it describes Eleazar’s fire-pan being picked up right in the midst of the fire. Similarly,בין הערבים describes a time period within which slaughtering of the Passover lamb is to take place. This time frame is bounded at the beginning from immediately after noon and at the end immediately before sunset. This is also the meaning of בין הערבים תאכלו, in Exodus 19,12 where G’d tells the Israelites that they are to eat the quail during that time frame. Seeing that we have no reason to believe that the quail could not be eaten also later, and there is no restriction applicable to it such as when eating the meat of animals whose blood was sprinkled on the altar, Rashi’s interpretation that the plural mode of ערבים refers to two evenings is very plausible. He refers to the ערב בקר and the ערב יום, the end of the period known as morning and the end of the period known as day. The time in between is the time during which the Passover lamb is to be slaughtered. We find support for this interpretation by Rashi in Kings II 3,20 ויהי בבוקר כעלות המנחה, “and in the morning when it was time to present the meal offering, etc.” We also encounter the other time frame known as בין הערבים, as מנחת ערב, the meal offering of the evening, in Ezra 9,5 ובמנחת הערב קמתי, “at the time of the evening offering I concluded my fast, etc.” The term מנחה in both instances is not confined to the “meal offering,” but on the contrary, it is derived from the word מנוחה, i.e. when the sun prepares to take a rest from its daily activity in the sky. This meaning is reflected in the translation of Onkelos on the word ערב in Genesis Similarly, this is the time frame allocated to lighting the menorah and the offering of the second part of the daily incense offering, (in conjunction with the daily burnt offering) which are also described as בין הערבים in Exodus 30,8 and 29,39 respectively. We can explain the words:שם תזבח את הפסח בערב, (instead of בין הערבים) in Deuteronomy 16,6 as referring to a period previously described as ערב in conjunction with the setting of the sun. Onkelos understands the term בין הערבים as בין שמשיא, “between the sun in the east and the sun in the west,” as in ויהי כבא השמש בערב, “it was when the sun was about to set, in the evening, etc.” Deuteronomy 16,6 clearly defines ערב as the period when the sun sets: שם תזבח את הפסח בבוא השמש, normally translated as “there you will slaughter the Passover, in the evening, when the sun sets.” This translation would clearly conflict with what the Torah has written here. Therefore, in my opinion, the word תזבח in that verse does not refer to the slaughtering but to the whole procedure of offering and consuming the Passover which reflects the preparation the Israelites had made on that date for an immediate departure from Egypt. The verse in Deuteronomy therefore concludes withמועד צאתך ממצרים, “the appointed time at which you departed from Egypt.” After all, the Torah had referred elsewhere to the fact that G’d had taken the Israelites out from Egypt at night,כי.... הוציאך ה' אלוקיך ממצרים לילה. (Deut. 16,1) We must not forget that the actual Passover sacrifice was called by the Torah זבח פסח, so that there is nothing strange in the word תזבח not meaning: ”you will slaughter,” in the verse quoted. Similarly, it appears that we can also understand Deut 16,4 ולא ילין מן הבשר אשר תזבח בערב ביום הראשון לבוקר, as referring to the sacrifice you have performed on the evening of the first day (of the Passover). There is no need to translate the word תזבח as “you slaughter.” The verse tells us that the sacrificial meat of last night’s זבח, also known as the Passover, must not be allowed to be left over uneaten until daybreak.

Why was it necessary to acquire it four days before its slaughter. . . Why did Rashi not ask this question on (v. 3), “On the tenth of this ( הזה ) month they shall take. . .”? It seems that the answer is: There we would have assumed that the four days [before its slaughter] are to examine the animal against blemishes, a law that applies also to the korbon Pesach of later generations. For הזה excludes only the Pesach sheini sacrifice from the four days of examination. But now that it is written here, “You shall hold it in safekeeping,” which implies examining, we know that “they shall take” (v. 3) means actually acquiring the animal [as a korbon Pesach]. If so, the question arises: Why did it have to be acquired as a korbon Pesach four days before its slaughter, when the korbon Pesach of later generations may be acquired at any time [prior to its slaughter]? But we could challenge this explanation: How does the statement of R. Masia b. Cheresh answer the question? [Acquiring the animal is a one-time act, not a mitzvah “with which to be occupied” for four days.] Furthermore, why is the mitzvah done four days before its slaughter — no less and no more? This matter requires further investigation.

והיה לכם למשמרת, “this lamb shall be carefully watched over by you (for possible blemishes). According to Rashi, G-d commanded the Israelites two commandments prior to their qualifying for redemption. They had to slaughter (release blood and put it on their door posts, and they had to give up some blood of their own bodies by circumcising themselves). This is referred to in Ezekiel 16,6 when the prophet refers to their having remained alive due to these categories of blood. Yonatan ben Uzziel translates that line in Ezekiel as: “by means of the blood of circumcision and the blood of the Passover sacrifice I will redeem you.”

ושחטו אתו וגו׳ AND THEY SHALL SLAUGHTER IT etc. — But did they all slaughter it (one alone did this on behalf of the company formed to eat that particular lamb; cf. Chullin 29b)? But we derive from this statement the legal principle that a man’s agent is as himself (this is derived from the fact that although one alone slaughtered the lamb on behalf of many, Scripture still states: they shall slaughter it) (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:6:2; Kiddushin 41b).

And because they were immersed in idol worship. . . Here, Rashi is offering an additional reason: “And because they were. . .”

והיה לכם למשמרת עד ארבעה עשר יום, “you are to keep it under close observation until the fourteenth day.” According to the view that examining for a blemish in the eye requires thirty days, that scholar may refer only to temporary blemishes which are apt to heal; here the examination is to determine if there is a visible blemish of any kind. A different interpretation: if the animal was purchased from a gentile the examination period is thirty days. Here where the Israelites already had animals in reserve in anticipation of going into the desert to offer sacrifices, at least cursory examinations had already been made prior to the commandment. Therefore an additional four days was adequate.

קהל עדת ישראל it speaks here of קהל assembly, עדה congregation, ישראל Israel, whilst one of these terms alone would have sufficed; hence they (the Rabbis) said: the paschal-lambs of the congregation (a term used in contrast to that which was sacrificed by an individual on the 14th of the second month; cf. Numbers 9:9—14) are to be slaughtered in three groups, one after the other — the first group entered and the doors of the court were closed, etc. as is to be found in the Talmud, Treatise Pesachim (64a).

From here we derive that “the agent of a person is as himself.” You might ask: Why was this not derived from (v. 3), “Each man [shall take] a lamb for [his] family,” where one man takes a lamb for the entire family? Furthermore, perhaps the case in our verse is different [from most cases where “the agent of a person is as himself”] since in our case both the person and the agent are partners in the animal? The answer is: The rule is derived from both verses together. One verse tells us the rule where there is a partnership. And since the rule is repeated in the second verse, this tells us to apply it even where there is no partnership. So it is explained in Maseches Kiddushin 42a. (Re”m) Nachalas Yaakov disagrees, and concludes: It seems to me that [the rule is derived as follows:] It should have said, “They shall slaughter them,” implying that many people shall slaughter many Pesach sacrifices. Or it could have said, “He shall slaughter it.” However when it is written, “They shall slaughter it,” the question arises: “But did they all slaughter it? From here we derive. . .”

עד ארבעה עשר יום, “in order to annoy the Egyptians who had to sit by unable to interfere while the Israelites prepared to kill their deities.” These animals were kept tied up where everyone could see them for four days. They would hear the animals bleat and were powerless to do anything about it. If we needed proof for this assumption it is found in the words: לחודש הזה “(only) during this month.” This means that this commandment was a commandment to be performed only once in Jewish history, [as we are a people that shuns cruelty to animals, so much so that we are commanded to unload the donkeys of even an enemy, if we see that it broke down under too heavy load. (Exodus 23,5) Ed.] What follows the words: לחודש הזה, “for this month,” are rules applicable only to the Passover prior to the Exodus.

בין הערבים AT EVENTIDE — The period beginning at six hours (reckoning from six o’clock in the morning) and hence forward is called בין הערבים (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:6:5), because the sun then inclines in the direction of the place of its setting to become darkened. The expression בין הערבים appears to me to denote those hours which are between the darkening of the day and the darkening of the night. The darkening of the day is at the beginning of the seventh hour in the day, from when the shadows of evening decline; and the darkening of the night is at the commencement of the night (this period is therefore from noon until the beginning of night). The word ערב is an expression for gloom and darkness, as in (Isaiah 24:11). “All joy is darkened".

ושחטו אותו, “they are to slaughter it.” It was to be slaughtered regardless of whether the fourteenth of the month of Nissan was a weekday or a Sabbath. [I fail to see the relevance in this verse of that rule, seeing that we speak only about the Passover offered in Egypt, not about subsequent Passovers. Discussion of future observances of the Passover does not start until verse 14. Ed.] The author raises the rhetorical question of how to make the words: “he who desecrates it (the Sabbath) shall be executed” (Exodus 31,14), as applying to additional ritual activities other than the actual slaughtering. The instruction of ושחטו אותו, which sounds as if the whole congregation was commanded to participate in the slaughtering, an obvious impossibility, was inserted only because Moses had told Pharaoh that if the Israelites were to offer sacrifices to their G-d inside Egypt the Egyptians would surely kill the people trying to do so. (8,2) In the event, they did slaughter the animals inside Egypt and were not stoned to death by the Egyptians. G-d had to give this specific instruction so that the Israelites would not be afraid to do so, quoting Moses’ own words.

ושחטו אותו, contrary to other “almost communal” offerings, this offering did not need to be accompanied by libations, and the owners did not have to perform the rite of s’michah, placing their weight with all their strength on the animal prior to its being slaughtered; neither did the slaughterer have to perform the heaving of the animal prior to its being slaughtered.

ושחטו אותו כל קהל עדת ישראל, “the entire congregation of the Jewish people shall slaughter it.” This commandment cannot be delegated to a fellow Jew to be performed on his behalf. They must all be partners (financially) in performing this commandment.

בין הערבים, “in the hours after the labourers have completed their daily chores.”

That is that He commanded us to slaughter the Pesach-offering on the fourteenth of Nissan in the afternoon. And one who transgresses this command and does not sacrifice it in its time is liable for excision - whether it is a man or a woman. And it has already been explained in the Gemara (Pesachim 91b) that the first Pesach is a commandment [also] for women and that it pushes off the Shabbat. That means to say, its sacrifice must be on the fourteenth [even when it] comes out on a Shabbat, [for women] - just like for every Jewish man. And the Torah's language about the liability for excision is His saying, "and refrains from offering the Pesach-offering, that person shall be cut off" (Numbers 9:13). And at the beginning of Keritot (Keritot 2a) when it lists the commandments for which one who transgresses them becomes liable for excision - and they are all negative commandments - it says, "And the Pesach-offering and circumcision, among the positive commandments." And we already mentioned this in the introduction (Sefer HaMitzvot, Shorashim 14). And this commandment has already been explained in Pesachim. (See Parashat Bo; Mishneh Torah, Paschal Offering 1.)