Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Exodus 3

1 And Moses was tending... in the midst of a flame of fire from within the thorn bush. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heavens and speak to Moses from within the thorn bush? What is so special about this thorn bush, which is more formidable than all the trees in the world, such that any bird that enters it does not emerge from it in peace, but rather is cut to pieces? Similarly, the servitude in Egypt was harsher before God than any other servitude in the world. No slave or maidservant ever went free from Egypt, except for Hagar alone, as it is said “And Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they sent him away, him and his wife and all that he had.”Genesis 12:20 Another interpretation of “from within the thorn bush”: Rabbi Joshua says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heavens and speak to Moses from within the thorn bush? Whenever Israel is in distress, it is as if He is in distress, as it is said “In all their affliction, He was afflicted.”Isaiah 63:9 And it says “I am with him in distress.”Psalms 91:15 And it says “For whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.”Zechariah 2:8 The scripture likens this to anyone who harms Israel is, so to speak, harming the One who spoke and brought the world into being. Rabbi Joshua used to say: Come and see the extent of God’s compassion and care for Israel. When they descended to Egypt, the Divine Presence went with them, as it is said “I will go down with you to Egypt.”Genesis 46:4 When they ascended, the Divine Presence ascended with them, as it is said “And I will also surely bring you up again.”Genesis 46:4 When they went down to the sea, the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said “And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved.”Exodus 14:19 When they came to the desert, the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said “In the wilderness, where you saw how the Lord your God carried you,”Deuteronomy 1:31 until they reached the Temple. When they were in distress, as it were, He was with them in distress, as it is said “from within the thorn bush.” When they were at ease, He was with them in comfort, as it is said “That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance.”Psalms 106:5 Another interpretation of “from within the thorn bush”: Rabbi Yosi says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heavens and speak to Moses from within the thorn bush? Because it is pure, and the nations of the world do not make it into an idol. Another interpretation of “from within the thorn bush”: A certain non-Jew asked Rabban Gamaliel: “Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself to Moses from within the thorn bush?” He replied: “Had He revealed Himself on a single carob or fig tree, I would have said that there is a place on earth devoid of the Divine Presence. Now that He revealed Himself on a thorn bush, it teaches you that there is no place on earth devoid of the Divine Presence.” Another interpretation of “from within the thorn bush”: Rabbi Yosi says: Why “from within the thorn bush”? Just as with a thorn bush, if a person inserts his hand into it, he is not harmed because its thorns point downward. But if he wishes to withdraw his hand, the thorns grasp it. Similarly, when the Israelites descended to Egypt, the Egyptians welcomed them, as it is said “The land of Egypt is before you; in the best of the land settle your father and brothers.”Genesis 47:6 But when they wished to leave, the Egyptians held them back, as it is said “I will not let Israel go.”Exodus 5:2 Another interpretation: Moses saw a great miracle from within the thorn bush: he saw the bush budding and growing out of the fire. If you are astonished by this, consider Aaron’s staff, which was dry wood, yet it produced almonds and blossoms. Another interpretation of why “from within the thorn bush”: Rabbi Elazar ben Arach says: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal Himself from the heavens and speak to Moses from within the thorn bush? Although God could have spoken from the tops of mountains and hills, from the heights of the world and from the cedars of Lebanon, He humbled Himself and spoke from a lowly thorn bush. Regarding this, Solomon said “A humble spirit gains honor.”Proverbs 29:23 You will not find any tree more humble than the thorn bush. And it also says “Though the Lord is high, He sees the humble.”Psalms 138:6

Exodus 4

1 And Moses said, etc. Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach said: The Holy One, blessed be He, implored Moses for seven days to go on His mission, as it is written: “even yesterday, even the day before, three days ago, even three days before, ever since you have spoken,”Exodus 4:10 and this is the seventh day.

2 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach said: The Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to Moses with courtesy so that contemptible people would not say that because He is a deity and the master of the world, He did not act justly. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, implored Moses for six days, as it is written: “even yesterday, even three days ago, ever since you spoke to your servant,”Exodus 4:10 and on the seventh day, He said to him, “Please send someone else.” He gave a parable: To what is this matter comparable? To a king who had a servant, and he loved him with a complete love. The king wanted to appoint him as a steward to sustain the royal household. What did the king do? He took his servant by his hand and brought him into his treasure house, showing him silver, gold, precious stones, and pearls, and everything he had in his treasure house. He then took him to the field and showed him gardens and orchards and everything he had in the field. The servant extended his hand and said, “I cannot become a steward to sustain the royal household.” The king became angry and said to him, “If you cannot become a steward, why did you bother me with all this effort?” He swore that the servant would not enter the threshold of his palace. So too, the Almighty implored Moses for six days on His mission to Egypt, and on the seventh day, He said to him, “Please send someone else.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “You say to me, ‘Please send someone else.’ Joshua, your student and the one you raised, will bring Israel into the land. You will not enter the land with them,” as it is said, “Therefore you shall not bring this assembly.”Numbers 20:12 Moses replied and said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe, you tell me to go down to Egypt and bring out the Children of Israel from Egypt. Surely I am a messenger. Two missions to one person at one time? My Lord, this mission is better with two people, as one,” as it is said, “Two are better than one,”Ecclesiastes 4:9 and it is inferred, “By the mouth of two witnesses shall a matter be established.”Deuteronomy 19:15 The Holy One, blessed be He, replied and said to Moses, “Moses, I know for whom you are asking that you and he should go on my mission to Egypt. The Holy Spirit has already rested upon him, and he is going out and waiting for you on the roads of Egypt. Now when he sees you, he will be happy,” as it is said, “He is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be happy in his heart.”Exodus 4:14 The Holy One, blessed be He, replied and said to Moses, “Initially, when I revealed myself to you at the bush, you hid your face from me,” as it is said, “And Moses hid his face.”Exodus 3:6 “Now, when have you been given the opportunity to speak to me like a servant to a human master who has permission to speak to his master?” “Moses, you are talkative! Do I have no messengers, no troops, no seraphim, no wheels, no ministering angels, and no chariot wheels that I could send to bring my children out of Egypt? You tell me, ‘Please send someone else.’ I am the one who called the world from the east of the sun to its setting. For that alone you deserve to be swept away at once. But what can I do, for I am merciful.” Thus, it is said, “And God spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am the Lord.’”Exodus 6:2 And the sages say: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Moses, the merit of Amram, your father, stood by you. He did a great deed in Israel. When Egypt imposed hard labor on Israel and cast them into the Nile, they said, ‘We marry women, beget sons, and the Egyptians cast them into the Nile. Why do we work for nothing?’ Amram arose and did a great deed in Israel, and his decision agreed with God’s. He divorced his wife when she was pregnant for three months. At the end of three months, he remarried her, as it is said, ‘And a man from the house of Levi went and took the daughter of Levi.’ And the ministering angels praised her as people do for a bride and groom,”Exodus 2:1 as it is said, “A joyful mother of children.”Psalms 113:9 And the Egyptians calculated nine months for her, and she gave birth within six months. Why was this necessary? Either Amram took a wife, or he did not. Rather, to inform all who come to the world of the merit of Amram the righteous. Moses replied before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe, I am a prophet and the son of a prophet, and I accepted Your words only after many doubts. Pharaoh is wicked and the son of a wicked man, and the Egyptians are rebels and descendants of rebels. How will they accept my words?” He said, “Speak in the holy language, like an angel. Your brother Aaron will speak in Egyptian,” as it is said, “See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.”Exodus 7:1 Moses replied and said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe, you tell me to go down to Egypt and bring out 600,000 from under the burdens of Egypt. I fear for the people, for I fled from them.” He said to him, “Do not fear, Moses. They have already died,” as it is said, “For all the men who sought your life are dead.”Exodus 4:19 The Holy One, blessed be He, replied and said to Moses, “Moses, you say to me, ‘I fear for the people, for I fled from them.’ The people Pharaoh sent to capture you, who made them mute, who made them deaf, who made them blind, is it not I, the Lord?” Rabbi Eleazar ben Judah of Bartota says: Moses replied before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe, I am a prophet and the son of a prophet, and I accepted Your words only after many doubts. Pharaoh is wicked and the son of a wicked man, and the Egyptians are rebels and descendants of rebels. How will they accept my words?” He said, “Speak in the holy language, like an angel. Your brother Aaron will speak in Egyptian,” as it is said, “See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.” Moses replied and said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the Universe, you tell me to go down to Egypt and bring out 600,000 from under the burdens of Egypt. If You had spoken to me about a hundred or two hundred people, the task would still be difficult for me. But You tell me to bring 600,000 out from under Pharaoh’s burdens in Egypt! If You had warned them a year or two before the command, the matter would already have been settled. But they were enslaved for 210 years. Pharaoh will say to me, ‘A slave who served for ten years and no creature protested against him, another will come and take him from his hand? Or one who worked the vineyard for ten years and no creature protested against him, another will come and take it from his hand?’ Master of the Universe, these things you tell me are heavy and burdensome,” as it is said, “I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.”Exodus 4:10

Exodus 6

1 And God spoke to Moses and said to himExodus 6:2, “I am the LORD” Rabbi Eliezer says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I am the One who said, ‘Let there be a world’, as it is said ‘The mighty God, the LORD, has spoken and called the earth.Psalms 50:1’ I am the One who told Abraham, your ancestor, in the Covenant Between the Parts ‘Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own.Genesis 15:13’ Now, the oath urgently confronts Me, calling on Me to bring My children out of Egypt, yet you say, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Joshua says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I am trustworthy to reward Isaac, son of Abraham, who offered a quarter-log of blood on the altar. I said to him ‘By the strength of Your arm, release those condemned to die.Psalms 79:11’ Now I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Shimon says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I am trustworthy to fulfill what I promised to Jacob ‘Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth.Genesis 28:14’ Now, the oath urgently confronts Me, calling on Me to bring My children out of Egypt, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Judah says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I am the Master of the world. I am full of mercy. I am trustworthy to reward. My children are enslaved to flesh and blood, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Nehemiah says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “It is revealed and known before Me the suffering of My children in Egypt, as it is said ‘God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice.Exodus 2:25’ My children are in distress, you are at ease, and I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Yosi the Galilean says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “My children in Egypt had incurred a sentence of destruction, as it is said ‘I said to them: Cast away, every one of you, the detestable things before your eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.Ezekiel 20:7-8 They rebelled against Me and did not want to listen to Me.’ I act for the sake of My great name so that it is not profaned, as it is said ‘But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived.Ezekiel 20:9’ I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Tarfon says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Israel is deserving to be given in the hands of Ammon, Moab, and Amalek. But there is a decree from before Me that I will not deliver them into their hands, as it is said ‘A hand is raised toward the LORDExodus 17:16’s throne.’ And it is said ‘But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations.Ezekiel 20:9’ I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Joshua ben Korḥa says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Israel is not deserving to be given manna in the desert, but only hunger, thirst, nakedness, and exposure. But what can I do? I pay them the reward of Abraham, My beloved, who made a meal for My ministering angels, as it is said ‘He stood over them under the tree while they ate.Genesis 18:8’ I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, ‘Please send someone else.’” Rabbi Akiva says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “By saying, decreeing, and swearing, you are prevented from entering the land.” And so it says “Because you did not believe in MNumbers 20:12e, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, “therefore” you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” And the word therefore indicates an oath, as it is said “Therefore I swear to the house of Eli.1 Samuel 3:14” And all this anger, why? Because Moses said, “Since I came to PharaohExodus 5:23...”. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: This righteous man would never speak that way! Rather, this is what he said before Him: “Master of the Universe, doesn’t the one who redeems also rescue? Master of the Universe, I know that You are destined to bring Your children out of Egypt. Perhaps You intend to do so through someone else, and I have not merited to bring them out through me.” The Holy One, blessed be He, responded to him and said: “Moses, you have merited, and it is through you that I will bring them out.” Know this, for from the response He gave him, you can learn this, as it is said, “And the LORD said to Moses, now you will seeExodus 6:1...”

Exodus 12

1 “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt.”Exodus 12:1 This teaches that every land was suitable for divine speech before the land of Israel was sanctified. But once the land of Israel was sanctified, divine speech came to the prophets elsewhere only beside water. As it says, “The word of the LORD came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar.”Ezekiel 1:3 And it says, “I was beside the Ulai canal,”Daniel 8:2 and “I was beside the great river, the Tigris.”Daniel 10:4 God likewise spoke to Jonah only beside water. Rabbi Judah says, “Even at the beginning, He spoke to the prophets only beside water, as it says, ‘The word came.’”Ezekiel 1:3 Rabbi Nehemiah says, “At the beginning, He spoke to the prophets anywhere. Why, then, does it say, ‘The word of the LORD came to Ezekiel’?Ezekiel 1:3 Because the holy spirit was not continually present with him.” “In the land of Egypt.”Exodus 12:1 Could this mean inside the city? Scripture says “in the land,” in the open country. He spoke with him outside the city rather than inside it. Moses likewise says to Pharaoh, “When I leave the city.”Exodus 9:29 If he did not offer prayer, a lesser matter, inside the city, how much more must this apply to divine speech, a greater matter! Why did He not speak with him inside the city? Because it was full of idols. Still, I might say that God spoke to Moses outside the city, but Moses did not have to speak to Aaron outside it. Scripture says, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt.”Exodus 12:1 It places the speech to Aaron alongside the speech to Moses. Just as Moses was addressed outside the city, so was Aaron. Just as Moses spoke with the formula “This is what He says,” so did Aaron. Just as Moses was a god to Pharaoh, speaking without fear, so was Aaron a god to Pharaoh, speaking without fear. Just as Moses is mentioned in connection with the red cow, the lighting, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense, so is Aaron mentioned in connection with the red cow, the lighting, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense. Scripture says, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,”Exodus 12:1 placing Aaron’s greatness alongside Moses’ greatness. “Saying.”Exodus 12:1 Rabbi Eliezer says, “How do we know that the order in which the instructions were communicated in Egypt was the same as in the wilderness? No explicit statement should be needed, since it follows by inference. Speech is mentioned here and speech is mentioned in the wilderness.Leviticus 11:1 Just as Aaron heard and repeated the instructions first in the wilderness, so Aaron heard and repeated them first here. But Aaron’s precedence over his sons in the wilderness might be explained by his anointing with the anointing oil. Should he take precedence over his sons here, when he had not yet been anointed with the anointing oil? Scripture says, ‘The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying.’Exodus 12:1 This teaches that Aaron took precedence over his sons. “How do we know that his sons took precedence over the elders? No explicit statement should be needed, since it follows by inference. Speech is mentioned here and speech is mentioned in the wilderness. Just as his sons took precedence over the elders in the speech in the wilderness, so his sons took precedence over the elders in the speech here. But their precedence over the elders in the wilderness might be explained by their precedence in going up the mountain. Should his sons take precedence over the elders here, when they had not yet gone up the mountain? Scripture says, ‘And speak to his sons.’ This teaches that his sons take precedence over the elders. “How do we know that the elders take precedence over Israel? No explicit statement should be needed, since it follows by inference. Speech is mentioned here and speech is mentioned in the wilderness. Just as the elders take precedence over Israel in the speech in the wilderness, so the elders take precedence over Israel in the speech here. But their precedence over Israel in the wilderness might be explained by their sanctification through the holy spirit. Should the elders take precedence over Israel here, when they had not yet been sanctified through the holy spirit? Scripture says, ‘Moses summoned all the elders of Israel.’Exodus 12:21 This teaches that the elders take precedence over Israel.”

2 “This month is for you.”Exodus 12:2 The earliest ancestors did not count by it. Could the earliest ancestors have refrained from counting by it because the Torah had not been given in their days, while after the Torah was given the other peoples of the world would count by it? Scripture says “for you.” You count by it, but the other peoples of the world do not. “The first of the months.”Exodus 12:2 Could this apply to years, sabbatical cycles, and jubilees? Scripture says “the first of the months.” It is the beginning for months, but not for years, sabbatical cycles, or jubilees. “It is first for you.”Exodus 12:2 But not for the tithe of animals or for fruit. For what is it first? For kings, festivals, the contribution of shekels, and house rentals. “It is first.”Exodus 12:2 It is said, “Observe the month of spring.”Deuteronomy 16:1 How do you preserve its season? Add days to the year. If the year were ten or twenty days short, could you add that amount? Scripture says “month.”Deuteronomy 16:1 No less than a month may be added. If the year were forty or fifty days short, could you add that amount? Scripture says “month.”Deuteronomy 16:1 No more than a month may be added. Could you add an extra Nisan? Scripture says, “It is first for you.”Exodus 12:2 You make one Nisan, not two. Could you add an extra Tishri? Scripture says, “Observe the month of spring.”Deuteronomy 16:1 Watch over the month next to spring. Which is that? Adar. Just as you add days to a year in which the season is late, could you remove days from a year in which it is early? Scripture says, “Observe this statute at its appointed time, from year to year.”Exodus 13:10 A year may not have fewer than twelve months. “It is first for you among the months of the year.”Exodus 12:2 A second Nisan must not be made.

3 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites.”Exodus 12:3 This teaches that this passage was spoken at an assembly of the people. “Saying.”Exodus 12:3 Rabbi Judah says, “This adds a prohibition to every positive commandment stated in the passage.” “On the tenth of this month they must take for themselves.”Exodus 12:3 This teaches that the Passover offering in Egypt was purchased on the tenth. Could the Passover offering in later generations also have to be purchased on the tenth? Scripture says “this.” The Passover offering in Egypt was purchased on the tenth, but the Passover offering in later generations need not be purchased on the tenth. I might exclude the first Passover but not the second Passover. Scripture says, “You must keep it until the fourteenth of this month.”Exodus 12:6 The first Passover offering was purchased on the tenth, but the second Passover offering need not be purchased on the tenth. “They must take.”Exodus 12:3 This teaches that each person takes for himself. “They must take for themselves.” This teaches that one person takes for the whole group. From this they said that a person’s agent is equivalent to that person. “Each man must take for himself.”Exodus 12:3 From this they said that a minor cannot make the purchase. “A lamb for each ancestral household.”Exodus 12:3 Could the Passover offering in Egypt be slaughtered only for ancestral households? How do we know that it could also be slaughtered for families? Scripture says, “Draw out and take small livestock for your families.”Exodus 12:21 How do we know that it could also be slaughtered for individual households? Scripture says, “A lamb for each household.”Exodus 12:3 From this they said that a person may slaughter on behalf of his minor son and daughter and his Canaanite male and female slaves, whether or not they know about it.

4 “If the household is too small.”Exodus 12:4 This teaches that the number may keep decreasing, provided one member of the original group remains. These are Rabbi Judah’s words. Rabbi Yose says, “Whether someone from the first group or the last group remains, provided they do not leave the Passover offering as it is.” Scripture says “for a lamb,”Exodus 12:4 meaning too little to eat it, rather than too little to purchase it. Rabbi says, “It also means too little to purchase it. If he does not have enough, he registers others for his share. The money is unconsecrated, since they purchased it on that understanding from the start.” “He must take.”Exodus 12:4 This teaches that each group takes for itself. From this they said that one should not initially slaughter a Passover offering for an individual, since it says, “You may not sacrifice the Passover offering in one.”Deuteronomy 16:5 These are Rabbi Judah’s words. Rabbi Yose says, “Sometimes there is one person and they slaughter for him. Sometimes there are ten and they do not slaughter for them. How so? If there is one person who can eat it, they slaughter it for him. If there are ten who cannot eat it, they do not slaughter it for them, so that they do not make the Passover offering unfit.” “His neighbor.”Exodus 12:4 Ben Bag Bag says, “I might understand this as his neighbor in the fields. How do we include his neighbor on the rooftops? Scripture says, ‘Near his house,’ meaning door beside door.” Rabbi says, “All three are stated. ‘His neighbor’ means his neighbor in the fields. ‘And his neighbor’ means his neighbor on the rooftops. ‘Near’ means the one near his house, beside the door.” At the Passover in Egypt, his neighbor was near his house. At the Passover in later generations, his neighbor need not be near his house. Rabbi Shimon says, “At the Passover in later generations too, his neighbor is near his house. The Torah says all this for the sake of peace, so that a person will not leave his friends, neighbors, relatives, acquaintances, companions, and a fellow townsman and go to observe his Passover with others. This fulfills what is said, ‘A nearby neighbor is better than a distant brother.’”Proverbs 27:10 “According to the number.”Exodus 12:4 The term mikhsat means a count, as it says, “Their contribution for the LORD was thirty-two persons.”Numbers 31:40 Could slaughtering it for its registered participants be a commandment, so that slaughtering it for others violates a commandment but leaves it fit? Scripture says mikhsat and takhossu.Exodus 12:4 Scripture repeats the expression to declare it unfit. Since “man” is said,Exodus 12:4 I know only that this applies to a man. How do we include a woman and a minor? Scripture says “persons.” If so, why is “man” said? Just as a man can eat an olive-sized portion, so the minor must be able to eat an olive-sized portion. Rabbi Judah says, “Just as a man can distinguish food, so the minor must be able to distinguish food. What is distinguishing food? When given an egg, he takes it. When given a stone, he throws it away.” “According to the number, you must count.”Exodus 12:4 This teaches that people may register themselves and register others. From this they said that members of a group who register others for their share may do so. If they wish to withdraw and register others for their share, they may do so. One member of a group who registers another for his share may do so. If he wishes to withdraw and register others for his share, he may do so. “According to what each can eat.”Exodus 12:4 This excludes a sick person, an uncircumcised person, and an impure person, who cannot eat it. “For the lamb.”Exodus 12:4 Ben Bag Bag says, “I might understand this as a living lamb or a slaughtered lamb. You can reason it out. ‘A lamb’ is said here, and ‘a lamb’ is said elsewhere.Exodus 12:3 Just as the lamb mentioned elsewhere is living rather than slaughtered, so the lamb mentioned here is living rather than slaughtered.” From this they said that people may continue registering for the Passover offering and withdrawing from it until it is slaughtered.

5 “A lamb.”Exodus 12:5 Why does Scripture say “without defect”? Rabbi Akiva says, “It must say this, since freedom from defects has not been stipulated until this point. Wherever ‘a lamb’ is mentioned, the term includes animals with and without defects. Could that apply here too? Scripture says ‘without defect,’ meaning sound, without a defect. Wherever ‘a lamb’ is mentioned, the term includes older and younger animals. Could that apply here too? Scripture says ‘a year old.’”Exodus 12:5 I know only that it must be sound and a year old when it is slaughtered. How do we include the receiving and sprinkling of its blood? Scripture says, “It must be for you.”Exodus 12:5 As long as it is yours, it must be sound and a year old. “From the sheep or the goats.”Exodus 12:5 This excludes crossbreeds. “Sheep or goats.” This is the King’s decree. “From the sheep or the goats.”Exodus 12:5 This excludes the portion from cattle, and excludes an animal involved in mating with a human. I have only the requirements stated here. “You must take.”Exodus 12:5 This includes the fourteenth day, which is suitable for purchasing. But does this not follow by inference? If the tenth day, which is unsuitable for slaughtering, is suitable for purchasing, surely the fourteenth day, which is suitable for slaughtering, is suitable for purchasing! Scripture says, “You must take,”Exodus 12:5 including the fourteenth day, which is suitable for purchasing.

6 “It must be for you.”Exodus 12:6 Ben Azzai says, “It must not go out to graze with the flock.” Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “They were to be tied to the legs of the bed. The Egyptians would come in, see them, and be overcome with distress, since they worshiped lambs. As it says, ‘If we sacrifice what the Egyptians consider sacred before their eyes, will they not stone us?’”Exodus 8:26 “For keeping.”Exodus 12:6 Rabbi Akiva says, “Keeping is mentioned here and keeping is mentioned elsewhere.Numbers 28:2 Just as the keeping mentioned here requires the animals to stand ready, inspected, for three days before slaughter, so does the keeping mentioned elsewhere. From this they said that there must always be at least six inspected lambs in the chamber of lambs, enough for the Sabbath and the two festival days of the New Year.” “Until the fourteenth day of this month.”Exodus 12:6 This is the basis for saying that the second Passover offering need not be purchased on the tenth day. “They must slaughter it.”Exodus 12:6 They must not slaughter an ordinary animal or a festival offering with it. In later generations, they slaughter a festival offering with it. When? When it falls on a weekday, is offered in purity, and the Passover meat is insufficient. “The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.”Exodus 12:6 This teaches that the Passover offering in Egypt was slaughtered in three groups, corresponding to “assembly,” “congregation,” and “Israel.” “Between the evenings.”Exodus 12:6 Could this mean after dark? Scripture says “day.” Could “day” mean from the second hour onward? Scripture says “between the evenings.” How, then? From the sixth hour onward, since the school of Shammai says that evening begins only when the day declines. Hanina ben Hakhinai says, “‘Between the evenings’ means between two evenings, from the night beginning the fourteenth to the night beginning the fifteenth, with a night and a day between them. But the word ‘day’ excludes the night. Could it mean the morning? ‘Between the evenings’ indicates when the day declines. Likewise, ‘day’ here means when the day declines, from the sixth hour onward. As it says, ‘Woe to us, for the day is declining, for the evening shadows are lengthening.’”Jeremiah 6:4 From this they said that if it was slaughtered before noon, it is invalid, since “between the evenings” is stated concerning it. If it was slaughtered before the regular offering, it is valid, provided someone keeps stirring its blood until the blood of the regular offering has been sprinkled. If its blood was sprinkled first, it is valid.

7 “They must take some of the blood.”Exodus 12:7 There must be enough blood to take. “Some of the blood,” meaning the lifeblood, excluding blood from the flesh, blood from the skin, and blood that drains out afterward. “Put it on the two doorposts and the lintel.”Exodus 12:7 Could this include window frames and lintels? Scripture says “on the houses.” It is put on the doorposts and lintels of houses, not those of windows. Suppose ten rooms open one into another and a group eats in the innermost one. Could it be necessary to put blood on all of them? Scripture says, “On the houses in which they eat it.”Exodus 12:7 How do you know that if a group eats in one house with five entrances, blood must be put on every lintel and every doorpost? Scripture says, “Put it on the two doorposts and the lintel.”Exodus 12:7 Blood goes on every lintel and every doorpost. How do you know that if five groups eat in one house with five entrances, some of each offering’s blood must be put on every lintel and every doorpost? Scripture says, “On the two doorposts and the lintel.”Exodus 12:7 Some of each offering’s blood goes on the lintel and on the doorpost. “On the houses in which they eat it.”Exodus 12:7 Since it says, “It must be eaten in one house,”Exodus 12:46 we learn that the Passover offering is eaten in only one house. How do we know that it may also be eaten in two places? Scripture says, “On the houses in which they eat it.”Exodus 12:7 You learn that the Passover offering in Egypt could be eaten in two places, but an individual eating it could eat in only one place. “They eat it.”Exodus 12:7 They must not eat ordinary meat or a festival offering with it. “In them.” The verse speaks of the Passover offering itself.

8 “They must eat.”Exodus 12:8 An act of eating requires at least an olive’s bulk. “The meat,” excluding bones, sinews, horns, and hooves. Only what is edible in a full-grown ox is included. Just as the ends of the shoulder blades and the cartilage are edible in a full-grown ox, so are they included here. From this they said that soft sinews count as meat in every respect. Nevertheless, people may not register for the offering on the basis of those parts. “On this night.”Exodus 12:8 Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah said, “‘On this night’ is stated here, and elsewhere it says, ‘I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night.’Exodus 12:12 Just as ‘this night’ there extends to midnight, so ‘this night’ here extends to midnight.” Rabbi Akiva said to him, “Why do I need this inference? It already says, ‘You must eat it in haste,’Exodus 12:11 at the time of haste. Why, then, does it say ‘on this night’? It is eaten at night, rather than during the day like other sacred offerings.” “Roasted over fire,”Exodus 12:8 rather than roasted by a spit, a grill, or anything else. From this they said that the Passover offering must not be roasted on a metal spit. If it was, one removes the surface where the spit touched it and eats the rest. Rabbi Judah says, “Just as a wooden spit does not burn, so a metal spit does not make the meat boil.” They said to him, “They are different. When part of a wooden spit becomes hot, the whole does not become hot. When part of a metal spit becomes hot, the whole becomes hot.” “Roasted over fire.”Exodus 12:8 Since it says, “Only roasted over fire, its head with its legs and its inner parts,”Exodus 12:9 the commandment is to roast it all together. How do we know that someone who wishes may cut it up and put it on the coals limb by limb? Scripture says, “Roasted over fire,”Exodus 12:8 however it is done. “With unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”Exodus 12:8 This includes many bitter herbs, lettuce, endives, tamkha, harhavina, and maror. Rabbi Judah says, “Also harvilin and wild lettuce.” Rabbi Ilai says in Rabbi Eliezer’s name, “Also arkablin. I went around to all his students, looking for someone to support me, but found no one.” “They must eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”Exodus 12:8 The commandment is to eat them all together. Hillel the Elder would wrap them together and eat them. Could each be indispensable to the others? Scripture says, “They must eat it,”Exodus 12:8 even one of them.

9 “Do not eat any of it undercooked.”Exodus 12:9 “Undercooked” means that it has not been fully cooked. Could it be permissible to eat it raw? Scripture says “roasted over fire.” Roasted meat is permitted to you, and every other form is forbidden. Let Scripture say, “Do not eat any of it undercooked, but only roasted over fire.” If it said this, I might think that eating it undercooked was permitted. Scripture says, “Do not eat any of it undercooked.”Exodus 12:9 Someone who eats it undercooked is liable to forty lashes. Could fully cooked meat be forbidden just as undercooked meat is forbidden? Scripture says “in water.” It is forbidden to you in water. Otherwise, fully cooked meat is not forbidden to you. “In water.”Exodus 12:9 I know only about water. How are wine, oil, and honey included? Scripture says, “Boiled, boiled.” Wherever boiling is mentioned without qualification, roasting is included until Scripture specifies “in water.” From this Rabbi Josiah would say, “Someone who vows to abstain from cooked food is forbidden to eat roasted food.” If it was boiled and then roasted, or roasted and then boiled, it is forbidden, as it says, “Boiled, boiled.”Exodus 12:9 Could someone who eats it before dark be liable? This follows by inference. If undercooked meat is forbidden when one is commanded to eat roasted meat, surely it is forbidden when one is not commanded to eat roasted meat! Scripture says, “Only roasted over fire.”Exodus 12:9 When the commandment to eat roasted meat applies, one is liable for eating it undercooked or boiled. When the commandment to eat roasted meat does not apply, one is not liable for eating it undercooked or boiled. “Only roasted over fire, its head with its legs and its inner parts.”Exodus 12:9 Its head, legs, and entrails would be placed inside it. These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Rabbi Akiva said to him, “Then they would stew and boil inside it! Instead, they are hung outside it.” Rabbi Ishmael calls it an “armored kid.” Rabbi Tarfon calls it tokhbar, because its inside is like its outside.

10 “Do not leave any of it until morning.”Exodus 12:10 Could someone who leaves some until morning be liable to forty lashes? Scripture says, “Whatever remains until morning you must burn with fire.”Exodus 12:10 Scripture supplies a positive commandment to remedy a prohibition. These are Rabbi Judah’s words. Rabbi Jacob said to him, “That is not the reason. It is because he has performed no action.” “Whatever remains until morning you must burn with fire.”Exodus 12:10 Could it be burned on the festival day? Scripture says, “Do not leave any of it until morning,” and “Whatever remains until morning.”Exodus 12:10 Two mornings are mentioned here, the morning of the fifteenth and the morning of the sixteenth. This teaches that burning sacred offerings does not override a festival day, and certainly not the Sabbath.

11 “This is how you must eat it,” and “You must eat it in haste,”Exodus 12:11 with the urgency of travelers setting out. I know only that eating it must be done in haste. How are receiving and sprinkling its blood included? Scripture says, “This is how.” Could I also include roasting it and rinsing its entrails? Scripture says “this way,” “this way.”Exodus 12:11 “It.”Exodus 12:11 It is eaten in haste, but the Passover offering in later generations is not eaten in haste. Another interpretation, it is eaten in haste, but the unleavened bread and bitter herbs are not eaten in haste. “A Passover offering.”Exodus 12:11 Everything done with it must be for the purpose of a Passover offering. “It is” excludes an offering slaughtered for another purpose. “To the LORD” means for the unique divine name.

12 “I will pass through the land of Egypt,”Exodus 12:12 like a king passing from place to place. Another interpretation, passing through is mentioned here, and below it says, “The LORD will pass through to strike Egypt.”Exodus 12:23 Just as passing through there means a plague, so passing through here means a plague. As it says, “In all the vineyards there will be mourning, for I will pass through your midst, says the LORD.”Amos 5:17 “On this night.”Exodus 12:12 This is what Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah said, “‘On this night’ is stated here and ‘on this night’ is stated above. Just as ‘on this night’ here extends to midnight, so ‘on this night’ above extends to midnight.” “I will strike every firstborn.”Exodus 12:12 I know only about Egyptian firstborn in Egypt. How are other firstborn in Egypt included? Scripture says “every firstborn.” How are Egyptian firstborn in other places included? Scripture says “every firstborn.” How are the firstborn of Ham, Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan included? Scripture says “every firstborn.” As it says, “He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first of their strength in the tents of Ham.”Psalms 78:51 “From humans to animals.”Exodus 12:12 I know only that the firstborn of domestic animals were struck. How are the firstborn of wild animals included? Scripture says “from humans to animals.” No person is struck without that person’s attendants being struck as well. “Against all the gods of Egypt.”Exodus 12:12 I know only about Egyptian gods in Egypt. How are foreign gods in Egypt included? Scripture says “against all the gods of Egypt.” How are Egyptian gods in other places included? Scripture says “all the gods.” How are the gods of Ham, Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan included? Scripture says “all the gods.” As it says, “I gave Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.”Isaiah 43:3 “I will carry out judgments.”Exodus 12:12 Different judgments, the wooden ones decayed, the stone ones burned, and the metal ones corroded. “I am the LORD.”Exodus 12:12 I am the one who punished the generation of the flood, the generation of the dispersion, and the people of Sodom. I will punish Gog and his forces. If you do not believe what is to come, believe what has already happened. Another interpretation, “I am the LORD”Exodus 12:12 declares sovereignty. Wherever Scripture mentions the grandeur of idolatry, it also mentions God’s praise. As it says, “Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Ophir, the work of a craftsman and a goldsmith’s hands. Blue and purple are their clothing, all of them the work of skilled workers.”Jeremiah 10:9 What does it say? “Tell them this, the gods who did not make heaven and earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”Jeremiah 10:11 And it says, “But the LORD is the true God. He is the living God and the eternal King. At His anger the earth trembles, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”Jeremiah 10:10 And it says, “He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.”Jeremiah 10:12 And it says, “They have mouths but cannot speak.”Psalms 115:5 And it says, “Our God is in heaven. He does whatever He wishes.”Psalms 115:3 “Against all the gods of Egypt I will carry out judgments. I am the LORD.”Exodus 12:12 No nation is struck without its god being struck with it. As it says, “Bel is put to shame, Merodach is shattered. Her images are put to shame, her idols are shattered.”Jeremiah 50:2 And it says, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and all the carved images of her gods are smashed to the ground.”Isaiah 21:9 And concerning our ancestors it says, “I will place your corpses on the corpses of your idols.”Leviticus 26:30 In the future too, when the nations perish, their gods will be shattered with them, as it says, “The idols will completely disappear.”Isaiah 2:18

13 “The blood will be for you.”Exodus 12:13 For you, excluding resident foreigners. For you, excluding women. For you, excluding slaves. This teaches that they did not form separate groups for it in Egypt. “As a sign on the houses where you are.”Exodus 12:13 Could the blood be put on the place where they sleep? Scripture says, “On the houses in which they eat it.”Exodus 12:7 Could it be put only on the place where they eat? Scripture says, “On the houses where you are.”Exodus 12:13 Could it be put on both? Scripture says “as a sign,” rather than “as signs.” You must conclude that they slept where they ate. “I will see the blood.”Exodus 12:13 Why is this necessary? Is everything not revealed before Him? Rather, the blood must be put only where everyone passing by can see it. “I will pass over you.”Exodus 12:13 If Scripture had not said this, it would have been impossible to say it. Rabbi Eliezer says, “I will pass over like a father bringing something to his son.” The sages say, “Like a king hurrying forward with long strides.” “There will be no plague among you.”Exodus 12:13 This teaches that there was a plague in Egypt. “To destroy” teaches that there was destruction in Egypt. “When I strike the land of Egypt” teaches that there was a blow in Egypt. This teaches that the Egyptians suffered three kinds of punishment that night, plague, destruction, and a blow.

14 “This day will be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival.”Exodus 12:14 You celebrate the day that became a memorial for you. Which day is that? The appointed time of your departure from Egypt. But this still depends on something that has not been established. Scripture says, “On the day after the Passover, the Israelites departed.”Numbers 33:3 When did they eat the Passover offering? On the festival night. So they departed on the festival day. “You must celebrate it as a festival.”Exodus 12:14 A festival offering is mentioned here and a festival offering is mentioned in the wilderness. Just as the festival offering in the wilderness requires burnt offerings and well-being offerings, so does the festival offering here. But perhaps the festival offering in the wilderness requires burnt offerings and well-being offerings because it also requires bulls. Should the festival offering here require burnt offerings and well-being offerings when it does not require bulls? Scripture uses “to the LORD” in both places, establishing an analogy. Just as “to the LORD” in the wilderness requires burnt offerings and well-being offerings, so does “to the LORD” here. Could the festival offering be required on all seven days? Scripture says “it,” meaning only one day. Why, then, does it say “seven days”? To allow the obligation to be made up during all seven days. How do we know that someone who has not brought the festival offering during the first six days may bring it on the seventh? Scripture says, “In the seventh month you must celebrate it.”Leviticus 23:41 Could someone who did not bring it during the festival bring it afterward? Scripture says “it.” You celebrate it during the festival, rather than outside the festival. Could the obligation remain unfulfilled until the meat is eaten? Scripture says “it,” and elsewhere it says, “He must sprinkle it.”Leviticus 16:15 Just as “it” there means blood, so “it” here means blood rather than meat. “For your generations, an everlasting statute.”Exodus 12:14 This practice must continue through the generations.

15 “You must eat unleavened bread for seven days.”Exodus 12:15 A person fulfills the Passover obligation with unleavened bread that can be eaten throughout the seven days. This excludes thanksgiving-offering loaves and nazirite wafers, which cannot be eaten throughout the seven days. “On the first day you must remove leaven.”Exodus 12:15 This means the day before the festival. Or could it mean the festival day itself? Scripture says, “No work may be done on them.”Exodus 12:16 Burning is a kind of work. So “on the first day you must remove leaven” means the day before the festival. “You must remove leaven from your houses.”Exodus 12:15 Under the Torah, removal is accomplished inwardly. Under the scribes’ rulings, it must be destroyed. How? By burning. If the time for destroying it arrives and no fire is available to burn it, one crumbles it and scatters it to the wind or throws it to the fish. Rabbi Judah says, “One waits until reaching an inhabited place and burns it.” For Rabbi Judah would say, “The commandment to remove it can be fulfilled only by burning.” He reasoned, “If leftover sacrificial meat, which is not subject to the prohibitions against being seen or found, requires burning, surely leaven, which is subject to those prohibitions, requires burning!” They said to Rabbi Judah, “An inference that begins by imposing a stricter requirement but ends by relaxing it is invalid. Suppose no fire is available to burn it. Must someone sit guarding it and become liable for its being seen or found? The Torah says, ‘You must remove leaven from your houses.’Exodus 12:15 You may remove it by any means.” Rabbi Judah offered another inference, “Leftover sacrificial meat is forbidden to eat, and leaven is forbidden to eat. Just as leftover sacrificial meat requires burning, so does leaven.” They said to him, “An animal carcass disproves this. It is forbidden to eat but does not require burning.” He said to them, “There is a distinction. Benefit from leftover sacrificial meat is forbidden, and benefit from leaven is forbidden. An animal carcass does not disprove this, since benefit from it is permitted.” They said to him, “An ox sentenced to stoning disproves this. Benefit from it is forbidden, but it does not require burning.” He said to them, “There is a distinction. Eating leftover sacrificial meat carries the penalty of being cut off, as does eating leaven. An ox sentenced to stoning does not disprove this, since eating it does not carry that penalty.” They said to him, “The forbidden fat of an ox sentenced to stoning disproves this. Eating it carries the penalty of being cut off, but it does not require burning.” He said to them, “There is a distinction. Leftover sacrificial meat is subject to the prohibition against leaving it over, as is leaven. The forbidden fat of an ox sentenced to stoning does not disprove this, since it is not subject to that prohibition.” They said to him, “On your own terms, a guilt offering brought for uncertain guilt disproves this. It is subject to the prohibition against leaving it over but does not require burning. The Torah says, ‘You must remove leaven from your houses.’Exodus 12:15 You may remove it by any means.” “For whoever eats leavened bread.”Exodus 12:15 Since it says, “For whoever eats something leavened,”Exodus 12:19 I know only about something that became leavened on its own. How is something leavened by an outside agent included? Scripture says, “For whoever eats leavened bread.”Exodus 12:15 “That person must be cut off,”Exodus 12:15 rather than the community. “That” excludes someone acting under compulsion, unintentionally, or through a mistake. “From Israel,” while Israel remains unharmed. “From the first day until the seventh day.”Exodus 12:15 Could the first and seventh days be excluded, just as, in the case of a person with a skin disease, “from head to foot”Leviticus 13:12 excludes the head and feet? Scripture says, “Until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.”Exodus 12:18 Rabbi says, “Its meaning is established by its own wording, ‘From the first day until the seventh day.’”Exodus 12:15

16 “On the first day there must be a holy assembly.”Exodus 12:16 Make it holy. How do you make it holy? Make it holy with food, drink, and clean clothing. “On the first day there must be a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly.”Exodus 12:16 I know only that work is forbidden on the first and last festival days. How are the intermediate days included? You may reason that if work is forbidden on the first and last festival days, which are not preceded and followed by sacred days, surely it is forbidden on the intermediate days, which are preceded and followed by sacred days. But the six weekdays disprove this. They are preceded and followed by sacred days, yet work is not forbidden on them. The six weekdays are different, since they have no additional offering. Can you say the same of the intermediate festival days, which have an additional offering? But the new moons disprove this. They have an additional offering, yet work is not forbidden on them. The new moons are different, since they are not called a holy assembly. Can you say the same of these days, which are called a holy assembly? Since they are called a holy assembly, it follows that work is forbidden on them. “No work may be done on them.”Exodus 12:16 Could this prohibit trimming vegetables, washing dishes, or making beds? You may reason that work is mentioned here and work is mentioned in connection with the tabernacle. Just as the work associated with the tabernacle is work involving deliberate craftsmanship, so the work mentioned here is work involving deliberate craftsmanship. Or, just as work on the tabernacle was complete work, could the prohibition here apply only to complete work, such as writing a whole book, weaving a whole garment, or making a whole sieve? How do we know that one must not write two letters, weave two threads, or make two loops in baskets, woven containers, sieves, or strainers? Scripture says “work,” “any work.”Exodus 12:16 I know only about optional work. How is work for a commandment included, prohibiting writing two letters in Scripture scrolls, tefillin, or mezuzahs, or weaving two threads in the tunic, trousers, or robe? Scripture says “work,” “any work.”Exodus 12:16 I know only about work that incurs liability for a sin offering. How is work that does not incur that liability included, prohibiting writing one letter, weaving one thread, or making one loop in baskets, woven containers, sieves, or strainers? Scripture says “work,” “any work.”Exodus 12:16 I know only about optional work. How is work for a commandment included, prohibiting writing one letter in Scripture scrolls, tefillin, or mezuzahs, or weaving one thread in the tunic, trousers, or robe? Scripture says “work,” “any work.”Exodus 12:16 I know only about types of work that incur liability for a sin offering. How are types that do not incur that liability included, prohibiting climbing a tree, riding an animal, swimming, clapping, slapping one’s thighs, or dancing? Scripture says “work,” “any work.”Exodus 12:16 I know only about optional acts. How are acts for a commandment included, prohibiting consecrations, valuation pledges, dedication vows, and separating contributions and tithes? Scripture says “complete rest,”Leviticus 23:24 requiring rest. If it said, “No work may be done on them that is eaten by anyone,” I would think that preparing food was prohibited and other work was permitted. But “except” interrupts the statement.Exodus 12:16 These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Similarly, it says, “There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets.”1 Kings 8:9 Could this mean that even the two stone tablets were not there? “Except” interrupts the statement. These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Similarly, it says, “That you speak to me nothing except the truth in the LORD’s name.”1 Kings 22:16 Could this mean he told him not to speak the truth? “Except” interrupts the statement. These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Similarly, it says, “David did what was right in the LORD’s eyes and did not turn away from anything He commanded him throughout his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”1 Kings 15:5 Could this mean he did not turn away in Uriah’s case but did turn away in other matters? “Except” interrupts the statement. These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Similarly, it says, “No Anakim remained in the land of Israel, except in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.”Joshua 11:22 Could this mean none remained in Gaza, Gath, or Ashdod, but they did remain elsewhere? “Except” interrupts the statement. These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Rabbi Akiva said to him, “Why do I need this? It already says ‘they remained.’ Rather, this teaches that a curse came on them and their numbers steadily dwindled.” “That alone.”Exodus 12:16 Why does it say “alone”? This teaches that one must not sort, grind, or sift. How do we know that one may make a fire and warm oneself beside it, heat water and wash one’s hands and feet in it, or wash a baby in it? Scripture says “for you,”Exodus 12:16 for everything you need. Could someone prepare today for tomorrow? Scripture says, “What is eaten by anyone may be prepared on them.”Exodus 12:16 What will be eaten on those days may be prepared. What will not be eaten on those days may not be prepared. Or could “what is eaten by any living being” include animals, since an animal is called a living being, as it says, “Someone who kills an animal must make restitution”?Leviticus 24:18 Could people collect bran for chickens and make food portions for dogs? Scripture says “for you,”Exodus 12:16 for you rather than for gentiles, for you rather than for dogs. Once Shimon the Timnite did not come to the study house on a festival night. In the morning, Rabbi Judah ben Bava met him and asked, “Why did you not come to the study house last night?” He replied, “A commandment came my way, and I fulfilled it. A military force entered the town, and we feared that they would harass the townspeople. We slaughtered a calf for them, gave them food and drink, and anointed them with oil so that they would not harass the townspeople.” He said to him, “I wonder whether your reward has been canceled by your loss. They have said that food may not be prepared on a festival for gentiles or dogs.” “For you.”Exodus 12:16 For you rather than for the Most High. For Abba Saul offered a different inference. If, when permission was not granted for human needs, it was granted for heavenly needs, surely when permission is granted for human needs it should be granted for heavenly needs!

17 “You must safeguard the unleavened bread.”Exodus 12:17 Rabbi Judah says, “Study the details of the commandments.” This teaches that three women may knead in three troughs, one after another. The sages say, “Three women work with the dough, one kneading, one shaping, and one baking.” Rabbi Akiva says, “Not all women, kinds of wood, or ovens are alike. This is the rule, if the dough swells, she should smooth it with cold water.” Rabbi Shimon says, “‘You must safeguard the unleavened bread’Exodus 12:17 means unleavened bread that needs safeguarding. This excludes scalded dough, which does not need safeguarding.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “‘Bread of poverty’Deuteronomy 16:3 means bread prepared as a poor person prepares it on other days. Just as on other days his wife kneads and he heats the oven, so here his wife kneads and he heats the oven.” “For on this very day I brought out your armies.”Exodus 12:17 This teaches that God’s armies are called Israel’s armies, and Israel’s armies are called God’s armies. “You must safeguard this day.”Exodus 12:17 Safeguard it beforehand. From this they said that on the night beginning the fourteenth, one searches for leaven by lamplight. One does not search by sunlight or moonlight, but by lamplight, since lamplight is better for searching than sunlight or moonlight. Although there is no proof for this, there is an allusion, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps.”Zephaniah 1:12 And it says, “The human spirit is the LORD’s lamp, searching all the inner chambers.”Proverbs 20:27 “For your generations, an everlasting statute.”Exodus 12:17 This practice must continue through the generations.

18 “In the first month.”Exodus 12:18 Could this mean throughout the month? Scripture says “on the fourteenth.” Could this mean in the morning? Scripture says “day.” Could this mean from the second hour? Scripture says “in the evening.” Just as “in the evening” means when the day declines, so “day” here means when the day declines, from the sixth hour onward. Could you be required to eat unleavened bread on the fourteenth? Scripture says “with it.”Deuteronomy 16:3 You are required to eat unleavened bread with the offering, rather than on the fourteenth. Why, then, does it say “on the fourteenth”?Exodus 12:18 If it does not apply to eating unleavened bread, apply it to destroying leaven. “Until the twenty-first day of the month.”Exodus 12:18 Could you be required to eat unleavened bread throughout the seven days? Scripture says “with it.”Deuteronomy 16:3 You are required to eat unleavened bread with the offering, rather than throughout the seven days. I know only about the time when the temple stands. How is the time when the temple does not stand included? Scripture says, “In the evening you must eat unleavened bread.”Exodus 12:18 Scripture establishes it as an obligation. I know only about the land of Israel. How are other lands included? Scripture says, “In all your settlements you must eat unleavened bread.”Exodus 12:20 Since we ultimately include it through “with it you must eat unleavened bread,”Deuteronomy 16:3 “in the evening you must eat unleavened bread,”Exodus 12:18 and “in all your settlements you must eat unleavened bread,”Exodus 12:20 why does Scripture say “until the twenty-first day of the month”?Exodus 12:18 If this is not needed for what precedes it, apply it to what follows. “For seven days no leaven may be found in your houses.”Exodus 12:19 I know only about the days. How are nights included? Scripture says, “Until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening,”Exodus 12:18 and “no leaven may be found in your houses.”Exodus 12:19

19 “No leaven may be found in your houses.”Exodus 12:19 Since it says, “None may be seen belonging to you,”Exodus 13:7 could someone be exempt if it was hidden or abandoned in another town? Scripture says, “No leaven may be found.”Exodus 12:19 Or could “may not be found” include leaven belonging to others or to the Most High? Scripture says, “None may be seen belonging to you.”Exodus 13:7 You may not see your own, but you may see what belongs to others or to the Most High. How do we know that what is stated about each case applies to the other? “Leaven” appears in both, establishing an analogy. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, “Was this not already included in ‘may not be seen’ and ‘may not be found’? Why does it say ‘may not be found’? What is accessible to you must be destroyed. What is inaccessible to you need not be destroyed. From this you may say that if leaven falls into a pit, a cistern, or a storage jar, it must be destroyed if dogs or pigs can search it out and retrieve it. Otherwise, it need not be destroyed.” If a gentile enters an Israelite’s house carrying leaven, the Israelite need not deal with it. If the gentile deposits it with the Israelite, the Israelite must destroy it, as it says, “None may be seen belonging to you.”Exodus 13:7 If a separate room is assigned to the gentile and the leaven is put there, the Israelite need not deal with it. “For whoever eats something leavened.”Exodus 12:19 Could someone be liable for figs and dates that fermented on their own? If someone is liable for what was leavened by an outside agent, surely someone is liable for these, which fermented on their own! Scripture says “leavened bread.”Exodus 12:15 Just as leavened bread is a grain product, so these are excluded, since they are not grain products. Rabbi Shimon says, “We have not learned that eating leaven itself carries the penalty of being cut off. Scripture says, ‘No leavened bread may be seen belonging to you, and no leaven may be seen belonging to you.’Exodus 13:7 Just as ‘no leavened bread may be seen belonging to you’ carries liability for being cut off, so ‘no leaven may be seen belonging to you’ carries liability for being cut off.” “For whoever eats something leavened.”Exodus 12:19 Since it says, “For whoever eats leavened bread,”Exodus 12:15 I know only about something leavened by an outside agent. How is something leavened on its own included? Scripture says, “For whoever eats something leavened.”Exodus 12:19 “That person must be cut off,”Exodus 12:19 rather than the community. “That” excludes someone acting under compulsion, unintentionally, or through a mistake. “From the congregation of Israel,” while Israel remains unharmed. “The resident foreigner” means the convert. “The native” means the native-born. “The land” includes other ownerless leaven.

20 “You must not eat anything leavened.”Exodus 12:20 This includes Babylonian kutah, Median beer, Edomite vinegar, and Egyptian zythos. Could eating them carry the full penalty? Scripture says “leavened bread.”Exodus 12:15 Leavened bread is itself the complete substance. These are excluded, since they are not. Why are they included? To make them subject to a prohibition. Could a person fulfill the obligation with rice dough? Scripture says “bread.”Deuteronomy 16:3 Just as “bread” elsewhereNumbers 15:19 is made from the five kinds of grain, so “bread” here is made from the five kinds of grain. Another interpretation, “Unleavened cakes, for it had not become leavened.”Exodus 12:39 It must be dough capable of becoming either unleavened bread or leavened bread. Rice dough is excluded, since it does not become leavened. Could a person fulfill the obligation with firstfruits? Scripture says, “In all your settlements you must eat unleavened bread.”Exodus 12:20 Firstfruits are excluded, since they cannot be eaten in every settlement. These are Rabbi Yose the Galilean’s words. Rabbi Akiva says, “‘They must eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.’Exodus 12:8 Just as bitter herbs belong to kinds from which firstfruits are not brought, so must unleavened bread belong to a kind from which firstfruits are not brought. Or, just as the bitter herbs themselves are not brought as firstfruits, so must the unleavened bread itself not be brought as firstfruits.” Could a person fulfill the obligation with untithed produce, first tithe from which the contribution has not been separated, or second tithe or consecrated produce that has not been redeemed? Scripture says “leavened bread.”Exodus 12:15 Just as leavened bread is forbidden because of its own nature, these are excluded, since their prohibition comes from something else. How do we know that priests may fulfill their obligation with a contribution outside Jerusalem, and Israelites with second tithe in Jerusalem? Scripture repeats “unleavened bread,” broadening the inclusion. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “A person may not fulfill the obligation with second tithe in Jerusalem, since it says ‘bread of poverty.’Deuteronomy 16:3 Second tithe is excluded, since it may be eaten only in joy.” The sages say, “They may fulfill the obligation with second tithe in Jerusalem. Scripture repeats ‘unleavened bread,’ broadening the inclusion. Why, then, does it say ‘bread of poverty’?Deuteronomy 16:3 To exclude unleavened bread kneaded with wine, oil, or honey.”

21 “Moses summoned all the elders of Israel.”Exodus 12:21 This teaches that Moses treated the elders with respect. It teaches that the elders take precedence over all Israel. It teaches that Moses made use of the elders of his generation. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “Old age is great. If they are eminent, old age is great, since Scripture honors it in this way. If they are young, old age is great, since youth attaches itself to it in this way.” “He said to them.”Exodus 12:21 This teaches that he looked directly at them when he spoke to them. “Draw away.”Exodus 12:21 Rabbi Eliezer says, “He told them to draw their hands away from idolatry, as it says, ‘I said to them, “Each of you must throw away the detestable things your eyes look at.”’”Ezekiel 20:7 Rabbi Akiva says, “‘Draw out’Exodus 12:21 addresses someone who has an animal. ‘Take’ addresses someone who does not. ‘For yourselves’ includes someone who gives one as a gift. ‘Small livestock.’ Wherever small livestock are mentioned, the term includes sheep and goats.” Another interpretation of “draw out and take small livestock for yourselves.”Exodus 12:21 We learn from this that small livestock can be acquired by drawing them toward oneself. “Slaughter the Passover offering.”Exodus 12:21 Its requirement can be fulfilled only by slaughter. This might follow by inference. A burnt offering has no fixed time for slaughter, yet its requirement can be fulfilled only by slaughter. Surely the same should apply to a Passover offering, which has a fixed time for slaughter! No. This may be true of a burnt offering, for which a place of slaughter is fixed. Can you say the same of the Passover offering, for which no place of slaughter is fixed? Since no place of slaughter is fixed, perhaps its requirement need not be fulfilled by slaughter. Scripture says, “Slaughter the Passover offering.”Exodus 12:21 Its requirement can be fulfilled only by slaughter.

22 “You must take.”Exodus 12:22 Rabbi Judah says, “‘Taking’ is mentioned here, in connection with the red cow, in connection with the palm branch, and in connection with the person being purified from a skin disease. Just as what is taken here must be bound in a bundle, so what is taken there must be bound in a bundle.” The sages say, “This is invalid if it is not bound, but that is valid even if it is not bound.” “Hyssop.”Exodus 12:22 Not Greek hyssop, not Kohalit hyssop, not desert hyssop, and not any hyssop whose name has a qualifying term. “Dip it in the blood.”Exodus 12:22 There must be enough blood for dipping. “Which is in the saf.”Exodus 12:22 I might understand this as the saf that is a vessel, or the saf that is a doorpost, since a vessel is called saf and a doorpost is called saf. How do we know that a vessel is called saf? It says, “The basins and the snuffers.”1 Kings 7:50 How do we know that a doorpost is called saf? It says, “They set their threshold beside My threshold and their doorpost beside My doorpost.”Ezekiel 43:8 Scripture says, “Apply it to the lintel and the two doorposts.”Exodus 12:22 It must be in a saf from which it can be applied. Conclude, then, that this means a vessel, rather than a doorpost. Rabbi Akiva says, “Since both passages stand, he should put blood in a vessel and at the doorpost. He pours the remaining blood onto the threshold.” “You.”Exodus 12:22 I know only that this applies to you. How do we include converts, women, and slaves? Scripture says, “None of you may go out through the door of his house until morning.”Exodus 12:22

23 “The LORD will pass through to strike Egypt.”Exodus 12:23 Passing through is mentioned here and passing through is mentioned elsewhere. Just as the passing through here brings a plague, so does the passing through elsewhere. It likewise says, “There will be mourning in every vineyard, for I will pass through your midst, says the LORD.”Amos 5:17 “He will see the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts.”Exodus 12:23 This excludes a house without a lintel or doorposts. “The LORD will pass over the doorway.”Exodus 12:23 This is a warning concerning the doorway. “He will not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike.”Exodus 12:23 This teaches that once the messengers have been permitted to destroy, they will ultimately carry out their mission. But they do not return to the sacred place.

24 “You must observe this matter.”Exodus 12:24 Observe the commandment stated in this passage. Could this also include the bundle of hyssop, the lintel, and the two doorposts? Scripture says “this.” “As a statute for you and your children forever.”Exodus 12:24 This matter must be observed in later generations.

25 “When you enter the land.”Exodus 12:25 This is the land of the seven nations. “Which He will give,” and so on. This is the land of the three nations. “You must observe this service.”Exodus 12:25 It was revealed and known before the One who spoke and the world came into being that Israel would observe the Passover when they entered the land. It likewise says, “The Israelites camped at Gilgal and observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the plains of Jericho.”Joshua 5:10

26 “When your children say to you.”Exodus 12:26 They will say this to you. “What does this service mean to you?”Exodus 12:26 This is the wicked child, who has excluded himself from the community. You, too, should exclude him from the community and tell him, “It is because of what the LORD did for me.”Exodus 13:8 He did it for me. He did not do it for you.

27 “You must say, ‘A sacrifice.’”Exodus 12:27 All its rites must be performed with the intention of offering a sacrifice. “Passover.” All its rites must be performed with the intention of offering the Passover. “It is.” This excludes an animal slaughtered for a different purpose. “To the LORD.” It must be offered to the One designated by the unique name. “Who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt.”Exodus 12:27 Passing over is mentioned three times in this passage, “who passed over,” “the LORD will pass over,” and “I will pass over you.” How do we know that in a courtyard inhabited entirely by Israelites, the passing over applied only to the houses? It says, “Who passed over the houses of the Israelites.”Exodus 12:27 When Egyptians and Israelites lived in the same courtyard, the passing over applied only to the doorways, as it says, “The LORD will pass over the doorway.”Exodus 12:23 When an Egyptian and an Israelite lay in the same bed, the passing over applied only to the Israelite, as it says, “I will pass over you.”Exodus 12:13 It likewise says, “Like hovering birds, the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem, protecting and rescuing, passing over and delivering.”Isaiah 31:5 If Scripture did not say this, it would be impossible to say it. He is like an animal bending over its young and nursing it. It likewise says, “In the wilderness, where you saw how the LORD your God carried you.”Deuteronomy 1:31 And it says, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not approach you.”Psalms 91:7 And it says, “The LORD is your keeper. The LORD is your shade at your right hand,”Psalms 121:5 continuing through “from now and forever.”Psalms 121:8 “Who passed over the houses of the Israelites.”Exodus 12:27 I know only that this applies to Israelite houses. How do we include the houses of converts, women, and slaves? Scripture says, “He rescued our houses.”Exodus 12:27 “The people bowed down and worshiped.”Exodus 12:27 This teaches that they rejoiced at the announcement as they did at its fulfillment.

28 “The Israelites went and did it.”Exodus 12:28 They are given a reward for going equal to the reward for doing. “As the LORD commanded Moses.”Exodus 12:28 We find that the Omnipresent told Moses the first passage, and Moses told Israel the second. How do we know that he heard both from the Holy One and then repeated them to Israel? Scripture says, “As the LORD commanded Moses.” I know only that Moses was included, since the passage concerns him. How do we know that Aaron was with him too? Scripture says, “As the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.”Exodus 12:28 Could Moses and Aaron have had no Passover offering because they were occupied with the commandment? Scripture says, “So they did.”Exodus 12:28 How do we know that even before they were told, they were ready and prepared, eager and encouraged to act? Scripture says, “So they did.”Exodus 12:28 So they did, and so they had intended to do.

29 “At midnight.”Exodus 12:29 Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says, “Moses, who did not know the times, moments, and hours of the night, said ‘about midnight.’Exodus 11:4 But the Holy One, blessed be He, who knows the times, moments, and hours of the night, said ‘at midnight.’” Another interpretation. Moses told Israel, “I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night.”Exodus 12:12 He did not specify a time for them, so that they would not sit entertaining evil thoughts and saying, “The hour has already arrived, and we have not been redeemed.” But what did Moses say when he spoke to Pharaoh? “This is what the LORD says, ‘About midnight.’”Exodus 11:4 He told him that the matter was precisely balanced at the division of the night, whether a hair’s breadth before or a hair’s breadth after. But the Holy One, blessed be He, said “at midnight.”Exodus 12:29 He sits at the sundial and sets the hour to a hair’s breadth, since one kingdom does not encroach on another even by a hair’s breadth. If the time comes for a kingdom to fall by day, it falls by day. If by night, it falls by night. It likewise says, “Memphis faces enemies in daylight.”Ezekiel 30:16 And it says, “At Tahpanhes the day will grow dark.”Ezekiel 30:18 And it says, “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was killed.”Daniel 5:30 Even when the time came for our ancestors to fall, what was said about them? “How terrible for us, for the day is declining and the evening shadows are lengthening.”Jeremiah 6:4 “The LORD struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt.”Exodus 12:29 He did this without a messenger. “From Pharaoh’s firstborn.”Exodus 12:29 I might understand this as his son. But when it says “who sits on his throne,” his son has already been mentioned. What, then, does “from Pharaoh’s firstborn” teach? It teaches that wicked Pharaoh himself was a firstborn, yet the disaster did not touch him. Why all this? To mislead the Egyptians, so that they would say, “Pharaoh is powerful, since the disaster did not touch him.” About him it says, “He makes nations great and destroys them.”Job 12:23 It likewise says, “I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.”Exodus 12:12 Was Baal Zephon not included among the gods of Egypt? Why did the disaster not touch it? To mislead the Egyptians, so that they would say, “Pharaoh is powerful, since the disaster did not touch him. Baal Zephon is powerful, since the disaster did not touch it.” About it He says, “He makes nations great and destroys them.”Job 12:23 But what does He say at the end? “The waters covered their enemies. Not one of them remained.”Psalms 106:11 This teaches that Baal Zephon too was shattered. “To the firstborn of the captive.”Exodus 12:29 Elsewhere it says, “To the firstborn of the slave woman.”Exodus 11:5 This teaches that they subjected Israel to this same kind of servitude. “The firstborn of the captive.”Exodus 12:29 This is someone held in an adyot. “Who is in the house.” This is someone confined in prison. “The pit.” This is someone held in a dayphanta. Why were they struck along with them? Because they used to say, “Our god will avenge us against the Egyptians who enslave us.” Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “Why were they struck along with them? Because they used to say, ‘We are content to remain enslaved, provided Israel remains enslaved too.’” “To the firstborn of the captive.”Exodus 12:29 This teaches that they took them captive. “To the firstborn of the slave woman.”Exodus 11:5 This teaches that they subjugated them as male and female slaves. “Who is behind the millstones.” This teaches that they worked them mercilessly. “And every firstborn animal.”Exodus 12:29 If a human sinned, what sin did an animal commit? But misery comes to the wicked and to those dependent on them.

30 “Pharaoh got up at night.”Exodus 12:30 He did not rise as kings usually do, at the third hour, after going to sleep at the second hour. “He, all his servants, and all Egypt.”Exodus 12:30 Just as nobody woke him, nobody woke his servants, and the Egyptians did not wake one another. “There was a great cry in Egypt.”Exodus 12:30 This teaches that they saw their gods splitting apart and falling before them. Although these matters are left unexplained here, they are explained elsewhere, “The earth shook and trembled. The foundations of the heavens quaked and shook because He was angry. Smoke rose from His nostrils, and fire from His mouth consumed.”2 Samuel 22:8-9 “There was no house without someone dead.”Exodus 12:30 Rabbi Jacob says, “Was there really no house without a firstborn? This was the custom of earlier generations. Someone who had no firstborn son called the eldest of his sons the firstborn, as it says, ‘Among the sons of Merari, Shimri was the chief, although he was not the firstborn.’”1 Chronicles 26:10 If a house had many men and none of them had children, the eldest in the house died. How do we know that the eldest in the house is called the firstborn? It says concerning David, “I will also make him the firstborn.”Psalms 89:27 Rabbi Shimon says, “No fewer than six hundred thousand firstborn died that night, since it says, ‘I gave Egypt as your ransom.’Isaiah 43:3 A ransom is one life in place of another.” Another interpretation of “there was no house without someone dead.”Exodus 12:30 Rabbi Nathan says, “Was there really no house without a firstborn? When a firstborn son was born to one of them, he would make a portrait of him. On that day it was broken up, ground down, and cut to pieces before them. This distressed them as if they had buried him that very day.” Another interpretation. The Egyptians were buried in their houses. Dogs entered through the drains, dug around, brought the firstborn out of their graves, and played with them. This distressed the Egyptians as if they had buried them that very day.

31 “He summoned Moses and Aaron at night.”Exodus 12:31 Could they have gone to him? Has it not already been said, “None of you may go out through the door of his house until morning”?Exodus 12:22 Rather, this teaches that they looked out at him from a balcony and told him, “We will not leave at night. We will leave at midday.” “Leave my people.”Exodus 12:31 Could they delay? Scripture says “Get up.” “You.” I know only that this applies to you. How do we include converts and slaves? Scripture says “you too.” “And the Israelites too” includes women and children. “Go, serve the LORD as you said.”Exodus 12:31 Your position has prevailed, “Moses said, ‘We will go with our young and our old.’”Exodus 10:9

32 “Your flocks.” “Your flocks too,”Exodus 12:32 meaning some from mine. “Your herds.” “Your herds too,” meaning some from the ministers’ herds. “Take them as you said, and go.”Exodus 12:32 Your position has prevailed, “Moses said, ‘You yourself must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the LORD our God.’”Exodus 10:25 “Bless me too.”Exodus 12:32 This includes the women and children. Another interpretation of “Bless me too.”Exodus 12:32 From this you learn that Pharaoh knew he needed prayer. The Omnipresent does not forgive a person until he has made peace with his neighbor. What reward did he receive for this? “On that day there will be an altar to the LORD within the land of Egypt.”Isaiah 19:19 The mouth that said, “Who is the LORD, that I should listen to Him and let Israel go?”Exodus 5:2 was the mouth that said, “The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are in the wrong.”Exodus 9:27 What reward did he receive for this? “Do not detest an Egyptian, for you were a foreigner in his land.”Deuteronomy 23:7 The mouth that said, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the captured goods,”Exodus 15:9 was the mouth that said, “Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”Exodus 14:25 What reward did he receive for this? “You stretched out Your right hand. The earth swallowed them.”Exodus 15:12 They were granted burial, so that animals and birds would not eat them.

33 “Egypt pressed the people.”Exodus 12:33 This teaches that Pharaoh was overcome with fear. They left their dead and their fallen and loaded the Israelites into carriages and wagons. “To hurry them out of the land.”Exodus 12:33 But not into the land of Canaan. It likewise says, “We will go a three-day journey into the wilderness.”Exodus 5:3 “For they said, ‘We are all dying.’”Exodus 12:33 They said, “Moses told us that the firstborn would die, but we see both firstborn and others dying.” They did not know that they were all steeped in sexual misconduct. One man had relations with ten women, and they bore him ten sons. All were their mothers’ firstborn. Ten men had relations with one woman, and she bore them ten sons. All were their fathers’ firstborn. That is why they said, “We are all dying.”Exodus 12:33

34 “The people carried their dough before it became leavened.”Exodus 12:34 This teaches that it was close to becoming leavened. “Their leftovers were wrapped in their clothes on their shoulders.”Exodus 12:34 This means what they had left of the unleavened bread and what they had left of the bitter herbs. Another interpretation of “their leftovers were wrapped in their clothes on their shoulders.”Exodus 12:34 Did they not have means of transport and something with which to carry them? At the end of the passage Scripture praises them as wealthy people. Rather, this teaches that they took only a little with them, but a blessing entered it. They ate from it for thirty-one days, and it was as good for them as manna.

35 “The Israelites did as Moses said.”Exodus 12:35 He told them, “Do not go from neighborhood to neighborhood, so that you do not look like swindlers.” “Silver objects, gold objects, and clothing.”Exodus 12:35 How do we know that clothing was most precious of all? Scripture says, “Silver objects, gold objects, and clothing.” The later an item is mentioned, the more precious it is.

36 “The LORD made the people find favor in the Egyptians’ eyes.”Exodus 12:36 What was this favor? “The LORD made the people find favor.” This teaches that the Egyptians were in darkness for three days while Israel searched their houses, yet not one Israelite was suspected of taking even a small hook. The Egyptians reasoned by inference, saying, “When would these people have been more likely to take something, when we were in the light or when we were in darkness? When they could take it themselves or when we give it to them?” Another interpretation of “the favor of this people.”Exodus 12:36 This teaches that the holy spirit rested on them. It likewise says, “I will pour out a spirit of favor and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”Zechariah 12:10 Someone who says, “Lend me a vessel,” and is told, “I do not have one,” or “Lend me a cup,” and is told, “I do not have one,” is unlike someone who says, “Lend me the vessel in such-and-such a place. Lend me the cup in such-and-such a place.” “They let them have what they asked for.”Exodus 12:36 Rabbi says, “When Israel was in Egypt, what was said about them? ‘Each woman must ask her neighbor and the woman staying in her house.’Exodus 3:22 This teaches that they lived with them. When their servitude ceased, what was said about them? ‘Each man must ask his neighbor.’Exodus 11:2 This teaches that they were their friends. When they were redeemed from servitude, what was said about them? ‘They let them have what they asked for.’Exodus 12:36 What they had already lent them was not enough. They made the Israelites accept more, even against their will. This teaches that the Egyptians feared them as people fear their owners. For they said, ‘Tomorrow the nations of the world will see them in the wilderness and say, “Look how wealthy the Egyptians’ slaves are!”’” How do we know that every single Israelite could have erected the tent of meeting with all its equipment, hooks, boards, bars, posts, and bases? Scripture says, “From everyone whose heart moves him.”Exodus 25:2 Every single Israelite could have made everything I have told you. Could there have been one among them who took nothing? Scripture says, “He brought them out with silver and gold, and there was no one stumbling among His tribes.”Psalms 105:37 What sort of person is meant by “stumbling”? Someone like David, as it says, “The one who stumbles among them on that day will be like David.”Zechariah 12:8 Could Moses and Aaron have taken none of Egypt’s wealth because they were occupied with the commandments? Scripture says, “When you go, you will not go empty-handed.”Exodus 3:21 Could Moses and Aaron have violated a positive commandment and a prohibition? Scripture says, “The man Moses too was very great.”Exodus 11:3 This teaches that people deposited valuables with him. Why does Scripture praise the wealth taken at the sea more than the wealth taken in Egypt? They took what was in the houses in Egypt, and what was in the treasuries at the sea. For this is the practice of kings. When they go out to war, they take all their silver and gold with them to establish others under them. It likewise says, “The wings of a dove covered in silver, and its pinions in gleaming gold.”Psalms 68:13 “The wings of a dove covered in silver” is the wealth taken in Egypt. “Its pinions in gleaming gold” is the wealth taken at the sea. “We will make you circlets of gold”Song of Songs 1:11 is the wealth taken in Egypt. “With studs of silver” is the wealth taken at the sea. “You grew and became great”Ezekiel 16:7 is the wealth taken in Egypt. “You came to the finest ornaments” is the wealth taken at the sea. What they took at the sea was many times greater.

37 “The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Sukkoth.”Exodus 12:37 From Rameses to Sukkoth is one hundred and sixty mil. Moses’ voice traveled the distance of a forty-day journey. Do not be surprised, for it has already been said, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Take handfuls of soot from a furnace.’”Exodus 9:8 This follows by inference. Dust does not normally travel, yet it traveled the distance of a forty-day journey. How much more should a voice, which normally travels, do so! “To Sukkoth.”Exodus 12:37 Rabbi Akiva says, “They made actual shelters for themselves at Sukkoth.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “‘Sukkoth’ means that clouds of glory came and settled over Rameses.” He expressed it in a parable. What is this like? A bridegroom who brought a bridal canopy to the bride’s doorway so that she could enter it immediately. Rabbi Nehemiah says, “‘To Sukkoth.’Exodus 12:37 Wherever a lamed would be needed at the beginning of a word, put a he at its end.” “About six hundred thousand.”Exodus 12:37 This allows for a little less or a little more. But when giving the precise figure, what does it say? “Six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.”Exodus 38:26 Rabbi says, “Scripture says, ‘The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them.’Joshua 7:5 What was their number? If it was thirty-seven, it should have said so. If it was thirty-five, it should have said so. What does ‘about thirty-six’ teach? It teaches that they were equal in worth to all Israel. Similarly, it says, ‘He brought me to the inner court of the LORD’s house, and there at the entrance of the LORD’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men.’Ezekiel 8:16 What was their number? If it was twenty-four, it should have said so. If it was twenty-six, it should have said so. What does ‘about twenty-five’ teach? It teaches that they were equal in worth to all Israel.” “On foot.”Exodus 12:37 Those who wage war. “Men.” This excludes women. “Besides children.” This teaches that an equal number of people under twenty went up with them.

38 “A mixed group went up with them.” “A large mixed group went up with them.” “And a large mixed group also went up with them.”Exodus 12:38 This teaches that converts and slaves went up with them, three times their number. “Flocks and herds.”Exodus 12:38 I know only that this includes flocks and herds. How do we include camels, donkeys, and horses? Scripture says, “Very many livestock.” Similarly, it says, “Their leftovers were wrapped in their clothes on their shoulders.”Exodus 12:34 Did they not have something with which to carry them? Rather, this teaches that they cherished the commandment. Similarly, it says, “You wept in the LORD’s hearing, saying, ‘Who will give us meat to eat?’”Numbers 11:18 Did they not have something to eat? Rather, this teaches that they sought to eat without obligation. Similarly, it says, “The Reubenites and Gadites had many livestock.”Numbers 32:1 Could this mean that the Reubenites and Gadites had livestock but the other tribes did not? Rather, it teaches that these tribes reached out to acquire them.

39 “They baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened cakes.”Exodus 12:39 A cake is a flat loaf, as it says, “Knead it and make cakes.”Genesis 18:6 “Unleavened cakes, for it had not become leavened.”Exodus 12:39 This teaches that unleavened bread must be made from a kind of grain that can become leavened. “For they were driven out of Egypt.”Exodus 12:39 A miracle was performed for them with what they carried out of Egypt, so that it did not become leavened. “They could not delay.”Exodus 12:39 This teaches that they could not remain. “They had not prepared provisions for themselves either.” This teaches that they took no supplies for the journey.

40 “The time the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.”Exodus 12:40 Did Israel live in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years? They were in Egypt for only two hundred and ten years! What, then, does “the time the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years” mean? They lived in many places. Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines. Isaac lived in the land of Canaan. Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner. Gather these periods together and make them four hundred years. How do we know that they were four hundred years? At the covenant between the parts, our father Abraham was told, “Know for certain that your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs,” and so on, “and they will oppress them for four hundred years.”Genesis 15:13 What does it say about Isaac? “Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.”Genesis 25:26 And Jacob says, “The years of my life as a foreigner are one hundred and thirty.”Genesis 47:9 This gives one hundred and ninety years, leaving two hundred and ten years there. Job’s years provide a sign of this. Job was born when Israel went down to Egypt, and he died when they went up. It says, “The LORD doubled everything Job had.”Job 42:10 And it says, “After this Job lived one hundred and forty years.”Job 42:16

41 At midnight He spoke to our father Abraham at the covenant between the parts. At midnight Isaac was born. At midnight the firstborn were struck, as it says, “At the end.”Exodus 12:41 There was one appointed time for them all. “Four hundred and thirty years.”Exodus 12:41 What were these thirty years? From the time He spoke to our father Abraham at the covenant between the parts until Isaac was born was thirty years. From Isaac’s birth until Israel left Egypt was four hundred years. “On that very day all the LORD’s hosts left the land of Egypt.”Exodus 12:41 This teaches that the Omnipresent’s hosts too shared Israel’s distress. It says, “In all their distress He was distressed.”Isaiah 63:9 And it says, “I am with him in distress.”Psalms 91:15 And it says, “Before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, nations and their God.”2 Samuel 7:23

42 “It is a night of watching for the LORD.”Exodus 12:42 This teaches that the first redemption was kept for them through the generations, jubilees, sabbatical cycles, years, months, weeks, days, hours, times, and seasons. “This is that night, a night of watching for the LORD.”Exodus 12:42 In this redemption they are redeemed at this season. In the second, they are redeemed at another season. It likewise says, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night? The watchman said, ‘Morning comes, and also night.’”Isaiah 21:11-12 What does He watch over? That one nation should not encroach on another, or one kingdom on another, even by a hair’s breadth. Who is this watchman? The Holy One, blessed be He, who is called a watchman, as it says, “Look, the keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.”Psalms 121:4 These are Rabbi Eliezer’s words. Rabbi Joshua says, “They were redeemed in Nisan, and in Nisan they will be redeemed again, as it says, ‘A night of watching for all the Israelites throughout their generations.’”Exodus 12:42 There is no need to say “it is.” What does “it is” teach? He knew it, but the earliest ancestors did not know it. It says, “For a day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come.”Isaiah 63:4 Another interpretation of “it is a night of watching for the LORD.”Exodus 12:42 It is a night kept safe from harmful spirits.

43 “This is the statute of the Passover.”Exodus 12:43 At the Passover in Egypt, “No uncircumcised person may eat it,”Exodus 12:48 and “No outsider may eat it.”Exodus 12:43 What does “statute” teach? It applies what is said about the Passover in Egypt to the Passover in later generations, and what is said about the Passover in later generations to the Passover in Egypt, except where Scripture makes an explicit exception. Could this also include the bundle of hyssop, the lintel, and the two doorposts? Scripture says “this.”Exodus 12:43 “No outsider may eat it.”Exodus 12:43 Why is this needed? Has it not already been said, “No uncircumcised person may eat it”?Exodus 12:48 What does “No outsider may eat it” teach? This is an apostate Israelite who has worshiped idols. I know only that this applies to a man. How do we include a woman? Scripture says, “No outsider may eat it.”Exodus 12:43 Another interpretation of “No outsider may eat it.”Exodus 12:43 From this you learn that someone who withdraws from it and then registers for it again violates a prohibition. Could he invalidate the group that comes with him? Scripture says “this.” He does not invalidate the group that comes with him. “He may not eat it.”Exodus 12:43 He may not eat it, but he may eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

44 “Every man’s slave ... you must circumcise him.”Exodus 12:44 This teaches that a man’s slaves may be circumcised by force. Could a man’s sons also be circumcised by force? Scripture says “a man’s slave.” A man’s slaves may be circumcised by force, but a man’s sons may not. I know only that this applies to male slaves. How do we include female slaves? Scripture says, “Every man’s slave.”Exodus 12:44 “You must circumcise him. Then he may eat it.”Exodus 12:44 If Scripture is speaking about the slave, it has already said, “No uncircumcised person may eat it.”Exodus 12:48 What, then, does “You must circumcise him. Then he may eat it” teach? It refers to his master. If he has male slaves who have not been circumcised or female slaves who have not immersed, they prevent him from eating the Passover offering. “Every slave.”Exodus 12:44 From this you learn about a convert who dies leaving adult and minor slaves. How do we know that they acquire their freedom? Scripture says “every slave,” meaning a slave subject to a master’s authority. This excludes someone whose master has no authority over him. “A man’s slave.”Exodus 12:44 I know only that this applies to a man’s slave. How do we include a woman’s slave? Scripture says “purchased with money.” I know only that this applies to someone he purchased. How do we include someone he inherited or received as a gift? Scripture says “every slave.”Exodus 12:44 If so, why does it say “purchased with money”? This teaches that slaves are acquired with money. Could slaves belonging to a minor also prevent him from eating the Passover offering? Scripture says “a man’s slave.”Exodus 12:44 A man’s slaves prevent him from eating the Passover offering, but a minor’s slaves do not. Could he be forbidden to eat it but permitted to slaughter it and sprinkle its blood? Scripture says, “Then he may eat it,”Exodus 12:44 and elsewhere, “Then he may approach to observe it.”Exodus 12:48 “Then” and “then” establish an analogy. Just as the “then” here forbids eating, so does the “then” there. Just as the “then” there forbids performing the rites, so does the “then” here. I know only that this applies to the Passover in Egypt. How do we include the Passover in later generations? Scripture says “statute.”Exodus 12:43

45 “A resident.”Exodus 12:45 This is someone acquired for permanent service. “A hired worker.” This is someone acquired for a term of years. Let Scripture say “a resident.” Why must it also say “a hired worker”? If someone acquired for permanent service is forbidden to eat the Passover offering, surely someone acquired for a term of years should be forbidden to eat it! If that were so, I would say that “a resident” means someone acquired for a term of years. By saying “a hired worker,” Scripture uses the hired worker to teach that the resident is someone acquired for permanent service. Rabbi Ishmael says, “How do we know that an uncircumcised person is forbidden to eat the priestly contribution? It follows by inference. A Passover offering is permitted to non-priests, yet an uncircumcised person is forbidden to eat it. Surely an uncircumcised person should be forbidden to eat the priestly contribution, which is forbidden to non-priests! No. This may be true of the Passover offering, for which one is liable on account of an improper intention about its time, leaving it beyond its time, and impurity. Can you say the same of the priestly contribution, for which one is not liable on those grounds? Scripture says ‘a resident and a hired worker’ hereExodus 12:45 and ‘a resident and a hired worker’ there,Leviticus 22:10 establishing an analogy. Just as the ‘resident and hired worker’ passage about the Passover offering forbids an uncircumcised person to eat it, so does the ‘resident and hired worker’ passage about the priestly contribution.” “He may not eat it.”Exodus 12:45 He may not eat it, but he may eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

46 “It must be eaten in one house.”Exodus 12:46 An attendant who eats an olive-sized portion beside the oven should fill his stomach there if he is sensible. If the members of the group wish to do him a kindness, they come and eat with him. “In one house.”Exodus 12:46 I know only that this applies to a house. How do we include a courtyard, a garden, and a shelter? Scripture says, “It must be eaten in one.” If so, why does it say, “It must be eaten in one house”? It must be eaten in one group. “Do not take it out of the house.”Exodus 12:46 I know only that this forbids taking it from one house to another. How do we include taking it from one group to another? Scripture says “outside,” meaning outside the place where it is eaten. “It must be eaten. Do not take any of the meat out of the house.”Exodus 12:46 One is liable during the time for eating, but not outside the time for eating. “It must be eaten. Do not take it out of the house.”Exodus 12:46 One is liable for an edible quantity, but not for less than an olive-sized portion. “It must be eaten. Do not take it out of the house.”Exodus 12:46 One is liable for meat that is fit, but not for meat that is unfit. I know only that this applies to the Passover in Egypt. How do we include the Passover in later generations? Scripture says “statute.”Exodus 12:43 “It must be eaten. Do not break a bone in it.”Exodus 12:46 One is liable for an edible quantity, but not for less than an olive-sized portion. “Do not break a bone in it.”Exodus 12:46 This applies to a pure offering, not an impure one. “Do not break a bone in it.”Exodus 12:46 You may not break a bone in it, but you may break one in the festival offering brought with it. Since it has requirements that other sacred offerings do not, and other sacred offerings have requirements that it does not, you cannot infer the rules for one from the other.

47 “The whole congregation of Israel must observe it.”Exodus 12:47 It is said, “The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel must slaughter it.”Exodus 12:6 This teaches that the Passover offering is slaughtered in three groups, corresponding to “assembly,” “congregation,” and “Israel.” Could slaughtering it all at once invalidate it? Scripture says, “The whole congregation of Israel must observe it.”Exodus 12:47 “It.”Exodus 12:47 Even on the Sabbath. “It.” Even in impurity. If most of the congregation, the priests, or the sacred vessels are impure, they must observe it in impurity.

48 “When a foreigner lives with you.”Exodus 12:48 If an Israelite immerses a gentile for the purpose of conversion, he is a convert. If for the purpose of slavery, he is a slave. If for the purpose of freedom, he is free. If a convert’s male and female slaves immerse in his presence before he does, they acquire their freedom. It happened that Valeria’s male and female slaves immersed in her presence before she did. The case came before the sages, who said, “They have acquired their freedom.” They did not leave, but continued serving her until she died. “Every male belonging to him must be circumcised.”Exodus 12:48 I know only that this applies to someone entirely uncircumcised. How do we include someone who has been circumcised but has not immersed, someone who has immersed but has not been circumcised, or someone with remnants that prevent him from eating the Passover offering and the priestly contribution? Scripture says, “Every male must be circumcised.” The remnants prevent him from eating the Passover offering and the priestly contribution. “Then he may approach to observe it.”Exodus 12:48 This is clearly explained. “Then” is said here and “then” is said elsewhere. Just as the “then” elsewhere means “then he may eat it,”Exodus 12:44 so the “then” here means “then he may approach to observe it.”Exodus 12:48 “He will be like a native of the land.”Exodus 12:48 Just as a native enters the covenant only through three things, circumcision, immersion, and the presentation of an offering, so a convert enters the covenant only through three things, circumcision, immersion, and the presentation of an offering. “No uncircumcised person may eat it.”Exodus 12:48 I know only that this applies to someone entirely uncircumcised. How do we include someone who has been circumcised but has not had the membrane drawn back, or someone with remnants that prevent him from eating the Passover offering and the priestly contribution? Scripture says, “No uncircumcised person may eat it.” The remnants prevent him from eating the Passover offering and the priestly contribution. “No uncircumcised person may eat it.”Exodus 12:48 We find that the community observes the Passover in impurity when most of its members are impure. Could an individual likewise override the restriction on being uncircumcised? Scripture says, “No uncircumcised person may eat it.” “He may not eat it.”Exodus 12:48 He may not eat it, but he may eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

49 “There must be one instruction for the native.”Exodus 12:49 Just as the native accepts all the words of the Torah, so must the convert accept all the words of the Torah. From this they said that a convert who accepts all the words of the Torah except one is not accepted. Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah says, “Even one detail of the scribes’ rulings.” “For the foreigner.”Exodus 12:49 This is the convert. “Who lives.” This includes the wives of converts. “Among you.” This includes women and freed slaves.

50 “All the Israelites did it.”Exodus 12:50 They are given a reward for going equal to the reward for doing.

51 “On that very day.”Exodus 12:51 “The very day” means the height of the day. “The LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.”Exodus 12:51 This teaches that they did not leave in disorder, but in formation.

1 “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Consecrate to Me.’”Exodus 13:1-2 “Consecrate to Me” means set apart. Could this mean that it becomes holy only if you set it apart, and otherwise it does not? Scripture says “it is Mine,”Exodus 13:2 whether or not you set it apart. “The first to open the womb.”Exodus 13:2 This excludes a birth through an incision in the abdomen. “Among the Israelites.”Exodus 13:2 I know only that this applies to Israelites. How are converts and freed slaves included? Scripture says “firstborn,” “every firstborn.”Exodus 13:2 From this you say that the son of a convert, conceived before her conversion but born afterward, is firstborn for inheritance, but is not a firstborn to be redeemed from the priest. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says he is firstborn for both inheritance and the priest. For it says, “The first to open every womb among the Israelites,”Exodus 13:2 meaning a womb first opened within Israel. “Of humans and animals.”Exodus 13:2 Those subject to this rule for humans are subject to it for animals. The Levites are excluded. Since they are exempt regarding humans, they are also exempt regarding animals. “It is Mine.”Exodus 13:2 A definite firstborn, but not a doubtful one. “It is Mine.”Exodus 13:2 Whether or not you set it apart. “It is Mine.”Exodus 13:2 There can be only one firstborn for inheritance. “It is Mine.”Exodus 13:2 It may be offered, but an animal substituted for it may not be offered.

2 “Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day.’”Exodus 13:3 Since it says, “When your son asks you tomorrow,”Exodus 13:14 could you tell him only if he asks? Scripture says, “You shall tell your son,”Exodus 13:8 even if he has not asked. I know only the case of someone who has a son. What about someone alone or with other people? Scripture says, “Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day when you came out of Egypt.’”Exodus 13:3 “From the house of slaves.”Exodus 13:3 Rabbi Judah says, “Could we have been slaves to slaves?” Scripture says “from the house of slaves.”Exodus 13:3 We were their slaves, but not slaves to slaves. Rabbi Nehemiah says, “Would it be disgraceful for us to have been slaves to the Egyptians’ slaves? It would be a great distinction!” Instead, it teaches that they did housework and fieldwork, men’s work and women’s work. “For with a strong hand the LORD brought you out.”Exodus 13:3 These are the ten plagues. “From here.”Exodus 13:3 This teaches that the plague against the firstborn equaled all the others. “No leavened food shall be eaten today.”Exodus 13:3-4 Not even by dogs. This prohibits deriving benefit from it. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “How do we know leavened food in Egypt was prohibited for only one day?” Scripture says, “No leavened food shall be eaten today.”Exodus 13:3-4

3 “Today you are leaving, in the month of Aviv.”Exodus 13:4 In a suitable month, neither hot nor cold. Similarly, it says, “God settles the solitary in a home, bringing prisoners out bakosharot.”Psalms 68:6 Bakosharot means through the deeds of the worthy, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Another interpretation: these are Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Another interpretation divides bakosharot into bekhu, weep, and shirot, songs. Some weep while others sing. Similarly, it says, “You rise early and sit up late in vain, eating bread of sorrow. He gives His beloved sleep.”Psalms 127:2

4 “And it shall be”Exodus 13:5 means immediately. “When He brings you.”Exodus 13:5 Perform the commandment stated here, and as its reward you will enter the land. “Which He swore to your ancestors.”Exodus 13:5 It is all through your ancestors’ merit. “To give you.”Exodus 13:5 Regard it as a gift given to you just now, rather than merely your ancestral inheritance. “A land flowing with milk and honey.”Exodus 13:5 Rabbi Eliezer says, “Milk means the juice of fruits. Honey means date honey.” Rabbi Akiva says, “Milk means actual milk.” Similarly, it says, “On that day the mountains will drip sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk.”Joel 3:18 “Honey” means woodland honey. Similarly, it says, “The people entered the woodland, and honey was flowing.”1 Samuel 14:26 Another interpretation: here it says “flowing with milk and honey,”Exodus 13:5 and elsewhere it says “flowing with milk and honey.”Deuteronomy 26:9 Just as the phrase there refers to the land of five peoples, so the phrase here refers to the land of five peoples. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “Firstfruits are not brought from across the Jordan, since it is not a land flowing with milk and honey.” “You shall perform this service in this month.”Exodus 13:5 Since it says, “Sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from flock and herd,”Deuteronomy 16:2 could the Passover in later generations come from both flock and herd? Scripture says, “You shall perform this service in this month.”Exodus 13:5 Just as the Passover in Egypt came only from sheep and goats, so the Passover in later generations comes only from sheep and goats. Rabbi Eliezer says, “There is a command to bring the Passover in Egypt and a command to bring it in later generations. Just as the Passover in Egypt did not come from tithed animals, so the Passover in later generations cannot come from tithed animals.” Rabbi Akiva said to him, “Master, can we infer a possible case from an impossible one? Did they have tithes in Egypt?” Rabbi Eliezer replied, “Even an impossible case provides strong evidence.” Rabbi Akiva then reversed his argument. There is a command to bring the Passover in Egypt and in later generations. Just as the Passover in Egypt came only from unconsecrated property, so the Passover in later generations comes only from unconsecrated property. The same applies to all sacred offerings. They must come only from unconsecrated property. This is what we learned: How do we know that someone who vows a thanksgiving offering must bring it only from unconsecrated property? For it says, “Sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from flock and herd.”Deuteronomy 16:2 But the Passover comes only from sheep and goats! Why, then, does it say “flock and herd”? To compare every offering from flock and herd to the Passover. Just as the Passover, which is obligatory, comes only from unconsecrated property, so every obligatory offering must come only from unconsecrated property. Since it says of the Passover in later generations, “Cook it and eat it,”Deuteronomy 16:7 could one boil it and eat it? Scripture says, “You shall perform this service in this month.”Exodus 13:5 Just as the Passover in Egypt was eaten only roasted, so the Passover in later generations is eaten only roasted.

5 “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.”Exodus 13:6 How do you know that someone who has let six festival days pass without bringing the festival offering remains obligated throughout all seven? Scripture says, “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is a festival to the LORD.”Exodus 13:6

6 “Unleavened bread shall be eaten for the seven days.”Exodus 13:7 The word et includes the fourteenth day, when unleavened bread is obligatory. “No leavened food belonging to you shall be seen.”Exodus 13:7 You may see what belongs to others. “No leavened food belonging to you shall be seen.”Exodus 13:7 You may see what belongs to the Most High. “No leavened food belonging to you shall be seen.”Exodus 13:7 You may see what belongs to a baker. Another interpretation of “No leavened food belonging to you shall be seen.”Exodus 13:7 Renounce it in your heart. From this you say: Someone going to slaughter his Passover offering or circumcise his son remembers leavened food at home. If he can return, remove it, and then return to his commandment, he should do so. Otherwise, renouncing it in his heart is enough. “No leavened food belonging to you shall be seen, and no leaven shall be seen.”Exodus 13:7 This is the dispute between the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel. The House of Shammai says, “The measure for leaven is an olive’s bulk, and for leavened food a date’s bulk.” The House of Hillel says, “For both, an olive’s bulk.”

7 “You shall tell your son,”Exodus 13:8 even if he has not asked. I know only the case of someone who has a son. What about someone alone or with other people? Scripture says, “You shall tell.”Exodus 13:8 “Because of this the LORD acted for me when I came out of Egypt.”Exodus 13:8 As long as the Passover offering itself remains. “Acted for me.”Exodus 13:8 Could it have required the combined merit of them all, so that otherwise one person would not have deserved it? Scripture says “because of this.”Exodus 13:8 This teaches that each Israelite deserved to have miracles performed on his account.

8 “It shall be for you,”Exodus 13:9 not for others. Since it says “on your arm and between your eyes,”Exodus 13:9 could one place it outside, on the sleeve of one’s tunic? Scripture says “it shall be for you,”Exodus 13:9 not for others. “On your arm and between your eyes.”Exodus 13:9 Could the arm have four compartments, just as the head does? Scripture says “as a sign,”Exodus 13:9 not four signs, not three, and not two. Rabbi Judah says, “Just as it is one sign inside, so it must be one sign outside.” Rabbi Yose said, “Judah withdrew his opinion.” Rabbi Judah agrees that someone with two head tefillin and no arm tefillin may cover one with leather and make it an arm tefillin. Could one place it on the palm of the hand? Scripture says “on your arm and between your eyes.”Exodus 13:9 As one is high on the head, the other is high on the arm. But you still do not know where to place it, on the right or on the left. Scripture says “bind them” and “write them.”Deuteronomy 6:8-9 As writing uses the right hand, so binding uses the right hand. Since binding uses the right hand, the tefillin is placed on the left. Similarly, it says, “Even there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me.”Psalms 139:10 And it says, “Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workers’ hammer.”Judges 5:26 And it says, “Why do You withdraw Your hand, Your right hand?”Psalms 74:11 Thus, wherever Scripture says “hand,” understand the left, unless it specifies the right. Since it says “on your arm and between your eyes,”Exodus 13:9 could the head have one sign, like the arm? Scripture writes “frontlet,” “frontlet,” and “frontlets,”Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18 making four frontlets in all. Could one place them in four places? Scripture says “as a reminder between your eyes,”Exodus 13:9 teaching that they are placed in one place. Rabbi says, “In two places it is written tatfot, and in one place tatfat, teaching that they are placed in one place.” Could one place them on the forehead? Scripture says “on your arm and between your eyes.”Exodus 13:9 As one is high on the arm, the other is high on the head. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, “The phrase is available for comparison and an inference from matching expressions.” Here it says “between your eyes,”Exodus 13:9 and elsewhere it says, “Do not cut yourselves or make a bald patch between your eyes for the dead.”Deuteronomy 14:1 Just as “between your eyes” there means the place where hair grows, so it means the place where hair grows here. “So that the LORD’s Torah may be in your mouth.”Exodus 13:9 This includes converts and freed slaves. Another interpretation of “So that the LORD’s Torah may be in your mouth.”Exodus 13:9 This excludes women. Tefillin is a positive commandment dependent on time, from which women are exempt. Likewise, women are exempt from every positive commandment dependent on time. “The LORD’s Torah in your mouth.”Exodus 13:9 From what you may eat with your mouth. From this they said: Tefillin may be written only on the hide of a clean animal.

9 “You shall observe this statute at its appointed time.”Exodus 13:10 Since it says “it shall be a sign on your arm,”Exodus 13:9 I might think children are included. Scripture says “you shall observe.”Exodus 13:10 I spoke only of someone with the understanding needed to take care. From this they said: A child who knows how to take care of his tefillin is obligated to wear tefillin. Another interpretation of “You shall observe this statute at its appointed time.”Exodus 13:10 Rabbi Eliezer says, “This is the statute of the Passover.” Rabbi Akiva says, “This is the statute of tefillin.” Could tefillin apply at night as well as by day? One could reason as follows. A mezuzah does not apply to travelers at sea or in the wilderness, yet it applies at night as well as by day. Since tefillin applies to travelers at sea and in the wilderness, should it not apply at night as well as by day? Scripture says “from days,”Exodus 13:10 excluding nights. Could tefillin apply on festivals and Sabbaths? One could reason as follows. A mezuzah does not apply to travelers at sea or in the wilderness, yet it applies on festivals and Sabbaths. Since tefillin applies to travelers at sea and in the wilderness, should it not apply on festivals and Sabbaths? Scripture says “from days,”Exodus 13:10 but not all days. Rabbi Akiva says, “Could tefillin apply on festivals and Sabbaths? One could reason as follows. A mezuzah does not apply to travelers at sea or in the wilderness, yet it applies on festivals and Sabbaths. Since tefillin applies to travelers at sea and in the wilderness, should it not apply on festivals and Sabbaths?” Scripture says “as a sign on your arm.”Exodus 13:9 This excludes Sabbaths and festivals, which are themselves entirely a sign. Could one refrain from checking one’s tefillin? “From days to days.”Exodus 13:10 From this they said: A person must check his tefillin once every twelve months. Here it says “from days,”Exodus 13:10 and elsewhere it says, “Its redemption shall last days.”Leviticus 25:29 Just as there it means twelve months, so here it means twelve months. These are the words of the House of Hillel. The House of Shammai says, “They never need checking.” Shammai used to say, “These tefillin are from my maternal grandfather.” “At its appointed time.”Exodus 13:10 This teaches that a year is intercalated only in the period close to the festival. How do we know a month may be extended, or a new month declared, only during the day? Scripture says “from days to days.”Exodus 13:10 How do we know new months may be fixed and years intercalated only in the land of Israel? Scripture says, “You shall observe this statute at its appointed time,”Exodus 13:10 followed by “When He brings you.”Exodus 13:11 From this, years are intercalated and new months fixed in the land of Israel, rather than outside it, and in the cities of Judah, where the Shekinah dwells, as it says, “Seek His dwelling.”Deuteronomy 12:5 If an ordained court goes outside the land and leaves no equal in the land of Israel, it may fix months and intercalate years abroad. But if it learns that a scholar of equal stature has arrived in the land, and certainly a greater scholar, it is forbidden to intercalate years or fix months outside the land.

10 “And it shall be”Exodus 13:11 means immediately. “When He brings you.”Exodus 13:11 Perform the commandment stated here, and as its reward you will enter the land. “Into the land of the Canaanite.”Exodus 13:11 Was it Canaan’s land? Was it not the land of five peoples? Rather, it teaches that Canaan was the father of them all. Similarly, it says, “Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth.”Genesis 10:15 “Which He swore to you and to your ancestors.”Exodus 13:11 It is all through your merit and your ancestors’ merit. “And gives it to you.”Exodus 13:11 Regard it as a gift given to you just now, rather than merely your ancestral inheritance.

11 “You shall set apart for the LORD everything that opens the womb.”Exodus 13:12 Firstborns were consecrated in three places, in Egypt, in the wilderness, and on entering the land. In Egypt: “Consecrate to Me every firstborn.”Exodus 13:2 In the wilderness: “For every firstborn is Mine.”Numbers 3:13 On entering the land: “You shall set apart for the LORD everything that opens the womb.”Exodus 13:12 Could an animal’s first birth mean only a fully formed offspring? How are signs of an offspring included, a discharge in small livestock, a placenta in large livestock, and a fetal sac or placenta in a woman? “The offspring of an animal.”Exodus 13:12 Everything an animal brings forth. “You shall set apart for the LORD everything that opens the womb.”Exodus 13:12 This excludes a birth through an abdominal incision. “Male.”Exodus 13:12 This excludes an animal of indeterminate sex or with both male and female sexual characteristics. “Shall belong to you.”Exodus 13:12 This excludes a female. Ben Azzai says, “Setting apart is mentioned here, and passing under the rod is mentioned concerning the tithe. Just as the tithe’s holiness takes effect on an animal with a permanent blemish as well as an unblemished animal, so the holiness mentioned here takes effect on an animal with a permanent blemish as well as an unblemished animal.” Rabbi Shimon says, “An animal too young for sacrifice enters the pen, and it is like a firstborn. A firstborn is holy before its time, although it may be offered only when its time comes. So this animal is holy before its time, although it may be offered only when its time comes.” Rabbi Joshua ben Korḥa says, “‘Everything that opens the womb is Mine’Exodus 34:19 is a general statement. Could it include what belongs to others? Scripture says “your livestock.”Exodus 34:19 Could it include a female? Scripture says “the male.”Exodus 34:19 Could it include a wild animal? Scripture says “the firstborn of an ox.”Exodus 34:19 This is a general statement requiring its specific qualification.”

12 “The firstborn of a donkey,”Exodus 13:13 but not the firstborn of a camel or horse. From this they said: A donkey giving birth for the first time to something resembling a camel or horse, and a camel giving birth for the first time to something resembling a camel or donkey, are exempt from firstborn status. For “the firstborn of a donkey”Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20 is stated twice, requiring both mother and offspring to be donkeys. Rabbi Meir says, “It says, ‘But the firstborn of an ox.’”Numbers 18:17 This is a general rule. The firstborn of an ox must be born an ox, of a sheep a sheep, and of a goat a goat. Could this apply even if some features resemble its mother? Scripture says “but.”Numbers 18:17 “Redeem it.”Exodus 13:13 Immediately. “Redeem it.”Exodus 13:13 With an animal of any value. Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah says, “Not less than a shekel.” “With a lamb.”Exodus 13:13 I might understand this as a living or slaughtered lamb. But reason as follows. “Lamb” is said here, and “lamb” is said elsewhere. As the lamb there is living rather than slaughtered, so the lamb here is living rather than slaughtered. “With a lamb.”Exodus 13:13 Not with a wild animal, a slaughtered animal, an animal with a fatal injury, a hybrid, or a koy. If someone redeemed it while it was still in its mother’s womb, could it be redeemed? Scripture says, “If you do not redeem it, break its neck.”Exodus 13:13 What is subject to neck-breaking is subject to redemption. What is not subject to neck-breaking is not subject to redemption. Could one redeem it after its death? Scripture says, “If you do not redeem it, break its neck.”Exodus 13:13 What is subject to redemption is subject to neck-breaking. What is not subject to redemption is not subject to neck-breaking. “Break its neck.”Exodus 13:13 Neck-breaking is mentioned here and elsewhere.Deuteronomy 21:4 In the other case it is done from behind with a cleaver, and the animal is buried and may not be used for benefit. So here it is done from behind with a cleaver, and the animal is buried and may not be used for benefit. “Every human firstborn among your sons you shall redeem.”Exodus 13:13 Why is this needed? Has it not already said, “Every firstborn of my sons I will redeem”?Exodus 13:15 If both he and his son need redemption, his own redemption takes precedence. “My sons I will redeem.”Exodus 13:15 Even after death.

13 “When your son asks you,”Exodus 13:14 you learn his understanding from his questions and his speech. “Say to him.”Exodus 13:14 Do not be ashamed to tell him. Rather, speak first about the very thing that embarrasses you.

14 “When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go.”Exodus 13:15 How do you know that when the Egyptians softened, Pharaoh grew stubborn? Scripture says, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.”Exodus 7:3 When Pharaoh softened, the Egyptians grew stubborn. Scripture says, “I will harden the Egyptians’ heart.”Exodus 14:17 When both softened, the Omnipresent strengthened their hearts. Scripture says, “For I have made his heart and his servants’ hearts heavy.”Exodus 10:1 “Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that opens the womb, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.”Exodus 13:15 What does this teach? How do you know that someone who marries five virgins, who bear him five sons, must redeem them all? Scripture says, “Every firstborn of my sons I redeem.”Exodus 13:15

15 “It shall be a sign on your arm.”Exodus 13:16 From this they said: Arm and head tefillin are not dependent on each other. If someone has only one, he should put it on. How do you know that, when putting on tefillin, one must put on the arm tefillin first? Scripture says, “It shall be a sign on your arm.”Exodus 13:16 How do you know that, when removing them, one must remove the head tefillin first? Scripture says “and as totafot between your eyes.”Exodus 13:16 While they are between your eyes, there must be two. “For with a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”Exodus 13:16 This teaches that tefillin commemorate the exodus from Egypt.

16 “When Pharaoh sent the people away.”Exodus 13:17 Sending away means accompanying, as it says, “Abraham went with them to send them on their way.”Genesis 18:16 And it says, “Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace.”Genesis 26:31 The mouth that said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice?”Exodus 5:2 was the mouth that said, “The LORD is righteous.”Exodus 9:27 What reward did they receive for this? “Do not detest an Egyptian.”Deuteronomy 23:7 Another interpretation of “When Pharaoh sent the people away.”Exodus 13:17 Rabbi Nehorai says, “This was a reprieve for Pharaoh. Had he not pursued them, Scripture would have credited him with sending them away. But because he pursued them, the Omnipresent charged him with both his earlier and later deeds, as it says, ‘To sweep away the watered with the thirsty.’”Deuteronomy 29:19 “God did not lead them.”Exodus 13:17 Neḥum means leading, as it says, “You led Your people like a flock.”Psalms 77:20 “By the road through the land of the Philistines, because it was near.”Exodus 13:17 The day when Israel would stand at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah was near. Another interpretation of “because it was near.”Exodus 13:17 The oath our ancestor Abraham swore to Abimelech was still recent. For it says, “Swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, my offspring, or my descendants.”Genesis 21:23 Another interpretation of “because it was near.”Exodus 13:17 The battle of the Philistines against Ephraim’s descendants was recent. For it says, “The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, his son Bered, his son Tahath, his son Eleadah, his son Tahath, his son Zabad, his son Shuthelah, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath, born in the land, killed them because they went down to take their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for many days, and his brothers came to comfort him.”1 Chronicles 7:20-22 David said of them, “The sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen, turned back on the day of battle.”Psalms 78:9 Why? They miscalculated, left thirty years before the appointed end, fled Egypt, and fell. Reason from the lesser to the greater: Our ancestors’ period of slavery was stated explicitly, yet they miscalculated, left early, and failed. How much more will people miscalculate our appointed end, of which it is written, “The words are concealed and sealed until the time of the end.”Daniel 12:9 From this they said: May the understanding of those who calculate the end perish! Rather, wait and believe. Good will come in the end. Another interpretation of “because it was near.”Exodus 13:17 Punishment was soon to fall on Egypt and Pharaoh. Another interpretation of “because it was near.”Exodus 13:17 The Canaanites still had to complete their punishment. For it is written, “The fourth generation will return here,”Genesis 15:16 but only three generations had passed. Another interpretation of “because it was near.”Exodus 13:17 Reason from the lesser to the greater. Even when He led them by a roundabout route, they said, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”Numbers 14:4 How much more would they have done so if He had brought them by a direct route! “For God said, ‘The people may change their minds.’”Exodus 13:17 The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If I bring them by a direct route, they will immediately take possession of fields and vineyards and neglect the Torah. Instead, I will take them through the wilderness for forty years. They will eat manna and drink well water, and the Torah will settle within them.” From this Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai used to say, “The Torah was given for exposition only to those who eat manna. Next to them are those who eat the priestly contribution.” Another interpretation: When the Canaanites heard that Israel was entering the land, they burned the crops and cut down the plantations, demolished the buildings and stopped up the springs. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Did I promise their ancestors that I would bring them into a ruined land? This is what they were promised: ‘Houses full of every good thing that you did not fill.’Deuteronomy 6:11 I will keep them in the wilderness until the Canaanites repair what they have ruined.” “When they see war.”Exodus 13:17 This is the war with Amalek, as it says, “The Amalekites and Canaanites living in that hill country came down.”Numbers 14:45 Another interpretation: This is the war of Ephraim’s descendants, who left before the appointed end. “And return to Egypt.”Exodus 13:17 So that they would not see the bones of their brothers, Ephraim’s descendants, and turn back.

17 “God led the people around.”Exodus 13:18 He placed them in a dead end. They could turn neither forward nor backward. “By the wilderness road to the Sea of Reeds.”Exodus 13:18 Rabbi Eliezer says, “‘Road,’ to weary them, as it says, ‘He weakened my strength on the road.’Psalms 102:23 ‘Wilderness,’ to refine them, as it says, ‘Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with fiery snakes, scorpions, and thirst, without water.’Deuteronomy 8:15 ‘Sea of Reeds,’ to test them, as it says, ‘They rebelled by the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.’”Psalms 106:7 Rabbi Joshua says, “‘Road,’ to give them the Torah, as it says, ‘Walk in all the way that the LORD your God commanded you.’Deuteronomy 5:33 And it says, ‘Disciplinary correction is the road to life.’Proverbs 6:23 ‘Wilderness,’ to feed them manna, as it says, ‘Who fed you manna in the wilderness.’Deuteronomy 8:16 ‘Sea of Reeds,’ to perform miracles and mighty deeds for them, as it says, ‘Awesome deeds at the Sea of Reeds.’Psalms 106:22 And it says, ‘He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up.’”Psalms 106:9 “Ḥamushim.”Exodus 13:18 Ḥamushim means armed, as it says, “The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before their brothers.”Joshua 4:12 This teaches that they went out in formation with five kinds of weapons: bow, club, shield, spear, and sword. Another interpretation of ḥamushim: Some went out in the fourth generation, and some in the fifth. Another interpretation of “They went out ḥamushim.”Exodus 13:18 This teaches that converts and slaves five times their number went out with them. Another interpretation of “They went out ḥamushim.”Exodus 13:18 Not even one in five went out with them. Another interpretation: They say one in fifty, and some say one in five hundred. Rabbi Nehorai says, “By the Temple service! Not even one in five thousand!” Similarly, it says, “I made you numerous as the growth of the field.”Ezekiel 16:7 When did they die? During the days of darkness, while the Egyptians were in darkness and Israel buried their dead. They thanked and praised the Name because their enemies did not see and rejoice at their disaster.

18 “Moses took Joseph’s bones with him.”Exodus 13:19 See how dear the commandments were to Moses our teacher. All Israel was occupied with the valuables from Egypt, while Moses was occupied with a commandment. Of him it says, “The wise in heart accept commandments.”Proverbs 10:8 How did Moses our teacher know where Joseph was buried? They said that Serah daughter of Asher survived from that generation. Moses went to her and asked, “Where is Joseph buried?” She told him, “The Egyptians made him a metal coffin and set it in the Nile so its waters would be blessed.” Moses went and stood on the bank of the Nile. He said, “Joseph, Joseph! The time has come for the oath the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to Israel to redeem them. The time has also come for the oath you made Israel swear. Hear me now! Israel is delayed because of you. If you reveal yourself, good. Otherwise, we are released from your oath.” Immediately Joseph’s coffin floated up. Rabbi Nathan says, “Joseph was buried in the royal burial grounds. Moses went and stood at the royal burial grounds and said, ‘Joseph, Joseph!’ Immediately Joseph’s coffin shook.” Moses went, took it, and brought it with him. Therefore it says, “Moses took Joseph’s bones with him.”Exodus 13:19 What does “with him” mean? In the Levite camp. From this they said: Someone defiled by a corpse may enter the Temple Mount, and even the corpse itself may enter. For it says, “Moses took Joseph’s bones with him.”Exodus 13:19 With him, in the Levite camp. During all forty years of Israel’s travels in the wilderness, the ark of the Shekinah and Joseph’s coffin traveled side by side. Passersby would ask, “What are these two chests?” They were told, “One is the Shekinah’s and one holds a dead man.” “Can a dead man travel with the Shekinah?” They answered, “This man fulfilled what is written in this ark.” On the tablets it is written, “I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:2 Of Joseph it is written, “Am I in God’s place?”Genesis 50:19 Here it is written, “You shall have no other gods.”Exodus 20:3 Of Joseph it is written, “I fear God.”Genesis 42:18 Here it is written, “Do not misuse the Name.”Exodus 20:7 Of Joseph it is written, “By Pharaoh’s life, you will not leave here.”Genesis 42:15 Here it is written, “Remember the Sabbath day.”Exodus 20:8 Of Joseph it is written, “Slaughter an animal and prepare it.”Genesis 43:16 “Prepare” means only preparation for the Sabbath. Here it is written, “Honor your father.”Exodus 20:12 Of Joseph it is written, “Joseph provided for his father.”Genesis 47:12 Here it is written, “Do not murder.”Exodus 20:13 Of Joseph it is written, “How could I do this great wrong and sin against God?”Genesis 39:9 He told her, “Would it not be enough to be counted among adulterers, without also being counted among murderers?” Here it is written, “Do not commit adultery.”Exodus 20:14 Of Joseph it is written, “He did not listen to her, to lie beside her or be with her.”Genesis 39:10 Here it is written, “Do not steal.”Exodus 20:15 Of Joseph it is written, “Joseph gathered all the money and brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.”Genesis 47:14 Here it is written, “Do not bear false witness.”Exodus 20:16 Of Joseph it is written, “Joseph brought their bad report.”Genesis 37:2 It does not say “Joseph put out,” but “brought.” Here it is written, “Do not covet.”Exodus 20:17 Of Joseph it is written, “He refused and said to his master’s wife.”Genesis 39:8 “For he had made the Israelites solemnly swear.”Exodus 13:19 Rabbi Nathan says, “Why did he make his brothers swear rather than his sons? He said, ‘If I make my sons swear, the Egyptians will not let them take me up. They will say, “Our father took his father up,” but will be told, “Your father was a king.”’ Therefore he did not make his sons swear.” “Made them solemnly swear.”Exodus 13:19 He bound them to bind their sons by oath, and their sons to bind their sons. “God will surely attend to you.”Exodus 13:19 Two interventions, one in Tishrei and one in Nisan. In Tishrei they stopped working, and in Nisan they were redeemed. Another interpretation of “will surely attend.”Exodus 13:19 He attended to them in Egypt and would attend to them at the sea, in the wilderness and at the streams of Arnon, in this world and in the world to come. “Take my bones up.”Exodus 13:19 He told them, “As a king I took my father up with his body whole. But you must take me up even if only my bones remain. When you take me up, bury me wherever you wish. I have a tradition that I will not enter my ancestors’ burial place, for only the three patriarchs and three matriarchs enter that ancestral tomb. For it says, ‘There they buried Abraham,’Genesis 49:31 and, ‘In my grave that I dug for myself.’”Genesis 50:5 “Take my bones up.”Exodus 13:19 I might understand this to mean immediately. Scripture says “with you.”Exodus 13:19 Rabbi Shimon ben Eleazar says, “How do we know the bones of all the tribal ancestors went up with him?” Scripture says, “Take my bones up from here with you.”Exodus 13:19 Had Moses not attended to Joseph, would Israel not have done so? Scripture says, “Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites brought up from Egypt, they buried in Shechem.”Joshua 24:32 This teaches that they intended to bring him up. But when Israel saw Moses attending to him, they said, “Leave him. Greater honor comes from the great than from the small.” Had Moses and Israel not attended to him, would his sons not have done so? Scripture says, “They became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.”Joshua 24:32 But when his sons saw Moses and Israel attending to him, they said, “Leave him. Greater honor comes from many than from few.”

19 “They traveled from Sukkoth.”Exodus 13:20 Rabbi Akiva says, “Sukkoth means the clouds of glory, as it says, ‘Over all the glory there will be a canopy.’Isaiah 4:5 So too in the future: ‘There will be a shelter for shade from the heat by day.’”Isaiah 4:6 Another interpretation of “They traveled from Sukkoth.”Exodus 13:20 Israel made three journeys before reaching the sea.

20 “The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud.”Exodus 13:21 This teaches that seven clouds of glory accompanied Israel. “By day in a pillar of cloud”Exodus 13:21 is one. “Your cloud stands over them”Numbers 14:14 is two. “In a pillar of cloud You lead them by day”Numbers 14:14 is three. “When the cloud remained”Numbers 9:19 is four. “When the cloud rose”Exodus 40:36 is five. “If the cloud did not rise”Exodus 40:37 is six. “For the LORD’s cloud was over the tabernacle by day”Exodus 40:38 is seven. Four were on the four sides, one above, one below, and one went ahead to prepare the roads. It raised low ground, lowered high ground, and made a smooth highway for them, as it says, “Every valley will be raised and every mountain and hill lowered. Crooked ground will become level and ridges a plain.”Isaiah 40:4 And it says, “There will be a highway for the remnant of His people remaining in Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.”Isaiah 11:16 This comes to teach but turns out to be taught. Just as in the future “every valley will be raised and every mountain and hill lowered,”Isaiah 40:4 so it was when they left Egypt. Another interpretation of “The LORD went before them.”Exodus 13:21 Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “If Scripture had not written it, it could not be said. Like a father carrying a torch before his son, or a master carrying a lantern before his slave.” Another interpretation of “The LORD went before them.”Exodus 13:21 A person is repaid according to the measure he uses. Abraham accompanied the ministering angels, as it is written, “Abraham went with them to send them on their way.”Genesis 18:16 Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, accompanied his descendants for forty years in the wilderness. “To travel by day and by night.”Exodus 13:21 Their daytime journeys are compared to their nighttime journeys. Just as they did not lack light on their daytime journeys, so they did not lack light on their nighttime journeys. Just as at night they would neither hunger nor thirst, nor suffer from scorching heat or sun, so on their daytime journeys they would neither hunger nor thirst, nor suffer from scorching heat or sun.

21 “The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart.”Exodus 13:22 Scripture tells us that while the pillar of cloud remained, the pillar of fire rose, and while the fire remained, the cloud appeared. Another interpretation of “The pillar of cloud by day did not depart.”Exodus 13:22 Sunlight did not cancel its effect. “And the pillar of fire by night.”Exodus 13:22 Moonlight did not cancel its effect. Another interpretation of “did not depart.”Exodus 13:22 Even though they rebelled, provoked anger, and showed contempt. Another interpretation of “did not depart.”Exodus 13:22 Even though they recoiled backward twelve mil. Another interpretation of “did not depart.”Exodus 13:22 Who needed the pillar of cloud? Who needed the pillar of fire? They served to make a separation for the men and women with discharges, menstruating women, and women after childbirth among them. Rabbi Meir says, “Of Abraham it says, ‘He stood over them beneath the tree while they ate.’Genesis 18:8 Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, provided seven clouds of glory to go before his descendants.”

1 “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the Israelites.’”Exodus 14:1-2 Rabbi Shimon son of Yohai says: Wherever “saying” or “say to them” appears, the command applies to later generations. Where neither “saying” nor “say to them” appears, it applies only to that occasion. Rabbi says: Even where neither “saying” nor “say to them” appears, it applies to later generations, except in three places.

2 “Let them turn back and camp before Pi Hahiroth.”Exodus 14:2 Hahiroth means the Egyptians’ place of freedom, their marketplace and place of idol worship. It was formerly called Pithom, as it says, “Pithom and Rameses.”Exodus 1:11 It came to be called Pi Hahiroth because its worshipers were estranged. They said: These Hiroth were not leaning, but enclosed. They were not sloping, but steep-sided. They were not round, but square. They had eyes that were open. They were made by heaven, rather than by human hands. They had male and female forms. These are Rabbi Eliezer’s words. Rabbi Joshua says: Hahiroth was on one side and Migdol on the other, with the sea in front of them and Egypt behind them. Another interpretation of “Let them turn back and camp before Pi Hahiroth.”Exodus 14:2 Moses told them, “Turn back.” When the horn sounded for their return, those among them who lacked faith began pulling out their hair and tearing their clothes. Moses told them, “I have been told by the Holy One that you are free.” “Between Migdol and the sea.”Exodus 14:2 There was Egypt’s greatness, and there was its splendor. Joseph gathered all the money there, as it says, “Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.”Genesis 47:14 “Before Baal Zephon.”Exodus 14:2 Baal Zephon remained of their Hiroth to mislead the Egyptians’ hearts. Of him it says, “He makes nations great and destroys them.”Job 12:23 “Camp opposite it by the sea.”Exodus 14:2 Scripture tells us that Migdol had a population equal to all those who left Egypt. Another interpretation of “Camp opposite it by the sea.”Exodus 14:2 It was to mislead the Egyptians’ hearts.

3 “Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are confused in the land.’”Exodus 14:3 Confused means bewildered, as it says, “How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are bewildered.”Joel 1:18 Another interpretation: Confused means thrown into disorder, as it says, “The city of Susa was confused.”Esther 3:15 Another interpretation of nevukhim: Pharaoh said, “Moses has misled them and does not know where he is taking them.” Nebo means Moses, as it says, “Go up this mountain of Abarim, Mount Nebo.”Deuteronomy 32:49 Another interpretation of nevukhim: Pharaoh spoke without knowing what he was saying, that Israel would weep in the wilderness. As it says, “The whole community raised their voices, and the people wept that night.”Numbers 14:1 “The wilderness has shut them in.”Exodus 14:3 Pharaoh spoke without knowing what he was saying, that Israel would fall in the wilderness, as it says, “Your corpses will fall in this wilderness.”Numbers 14:29 Another interpretation of “The wilderness has shut them in.”Exodus 14:3 Pharaoh said, “Baal Zephon has gathered wild animals against them that will not let them pass.” And so it happened. When Israel saw the sea blocking them and the enemy pursuing them, they looked toward the wilderness. The Holy One, blessed be He, gathered wild animals against them that would not let them pass, as it says, “The wilderness has shut them in.”Exodus 14:3 Shutting in refers to wild animals, as it says, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths.”Daniel 6:22

4 “I will strengthen Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them.”Exodus 14:4 His heart was divided over whether to pursue them. “I will gain honor through Pharaoh and all his army.”Exodus 14:4 Pharaoh was the first to sin, and punishment began with him. Similarly, you say, “He wiped out every living thing, from humans to animals.”Genesis 7:23 Punishment began with whoever first sinned. Similarly, “They struck the men at the entrance to the house with blindness.”Genesis 19:11 Punishment began with whoever first sinned. Similarly, you say, “We are destroying this place.”Genesis 19:13 Punishment began with whoever first sinned. Similarly, you say, “Her abdomen will swell and her thigh will fall away.”Numbers 5:27 The rest of the body did not escape. Rather, punishment began with what first sinned. Here too it says, “I will gain honor through Pharaoh and all his army.”Exodus 14:4 Pharaoh was the first to sin, and punishment began with him. Does this not follow all the more strongly? Which is greater, the measure of goodness or the measure of punishment? You must say that goodness is greater. If punishment, the lesser measure, begins with whoever first sinned, how much more does goodness, the greater measure, reward whoever first performs a commandment! Another interpretation of “I will gain honor through Pharaoh.”Exodus 14:4 When the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes the wicked, His name becomes great in the world. So it says, “I will set a sign among them and send survivors from them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul and Lud, the bowmen, to Tubal and Javan, to distant coastlands that have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.”Isaiah 66:19 What does it say? “They will declare My glory among the nations.”Isaiah 66:19 Similarly, you say, “I will judge him with plague and blood and torrential rain.”Ezekiel 38:22 What does it say? “I will show My greatness and holiness and make Myself known in the sight of many nations.”Ezekiel 38:23 Similarly, you say, “LORD, my strength, my refuge and my shelter in a time of trouble.”Jeremiah 16:19 What does it say? “Nations will come to You from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Our ancestors inherited only lies, worthless things that bring no help.’”Jeremiah 16:19 Similarly, you say, “This is what the LORD says: Egypt’s earnings, Cush’s trade and the tall Sabeans will pass over to you and be yours. They will follow you, crossing over in chains. They will bow to you and plead with you.”Isaiah 45:14 What does it say? “Surely God is with you, and there is no other, no other god.”Isaiah 45:14 Similarly, you say, “Deliverers will go up Mount Zion to judge Mount Esau.”Obadiah 1:21 What does it say? “The kingdom will belong to the LORD.”Obadiah 1:21 And it says, “The LORD is king forever and ever. The nations have perished from His land.”Psalms 10:16 And it says, “May sinners disappear from the earth and the wicked be gone. My soul, bless the LORD. Hallelujah.”Psalms 104:35 And it says, “The LORD protects foreigners, supports the orphan and widow, and frustrates the way of the wicked.”Psalms 146:9 What does it say? “The LORD will reign forever, your God, Zion, through every generation. Hallelujah.”Psalms 146:10 “The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”Exodus 14:4 Formerly they did not know the LORD. Now, “The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.”Exodus 14:4 “And they did so.”Exodus 14:4 This tells Israel’s praise. They did not ask Moses, “How can we turn back without discouraging the children with us?” Instead, they trusted and followed Moses. Another interpretation of “And they did so.”Exodus 14:4 They said, “Whether we want to or not, we have only the words of Amram’s son to follow.”

5 “The king of Egypt was told.”Exodus 14:5 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Sukkoth, from Sukkoth to Etham, and from Etham to Pi Hahiroth, on Friday, the Sabbath and Sunday, the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth. On Monday, the fourth day of their journey, the eighteenth, the Israelites were preparing their animals and arranging their equipment to leave. The guards told them, “Your appointed time to return to Egypt has arrived,” as it says, “We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness.”Exodus 8:27 They answered, “Once we left Egypt, we left Pharaoh’s authority.” The guards said, “Whether you want to or not, you must return and carry out the royal command.” The Israelites rose against them, beating some, wounding some and killing some. The guards went and reported to Pharaoh. That is why it says, “The king of Egypt was told.”Exodus 14:5 Who told him? The guards who were with them. Some say he had watch posts. Others say Amalek told him. “That the people had fled.”Exodus 14:5 Were they fleeing? It already says, “The Israelites were going out boldly.”Exodus 14:8 Rather, because they killed the guards, the survivors went and told Pharaoh, “They beat some of us and wounded some of us. They have neither ruler nor chief.” As it says, “Locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks.”Proverbs 30:27 “Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about the people.”Exodus 14:5 Yesterday, “Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long will this man be a trap for us? Let the men go.’”Exodus 10:7 Today, “Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about the people.”Exodus 14:5 “They said, ‘What have we done, letting them go?’”Exodus 14:5 They said, “If we had let them go without suffering the plagues, that would have been enough. But we let them go and suffered the plagues. If we had suffered the plagues without letting them go, that would have been enough. But we suffered the plagues and let them go. If we had let them go and suffered the plagues without losing our wealth, that would have been enough. But we let them go, suffered the plagues and lost our wealth.” They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king told his slave, “Bring me a fish from the market.” He went and brought a foul-smelling fish. The king decreed, “Either eat the fish, take a hundred lashes, or pay a hundred minas.” He said, “I will eat the fish.” Before he could finish, he began to feel sick. He said, “I will take a hundred lashes.” After sixty or seventy lashes he could bear no more, and said, “I will pay a hundred minas.” So it happened to the Egyptians. They suffered the plagues, let Israel go and lost their wealth. That is why it says, “What have we done, letting Israel go?”Exodus 14:5 Another interpretation of “They said, ‘What have we done?’”Exodus 14:5 This tells us that when Israel left Egypt, Egypt’s work came to a halt. “From serving us.”Exodus 14:5 Who will serve us now? All the world’s nations will ring out against us like a bell, saying, “Even those under their authority have left them and gone away.” How can we now send to Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah to bring us tribute and send us male and female slaves? This teaches that Pharaoh ruled from one end of the world to the other and had governors everywhere, for Israel’s honor. Of him it says, “The king sent and released him. The ruler of peoples set him free.”Psalms 105:20 Every nation and kingdom that enslaved Israel ruled from one end of the world to the other, for Israel’s honor. Of the king of Assyria it says, “My hand found the wealth of the peoples like a nest. As one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered the whole earth.”Isaiah 10:14 Of the Babylonian kingdom it says, “Any nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and does not place its neck under the king of Babylon’s yoke, I will punish with sword, famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.”Jeremiah 27:8 Of the Median kingdom it says, “Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and languages living throughout the earth: May your peace increase.”Daniel 6:25 And it says, “King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and the islands of the sea.”Esther 10:1 Of the Greek kingdom it says, “The beast had four heads, and authority was given to it.”Daniel 7:6 Of the fourth kingdom it says, “It will devour the whole earth, trample it and crush it.”Daniel 7:23 Thus every nation and kingdom that ruled over them ruled from one end of the world to the other, for Israel’s honor. That is why it says, “They said, ‘What have we done?’”Exodus 14:5 Another interpretation of “They said, ‘What have we done?’”Exodus 14:5 They said, “Didn’t good things come to us because of them?” Rabbi Yose illustrated this with a parable. What is it like? A man had a field large enough to sow a kor of seed and sold it for very little. The buyer went and opened springs in it, and planted gardens and orchards. The seller began choking with regret. So the Egyptians let them go without knowing what they had let go. So it says, “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, henna with nard.”Song of Songs 4:13 Rabbi Shimon illustrated this with a parable. What is it like? A man inherited a residence overseas and sold it for very little. The buyer went and found treasures of silver and gold, precious stones and pearls. The seller began choking with regret. So it happened to the Egyptians. They suffered the plagues, let Israel go and lost their wealth. That is why it says, “They said, ‘What have we done?’”Exodus 14:5

6 “He harnessed his chariot.”Exodus 14:6 He harnessed it with his own hands. Kings usually stand by while others prepare for them, but here he harnessed it himself. When the kingdom’s nobles saw him prepare his own, each got up and prepared his own. Four harnessed with joy: Abraham, Joseph, Pharaoh and Balaam. Rabbi Shimon son of Yohai says: Let one saddling stand against another. Let the saddling Abraham did to go and fulfill his heavenly Father’s will stand against the saddling Balaam did to go and curse Israel. Let one harnessing stand against another. Let the harnessing Joseph did to meet his father Israel stand against the harnessing Pharaoh did to hurry in pursuit of Israel. Let the sword and hand of “Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son”Genesis 22:10 stand against Pharaoh’s sword and hand, as it says, “I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.”Exodus 15:9 “He took his people with him.”Exodus 14:6 He brought them along with words. He told them, “Kings usually march behind, with their armies in front. But I will go in front of you. Kings usually plunder for themselves and take the first share. But I will share the captured goods equally with you. And more than that, I will open treasuries for you and distribute silver, gold, precious stones and pearls among you.” As it says, “I will divide the captured goods.”Exodus 15:9 That is why it says, “He took his people with him.”Exodus 14:6 He did it with words.

7 “He took six hundred selected chariots.”Exodus 14:7 Whose animals were they? It already says, “All the livestock of Egypt died.”Exodus 9:6 If you say they belonged to Israel, it already says, “Our livestock will also go with us.”Exodus 10:26 Whose were they? It says, “Those among Pharaoh’s servants who feared the LORD’s word brought their slaves and livestock into the houses.”Exodus 9:20 These became a stumbling block for Israel. From this Rabbi Shimon son of Yohai used to say: Kill even the most upright among the nations. Crush the head of even the finest snake. Even the most upright woman practices sorcery. Happy is whoever does the will of the Omnipresent. “Six hundred selected chariots and all the chariots of Egypt.”Exodus 14:7 Rabban Shimon son of Gamaliel says: Come and see this kingdom’s wealth and greatness. Not one of its legions is idle. They all rush about day and night. So it says, “Six hundred selected chariots and all the chariots of Egypt.”Exodus 14:7 Compared with them, all Egypt’s chariots stand idle. “And shalishim.”Exodus 14:7 Shalishim means warriors, as it says, “Captains and officers, all riding horses.”Ezekiel 23:23 Another interpretation of shalishim: They were triply armed. Another interpretation of shalishim: Rabban Shimon son of Gamaliel says this is the third member of the chariot crew. At first there were only two. Pharaoh came and added another to hurry in pursuit of Israel. Some say Antoninus added it. Another interpretation of shalishim: Three for each Israelite. Some say thirty for each, and some say three hundred for each. Another interpretation of “And shalishim over all of them.”Exodus 14:7 He brought troops against them in proportion to the chariots. Rabbi Jeremiah interpreted similarly: “Zerah the Cushite went out against them with an army of a million and three hundred chariots.”2 Chronicles 14:9 He brought troops against them in proportion to the chariots. “Over all of them.”Exodus 14:7 With the intention of destroying them all. “Formerly I said, ‘Throw every newborn boy into the Nile and let every girl live.’”Exodus 1:22 Now, “And shalishim over all of them,”Exodus 14:7 with the intention of destroying them all. “I will draw my sword. My hand will destroy them.”Exodus 15:9

8 “The LORD strengthened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued.”Exodus 14:8 His heart was divided over whether to pursue. “He pursued the Israelites.”Exodus 14:8 Scripture tells us that he would not have pursued another nation. “The Israelites were going out boldly.”Exodus 14:8 Scripture tells us that while the Egyptians pursued the Israelites, they insulted, reviled and blasphemed. But Israel glorified, exalted, praised, acclaimed and celebrated, offering song and praise, greatness, splendor, victory and majesty to Him who holds the battle. As it says, “God’s praises are in their throats, and a two-edged sword is in their hands.”Psalms 149:6 And it says, “Rise above the heavens, God. Let Your glory be over the whole earth.”Psalms 57:5 And it says, “LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You and praise Your name, for You have done wonders, plans made long ago in perfect faithfulness.”Isaiah 25:1 Another interpretation of “boldly”: Their hand was raised above the Egyptians.

9 “The Egyptians pursued them.”Exodus 14:9 Scripture tells us that none of them stumbled, so they would not take an omen and turn back. So we find that the nations practice divination, as it says, “These nations whom you are dispossessing listen to fortune-tellers and diviners.”Deuteronomy 18:14 And it says, “The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with divination fees in their hands.”Numbers 22:7 But here none of them stumbled, so they would not take an omen and turn back. “They overtook them camped by the sea, before Baal Zephon.”Exodus 14:9 When Pharaoh saw Baal Zephon, he rejoiced and said, “Baal Zephon agrees with my decree. I said I would drown them in water. Baal Zephon agrees with my decree to drown them in water.” He began sacrificing and burning incense before his idol, as it says, “Before Baal Zephon,”Exodus 14:9 and “Pharaoh drew near.”Exodus 14:10

10 Another interpretation of “Pharaoh drew near.”Exodus 14:10 He brought the punishment on himself nearer. Another interpretation of “Pharaoh drew near.”Exodus 14:10 The guards covered in a day and a half what Israel had traveled in three days. Pharaoh covered in one day what the guards had traveled in a day and a half. These were Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. At the end of Wednesday, the twentieth, Pharaoh offered his gifts. There were cloud and darkness throughout the night of the twenty-first, the night leading into Thursday, the seventh night of Passover. During the morning watch the Egyptians drowned, as it says, “During the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the Egyptian camp.”Exodus 14:24 Another interpretation of “Pharaoh drew near, and the Israelites looked up.”Exodus 14:10 Because they had beaten some guards, they knew the Egyptians would pursue them. “The Egyptians were marching after them.”Exodus 14:10 It does not say “were marching” here, but “was marching after them.” Scripture tells us they all formed squadrons as one man. The empire learned from them to operate in squadrons. “The Israelites cried out to the LORD.”Exodus 14:10 They took up the practice of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Of Abraham it says, “With Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, he built an altar there to the LORD and called on the LORD’s name.”Genesis 12:8 Of Isaac it says, “Isaac went out to meditate in the field.”Genesis 24:63 Meditation means prayer, as it says, “May my meditation please Him.”Psalms 104:34 And it says, “Evening, morning and noon I will meditate.”Psalms 55:17 And it says, “A prayer of the afflicted when he grows faint and pours out his meditation before the LORD.”Psalms 102:1 Of Jacob it says, “He encountered the place.”Genesis 28:11 Encounter means prayer, as it says, “Do not pray for this people. Do not raise a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me.”Jeremiah 7:16 And it says, “Do not be afraid, worm Jacob, people of Israel.”Isaiah 41:14 As a worm strikes cedars only with its mouth, Israel has only prayer. And it says, “Which I took from the Amorite with my sword and bow.”Genesis 48:22 Did he take it with his sword and bow? It already says, “I do not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me.”Psalms 44:6 Then what does “with my sword and bow” mean? Prayer. So it says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.”Jeremiah 17:7 This is prayer. And it says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in humans, makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”Jeremiah 17:5 This is prayer. Of Judah it says, “LORD, hear Judah’s voice.”Deuteronomy 33:7 Of David it says, “You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied.”1 Samuel 17:45 And it says, “Some rely on chariots and some on horses, but we call on the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm.”Psalms 20:7-8 Of Asa it says, “Asa called to the LORD his God and said, ‘LORD, no one besides You can help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. You are the LORD our God. Do not let a mortal prevail against You.’”2 Chronicles 14:11 Of Moses it says, “Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom.”Numbers 20:14 Edom told him, “You boast of what your father left you, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice,’Genesis 27:22 and ‘He heard our voice.’Numbers 20:16 But we boast of what our father left us, ‘The hands are Esau’s hands,’Genesis 27:22 and ‘You will live by your sword.’”Genesis 27:40 What does it say? “Edom told him, ‘You may not pass through me, or I will come against you with the sword.’”Numbers 20:18 Here too you say, “The Israelites cried out to the LORD.”Exodus 14:10 They took up the practice of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

11 “They said to Moses, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt, that you brought us to die in the wilderness?’”Exodus 14:11 After putting leaven into the dough, they went to Moses and said, “Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt?”Exodus 14:12 What did they tell Moses in Egypt? It says, “They met Moses and Aaron standing there to meet them.”Exodus 5:20 They told him, “We grieved over our slavery in Egypt, but dying in the wilderness is harder for us than our slavery in Egypt. We grieved over our brothers’ deaths in the darkness, but dying in the wilderness is harder for us than our brothers’ deaths in the darkness. Our brothers were mourned and buried, but as for us, the corpses of our enemies will be left to the heat by day and the frost by night.”

13 “Moses told the people, ‘Do not be afraid.’”Exodus 14:13 This makes Moses’ wisdom known: he stood calming all those thousands and tens of thousands. Of him the received writings explain, “Wisdom strengthens the wise.”Ecclesiastes 7:19 “Stand and see.”Exodus 14:13 Standing always refers to the Holy Spirit, as it says, “Call Joshua and stand in the tent of meeting.”Deuteronomy 31:14 And it says, “The LORD came and stood, and called as before, ‘Samuel, Samuel.’”1 Samuel 3:10 And it says, “Take them to the tent of meeting, and let them stand there with you.”Numbers 11:16 And it says, “The LORD was standing over him.”Genesis 28:13 And it says, “I saw the Lord standing by the altar.”Amos 9:1 What was Israel like at that moment? A dove fleeing a hawk entered a cleft in a rock, with a snake nesting inside. It could not go in because of the snake, or go out because of the hawk. It cried out and beat its wings so the owner of the dovecote would hear and come. So, when Israel saw the sea blocking them and the enemy pursuing, they looked up in prayer. Of them the received writings explain, “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the shelter of the cliff, show me your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet”Song of Songs 2:14 in prayer, “and your face is beautiful”Song of Songs 2:14 in good deeds. Another interpretation of “Stand and see the LORD’s deliverance.”Exodus 14:13 They asked him, “When?” He told them, “Today.” They told him, “We have no strength to endure.” Moses prayed at that moment, and the Omnipresent showed them squadrons of ministering angels passing before them. As it says, “The servant of the man of God rose early and went out, and an army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. His servant told him, ‘Oh, my master! What should we do?’ He said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those with us outnumber those with them.’ Elisha prayed, ‘LORD, please open his eyes so he can see.’ God opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.”2 Kings 6:15-17 So Moses too prayed, and the Omnipresent showed them squadrons of ministering angels passing before them. So it says, “From the brightness before Him His clouds passed.”Psalms 18:12 His clouds opposed their squadrons, “hail” opposed their catapult stones, “coals” their siege engines, and “fire” their naphtha. “He thundered from heaven” opposed the clashing of their shields. “The Most High gave His voice” opposed their shouting. “He sent His arrows and scattered them” opposed their arrows. “He shot lightning and threw them into confusion” opposed the gleam of their weapons.Psalms 18:13-14 Another interpretation of “He sent His arrows and scattered them, and shot lightning and threw them into confusion.”Psalms 18:14 The arrows scattered them and the lightning drove them together. “He threw them into confusion.” He bewildered and disordered them, taking away their signals so they did not know what they were doing. Another interpretation: Confusion means a plague, as it says, “He will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.”Deuteronomy 7:23 “The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.”Exodus 14:13 In three places the Holy One, blessed be He, warned Israel not to return to Egypt: here, and where it says, “The LORD told you, ‘Do not return by this way again.’”Deuteronomy 17:16 And where it says, “By the way of which I told you, ‘You will never see it again.’”Deuteronomy 28:68 They returned on all three occasions, and on all three they came to grief.

14 “The LORD will fight for you.”Exodus 14:14 Israel stood at the sea in four groups. One said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea.” One said, “Let us return to Egypt.” One said, “Let us fight.” One said, “Let us shout against them.” To those who said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea,” he said, “Stand and see the LORD’s deliverance.”Exodus 14:13 To those who said, “Let us return to Egypt,” he said, “You will never see them again.”Exodus 14:13 To those who said, “Let us fight,” he said, “The LORD will fight for you.”Exodus 14:14 To those who said, “Let us shout against them,” he said, “You must be silent.”Exodus 14:14 Another interpretation of “The LORD will fight for you.”Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you forever, rather than only on this occasion. Rabbi Meir says: “The LORD will fight for you, and you must be silent.”Exodus 14:14 If the Omnipresent performs miracles and mighty deeds for you while you stand silent, how much more when you sing and praise before Him! Rabbi says: “The LORD will fight for you, and you must be silent.”Exodus 14:14 The Omnipresent performs miracles and mighty deeds for you, and you stand silent? They asked him, “What should we do?” He told them, “Glorify, exalt, praise, acclaim and honor Him, and offer song and praise, greatness, celebration, splendor, victory and majesty to Him who holds the battle.” At that moment Israel opened their mouths and sang, “I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously.”Exodus 15:1

15 “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to Me?’”Exodus 14:15 Rabbi Joshua says: Israel has only to move forward. Rabbi Eliezer says: The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “My children are in distress, the sea blocks them and the enemy pursues them, and you stand offering long prayers before Me? ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move forward.’”Exodus 14:15 Rabbi Avtolas the Elder illustrated this with a parable. What is it like? A human king was angry with his son, and the guardian pleaded before him. He told him, “You are pleading before me only for my son. I am already reconciled to my son. ‘Tell the Israelites to move forward.’”Exodus 14:15 Rabbi says: He told him, “Yesterday they were saying, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt?’Exodus 14:11 Now you offer long prayers before Me. ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move forward.’Exodus 14:15 Move these words out of their hearts.” Rabbi Meir says: He told him, “If I made the sea dry land for one person, Adam, as it is written, ‘God said, “Let the waters under heaven gather into one place, and let dry land appear,”’Genesis 1:9 will I not make the sea dry land for this holy assembly, of whom it says, ‘The holy ones who are in the land’?”Psalms 16:3 Rabbi Ishmael says: He told him, “For Jerusalem’s sake I will split the sea for them,” as it says, “Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion.”Isaiah 52:1 And it says, “Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of the LORD. Awake as in ancient days, generations long past. Was it not you who cut Rahab apart and pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, and made the sea’s depths a road for the redeemed to cross?”Isaiah 51:9-10 Rabbi Benaiah says: “For the merit of what Abraham did before Me, I will split the sea for them.” “He split the wood for the burnt offering.”Genesis 22:3 What does it say? “The waters split.”Exodus 14:21 Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: Isaac is already as though bound before Me on the altar, and Abraham as though he reached out and took the knife. “Lift your staff, stretch your hand over the sea and split it.”Exodus 14:16 Rabbi Akiva says: “For Jacob’s sake I will split the sea for them,” as it says, “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will break through toward the sea.”Genesis 28:14 Rabbi Eliezer son of Judah of Bartota says: “For the tribes’ sake I will split the sea for them,” as it says, “He left his garment and fled outside.”Genesis 39:12 What does it say? “The sea saw and fled.”Psalms 114:3 Shimon the Temanite says: “For circumcision’s sake I will split the sea for them,” as it says, “If not for My covenant by day and night.”Jeremiah 33:25 What covenant applies by day and night? You find only circumcision. What does it say? “To Him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts.”Psalms 136:13 Read not ligezarim, “into parts,” but lagozerim, “for those who cut.” Shemaiah says: “The faith Abraham placed in Me deserves that I split the sea for them,” as it says, “He trusted the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”Genesis 15:6 Avtalyon says: “The faith Israel placed in Me in Egypt deserves that I split the sea for them,” as it says, “The people believed.”Exodus 4:31 Others say: “The faith Israel placed in Me in Egypt deserves that I split the sea for them.” They did not ask Moses, “Where are we going, into this empty wilderness where there is nothing, with no provisions for the journey?” “This is what the LORD says: I remember your youthful devotion, your bridal love, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in an unsown land.”Jeremiah 2:2 What reward did they receive? “Israel is holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of His harvest.”Jeremiah 2:3 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “Do you command Me about My children? Do I need commands about My children and the work of My hands? They have been prepared before Me since the six days of creation,” as it says, “This is what the LORD says: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, then I too will reject Israel’s descendants.”Jeremiah 31:37 Rabbi Aha says: The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “Without your cry I would already have destroyed them from the world.” “He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one intervened.”Psalms 106:23 Rabbi Shimon son of Judah of Kefar Ikos says: “Their cry already preceded yours.” “They were very afraid, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.”Exodus 14:10 Rabbi Nathan says in the name of Rabbi Yose of Mahoz: The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “I have already written of you in the Torah, ‘He is trusted throughout My house.’Numbers 12:7 You are under My authority and the sea is under My authority. I have already made you its steward.” Rabbi Hanina son of Dosa says: The Holy One, blessed be He, told him, “I have already written, ‘A brother is born for adversity.’Proverbs 17:17 I am a brother to Israel in their distress.” Brothers means Israel, as it says, “For my brothers and companions’ sake.”Psalms 122:8

16 “Lift your staff.”Exodus 14:16 Ten miracles were performed for Israel at the sea. The sea split, as it says, “The waters split.”Exodus 14:21 It formed a kind of vault, as it says, “You pierced the head of his warriors with his own rods.”Habakkuk 3:14 It divided into parts, as it says, “To Him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts.”Psalms 136:13 It became dry land, as it says, “The Israelites walked on dry land.”Exodus 14:29 It became clay for the Egyptians, as it says, “You trod the sea with Your horses, the clay of mighty waters.”Habakkuk 3:15 It became like rocks, as it says, “You broke the heads of sea monsters on the waters.”Psalms 74:13 It crumbled into pieces, as it says, “You broke the sea apart by Your strength.”Psalms 74:13 For them it became like a mass of glass, and they could see one another, as it says, “A gathering of waters, clouds of the skies.”2 Samuel 22:12 Fresh water came out for them from the salt water, as it says, “The flowing waters stood like a heap.”Exodus 15:8 When they had taken what they needed from that water, it froze, as it says, “The depths froze in the heart of the sea.”Exodus 15:8

17 “I will strengthen the Egyptians’ hearts.”Exodus 14:17 As explained above.

19 “The angel of God moved.”Exodus 14:19 Rabbi Judah says: This verse has abundant meaning in many places. He illustrates it with a parable. What is it like? A man was traveling through the wilderness with his son. Robbers approached from in front to capture him, so he took his son and put him behind him. A wolf approached from behind to seize him, so he took his son and put him in front. With robbers in front and a wolf behind, he took his son and placed him on his shoulders, as it says, “In the wilderness, where you saw how the LORD your God carried you.”Deuteronomy 1:31 When the boy grew uncomfortable, he took him into his arms, as it says, “I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them in his arms, but they did not know that I healed them.”Hosea 11:3 When he suffered from the sun, he spread his garment over him, as it says, “He spread a cloud as a covering.”Psalms 105:39 When he was hungry, he fed him bread, as it says, “I will rain bread from heaven for you.”Exodus 16:4 When he was thirsty, he gave him water, as it says, “He brought flowing waters from a rock.”Psalms 78:16 Flowing waters means living water, as it says, “A fountain of gardens, a well of living water, and streams flowing from Lebanon.”Song of Songs 4:15 Rabbi Nathan asked Rabbi Shimon son of Yohai, “Why does it say ‘the angel of the LORD’ everywhere, but here ‘the angel of God’?”Exodus 14:19 He answered, “God, Elohim, always means judgment. Israel was being judged at that moment, whether to be saved or destroyed with the Egyptians.”

20 “It came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp.”Exodus 14:20 As it says, “He stood between the living and the dead.”Numbers 16:48 “There were cloud and darkness.”Exodus 14:20 The cloud was for Israel, the darkness for Egypt. You find that anyone in darkness can see someone in light. The Egyptians were in darkness and saw Israel in light, eating, drinking and rejoicing. They shot arrows and catapult stones at them, but the angel and cloud intercepted them, as it says, “Do not be afraid, Abraham. I am your shield.”Genesis 15:1 And it says, “My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold and my shelter.”2 Samuel 22:3 And it says, “God’s word is refined. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”2 Samuel 22:31 “Neither came near the other all night.”Exodus 14:20 An Egyptian who stood could not sit, and one who sat could not stand. One who was loaded could not unload, and one who was unloaded could not load. He groped in darkness, as it says, “Darkness that can be felt.”Exodus 10:21 Another interpretation of “Neither came near the other.”Exodus 14:20 The Egyptian camp did not enter the Israelite camp, nor the Israelite camp the Egyptian camp.

21 “Moses stretched his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea.”Exodus 14:21 The sea began resisting Moses. They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king had two gardens, one inside the other. He sold the inner one but not the outer. The buyer came to enter, but the guard would not let him. He spoke in the king’s name, but the guard did not accept it. He showed the king’s ring, but the guard did not accept it. He brought the king along. When the guard saw the king, he began to flee. He asked him, “All day I have spoken to you in the king’s name, and you refused. Why are you fleeing now?” He answered, “I am fleeing from the king, rather than from you.” So, when Moses came and stood at the sea, he told it, “The LORD’s word commands you: Make a path for the redeemed to cross.” The sea answered Moses, “Son of Amram, the first human was created only at the end of the six days of creation. I was created before he was. I am older than you, and I will not split before you.” Moses answered before the Holy One, blessed be He, “The sea has said such and such. Master of the world, it is right not to split before me. Speak to it Yourself, and it will split.” The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “If I tell the sea to split, it will never be restored, forever and ever. Instead, tell it to split yourself, so it can be restored through you. A manifestation of divine power is with you.” At once Moses came, with divine power moving at his right hand, as it says, “Who led at Moses’ right hand with His glorious arm, splitting the waters before them to make Himself an everlasting name.”Isaiah 63:12 When the sea saw divine power standing at Moses’ right hand, it told the earth, “Make tunnels for me, and I will enter your hollows before the Lord of all works, blessed be He.” When Moses saw the sea fleeing before him, he told it, “All day I spoke to you in the Holy One’s name, and you refused. I showed you the staff, and you refused. What is wrong now, sea, that you flee?” The sea answered Moses, “Son of Amram, son of Amram, do not claim greatness for yourself. I flee from the Lord of all works, rather than from you. May His name be holy in His world.” As it says, “Tremble, earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob.”Psalms 114:7 “The LORD drove the sea with a strong east wind.”Exodus 14:21 The strongest of the winds. Which one? The east wind. So it says, “He removed her with His fierce wind on the day of the east wind.”Isaiah 27:8 And it says, “Though he flourishes among brothers, an east wind will come, the LORD’s wind rising from the wilderness. His spring will dry up, his fountain run dry. It will plunder the treasury of every precious object.”Hosea 13:15 So the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes the wicked only with the east wind, as it says, “With an east wind I will scatter them.”Jeremiah 18:17 “He made the sea dry land.”Exodus 14:21 He made it like a desolate place. “The waters split.”Exodus 14:21 All the world’s waters divided. How do you know this includes water in wells, pits, caves, pitchers, barrels, cups and flasks? Scripture does not say here “the sea split,” but “the waters split.”Exodus 14:21 All the world’s waters divided. Rabbi Nathan says: How do you know the upper and lower waters divided? It says, “The waters saw You and trembled.”Psalms 77:16 These are the upper waters. “The depths also shook.”Psalms 77:16 These are the lower waters. And it says, “The deep gave its voice and raised its hands high.”Habakkuk 3:10 When the sea returned, all the world’s waters returned. “The waters split.”Exodus 14:21 The Holy One, blessed be He, first dried up the water for them, but not the mud. Israel began saying, “He can dry up water, but He cannot dry up mud?” The Holy One, blessed be He, told them, “I tested you, and you failed. As the Egyptians perished in the sea, you too deserve to perish from the world. But what can I do? I act for My great name, which is called over you.” This is what is written: “They rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.”Psalms 106:7 At once the Holy One, blessed be He, dried up the mud for them.

22 “The Israelites entered the sea on dry land.”Exodus 14:22 Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Judah differ. Rabbi Meir says: When the tribes came and stood at the sea, one said, “I will go down,” and another said, “I will go down.” While they argued with each other, Benjamin’s tribe jumped into the sea’s waves, as it says, “There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them.”Psalms 68:27 Read not rodem, “ruling them,” but rad yam, “he went down to the sea.” Judah’s princes began throwing stones at them, as it says, “Judah’s princes, their stone-throwing.”Psalms 68:27 They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king had two sons, an older and a younger. He told the older one, “Be sure to wake me at the third hour.” He told the younger, “Be sure to wake me at sunrise.” The younger came to wake him at sunrise, but the older would not let him. He told him, “He told me only at the third hour.” The younger said, “He told me only at sunrise.” While they argued with each other, their father woke up and told them, “I know you both intended only to honor me. I will not withhold your reward.” What reward did Benjamin’s tribe receive? The Shekinah rested in its territory, as it says, “He dwells between his shoulders.”Deuteronomy 33:12 What reward did Judah’s tribe receive? Kingship, as it says, “Judah’s princes, their stone-throwing.”Psalms 68:27 Rigmatam means kingship, as it says, “Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel in purple.”Daniel 5:29 “Zebulun’s princes, Naphtali’s princes.”Psalms 68:27 Scripture tells us that just as miracles were performed for Israel through Judah and Benjamin’s tribes at the sea, so miracles were performed for Israel through Zebulun and Naphtali’s tribes in Deborah and Barak’s days. So it says, “She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh Naphtali. Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun.”Judges 4:6 And it says, “Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali on the heights of the field.”Judges 5:18 Rabbi Judah says: When the tribes came and stood at the sea, one said, “I will go down,” and another said, “I will go down,” as it says, “Ephraim has surrounded Me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit.”Hosea 11:12 Nahshon son of Amminadab jumped into the sea’s waves, as it says, “Judah still rad ʿim El.”Hosea 11:12 Read not rad ʿim, “rules with,” but rad yam, “went down to the sea.” Of him the received writings explain, “Save me, God, for the waters have reached my neck. I sink in deep mud, with no foothold.”Psalms 69:1-2 “Do not let the floodwater sweep over me.”Psalms 69:15 At that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “My beloved is sinking in the sea, and you stand offering long prayers before Me? ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move forward. Lift your staff, stretch your hand over the sea and split it.’”Exodus 14:15-16 What did the tribes say at the sea? “The sanctuary, LORD, that Your hands established.”Exodus 15:17 At that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, told him, “Whoever made My name holy at the sea will rule Israel.” Rabbi Tarfon and his students were once sitting in the vineyard at Yavneh. Rabbi Tarfon asked his students, “What blessing does someone say who drinks water to quench thirst?” They said, “Teach us, our master.” He told them, “Who creates many living beings and their needs.” They told him, “You have taught us, our master.” He told them, “It says, ‘They sat down to eat bread, looked up, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites.’Genesis 37:25 This shows how far a righteous person’s merit goes ahead of him. If Joseph had gone down to Egypt with the Arabs, would their foul smell not have killed him? Instead, the Holy One, blessed be He, provided sacks full of spices, with the wind blowing through them, because of the Arabs’ foul smell.” He asked them, “For what merit did Judah receive kingship? If because he said, ‘She is more righteous than I,’Genesis 38:26 his admission was enough only to atone for the intercourse. If because he said, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother?’Genesis 37:26 saving him was enough only to atone for selling him. If because he said, ‘Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety,’Genesis 44:32 he was a guarantor, and a guarantor always pays.” They said, “Teach us, our master.” He told them, “When the tribes came and stood at the sea, one said, ‘I will go down,’ and another said, ‘I will go down.’ Nahshon son of Amminadab jumped in.” “The waters were a wall for them.”Exodus 14:22 He made them like a wall. “On their right and their left.”Exodus 14:22 On their right, through the merit of the Torah they would receive from His right hand, as it says, “From His right hand came fiery instruction for them.”Deuteronomy 33:2 On their left, this is prayer.

23 “The Egyptians pursued and entered after them, all Pharaoh’s horses.”Exodus 14:23 This is what Scripture says: “I compare you, my love, to my mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”Song of Songs 1:9 Rabbi Meir says: Because wicked Pharaoh went out on a mare, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared against him on the throne of glory in the form of a mare. How do we know wicked Pharaoh went out on a mare? He asked his troops, “Which animal is fastest? I will mount it and pursue Israel.” His troops told him, “No animal is as fast as your many-colored mare. There has never been one like her. Stallions see her and run after her.” He mounted her and went down into the sea, as it says, “All Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen entered the sea.”Exodus 14:23 As wicked Pharaoh asked his troops, “Which animal is fastest?” so the King of kings, blessed be He, asked the ministering angels, “Which of the creatures that serve before Me is fastest?” They answered before Him, “Master of the world, everything is Yours, and everything is Your handiwork. You know that among all creatures none is faster than the wind that comes from beneath the throne of glory.” So He rode a cherub, as it says, “He rode a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.”Psalms 18:10

24 “During the morning watch.”Exodus 14:24 Abraham’s morning had already preceded them, as it says, “Abraham rose early in the morning.”Genesis 22:3 Isaac’s morning, as it says, “The two of them went together.”Genesis 22:6 Jacob’s morning, as it says, “Jacob rose early in the morning.”Genesis 28:18 Moses’ morning, as it says, “Moses rose early in the morning.”Exodus 34:4 Joshua’s morning, as it says, “Joshua rose early in the morning.”Joshua 3:1 Samuel’s morning, as it says, “Samuel rose early in the morning.”1 Samuel 15:12 The morning of the prophets destined to arise among them, as it says, “They are renewed every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.”Lamentations 3:23 The morning of the world to come, as it says, “LORD, in the morning You will hear my voice.”Psalms 5:3 So you find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, punishes the wicked, He does so only in the mornings, as it says, “Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked of the earth.”Psalms 101:8 “The LORD looked down on the Egyptian camp.”Exodus 14:24 The Omnipresent’s way differs from the human way. A human does not heal with what wounds. He wounds with a knife and heals with a dressing. But the Holy One, blessed be He, heals with what He wounds. When the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed Israel, He blessed them by looking down: “Look down from Your holy dwelling and bless Your people Israel.”Deuteronomy 26:15 When He punished the wicked, He punished them by looking down, as it says, “The LORD looked down on the Egyptian camp.”Exodus 14:24 “Through the pillar of fire and cloud.”Exodus 14:24 The pillar of cloud turned the sea into mud, and the pillar of fire heated it like pitch. The horses’ hoof joints came apart, the projecting joint above and its socket below, as it says, “Then the horses’ hoofs pounded from the galloping, the galloping of his steeds.”Judges 5:22 “He threw the Egyptian camp into confusion.”Exodus 14:24 He bewildered and disordered them, taking away their signals so they did not know what they were doing. Another interpretation of “He threw into confusion.” Confusion means a plague, as it says, “He will throw them into great confusion.”Deuteronomy 7:23

25 “He removed their chariot wheels.”Exodus 14:25 Rabbi Judah says: Fire above burned the wheels below. The chariot yokes rushed forward against their will, loaded with silver, gold, precious stones and pearls, so Israel could take the captured goods. Rabbi Nehemiah says: Thunder above shattered the axle pins below, as it says, “Your thunder sounded in the whirlwind. Lightning lit the world. The earth shook and trembled.”Psalms 77:18 The chariot yokes rushed forward against their will, loaded with silver, gold, precious stones and pearls, so Israel could take the captured goods. “He made them drive with difficulty.”Exodus 14:25 You measured out to them with the measure they used. They said, “Make the work heavier.”Exodus 5:9 You too measured out to them with that measure: “He made them drive with difficulty.”Exodus 14:25 Formerly mules pulled the chariots. Now the chariots pulled the mules. “He made them drive with difficulty.”Exodus 14:25 Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Shimon says: Because all the Egyptians went out with horses, the Holy One, blessed be He, set fiery horses against them in the sea. These struck all the mules and drove them back toward dry land, while the wheels pulled them back into the sea. That is why it says, “He made them drive with difficulty.”Exodus 14:25 Rabbi Meir says: When the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared against the Egyptians at the sea, He came against them with ninety million destroying angels. Some were angels of trembling, some of shuddering, some of hail and some of flame. Terror seized whoever saw them. They said before Him, “Master of the world, give them to us, and we will carry out Your will against the Egyptians.” He told them, “My mind will not be at ease until I personally punish Israel’s enemies.” That is why it says, “He made them drive with difficulty.”Exodus 14:25 “Egypt said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites.’”Exodus 14:25 The foolish among them said, “Are we fleeing from these wretched, oppressed people?” The wise among them said, “He who fought for them in Egypt will perform miracles for them at every time.” Rabbi Yose says: How do you know the plagues at the sea resembled the plagues in Egypt? It says, “For the LORD fights for them in Egypt.”Exodus 14:25 They resembled the plagues in Egypt. And it says, “These are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the wilderness.”1 Samuel 4:8 And not against Egypt alone, but against all who oppress them through all generations. So it says, “He struck His adversaries backward and gave them lasting disgrace.”Psalms 78:66 And it says, “My adversaries and enemies stumbled and fell.”Psalms 27:2 “I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries.”Psalms 81:14 And it says, “Ephraim’s jealousy will depart, and Judah’s oppressors will be cut off.”Isaiah 11:13 And it says, “To break Assyria in My land and trample him on My mountains. His yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.”Isaiah 14:25 This measure operates throughout the earth, as it says, “This is the plan made for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched over all nations.”Isaiah 14:26 Why? “For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”Isaiah 14:27 Thus it applies against all who oppress them through all generations, as well as against Egypt. That is why it says, “For the LORD fights for them in Egypt.”Exodus 14:25

26 “The LORD told Moses, ‘Stretch your hand over the sea.’”Exodus 14:26 The sea will not resist you. “Let the waters return over Egypt, over its chariots and horsemen.”Exodus 14:26 Turn the wheel back against them, so their malice returns on them. I judge them by the plan they devised. They planned to destroy My children with water, so I too will destroy them with water. So it says, “He dug a pit and hollowed it out, then fell into the hole he made.”Psalms 7:15 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a rolled stone will roll back on him.”Proverbs 26:27 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be hurt by them, and whoever splits wood is endangered by it.”Ecclesiastes 10:8-9 And it says, “His trouble returns on his own head, and his violence comes down on his own crown.”Psalms 7:16 So Solomon says, “A man is filled with good from the fruit of his mouth, and the work of his hands returns to him.”Proverbs 12:14 So Isaiah says, “According to their deeds He will repay, anger to His adversaries, repayment to His enemies. He will repay the coastlands.”Isaiah 59:18 So Jeremiah says, “Great in counsel and mighty in deed, Your eyes are open to all human ways, to give each according to his ways and the fruit of his deeds.”Jeremiah 32:19 So Elihu says, “God should never do wickedness, nor the Almighty injustice.”Job 34:10 So Jethro says, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, for in the matter in which they acted arrogantly against them.”Exodus 18:11 I knew Him before, and now even more, because the Omnipresent judged the Egyptians by the plan they devised to destroy Israel. “For in the matter in which they acted arrogantly against them.”Exodus 18:11 They always said: A person is measured by the measure he uses.

27 “Moses stretched his hand over the sea.”Exodus 14:27 The sea did not resist Moses. “At daybreak the sea returned to its strength.”Exodus 14:27 Its strength, etano, means its power, as it says, “Your dwelling is strong, etan, and you set your nest in a rock.”Numbers 24:21 Rabbi Nathan says: Etan means strong, as it says, “It is a strong nation, an ancient nation.”Jeremiah 5:15 Another interpretation of leʾetano: Rabbi Jonathan says: Read not leʾetano, “to its strength,” but litnaʾi, “to the condition.” The Holy One, blessed be He, set a condition with the sea that it would split for Israel. This is what is written: “At daybreak the sea returned to its strength,”Exodus 14:27 to its condition. “The Egyptians fled toward it.”Exodus 14:27 How do you know that wherever an Egyptian ran, the sea met him? Scripture says, “The Egyptians fled toward it.”Exodus 14:27 They gave a parable. What is it like? A dove fled a hawk and entered a king’s palace. The king opened an eastern window, and it flew out and went away. The hawk entered after it, and the king shut all those windows and began shooting arrows at it. So, once the last Israelite came up from the sea, the Egyptians went down, and the sea closed on them from all four directions to destroy them. The ministering angels threw hailstones and great ice stones at them, as it says, “I will judge him with plague and blood, torrential rain and great hailstones.”Ezekiel 38:22 “The LORD shook the Egyptians into the sea.”Exodus 14:27 Like a man shaking a pot, so what was at the bottom rises and what was at the top sinks. Another interpretation of “The LORD shook the Egyptians”: He gave them youthful strength so they could endure greater punishment. Another interpretation of “He shook”: He handed them to young angels, cruel angels, to take their lives, as it says, “A cruel messenger will be sent against him.”Proverbs 17:11 And it says, “Their life dies in youth, and their existence among the holy ones.”Job 36:14

28 “The waters returned.”Exodus 14:28 All the world’s waters returned. “They covered the chariots and horsemen, all Pharaoh’s army.”Exodus 14:28 Even Pharaoh, as it says, “He cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.”Exodus 15:4 These are Rabbi Judah’s words. Rabbi Nehemiah says: Except Pharaoh, as it says, “But for this reason I have kept you standing.”Exodus 9:16 Some say he came later and drowned, as it says, “For Pharaoh’s horse entered.”Exodus 15:19

29 “The Israelites walked on dry land in the sea, and the waters were a wall for them.”Exodus 14:29 It is written ḥemah, “anger.” The ministering angels were astonished, saying, “Will humans who worshiped idols cross the sea on dry land?” Even the sea filled with anger against them and sought to destroy them. Above it says ḥomah, “wall,” but here ḥemah, “anger.” What caused their deliverance? “On their right and their left.”Exodus 14:29 “On their right and their left.”Exodus 14:29 On their right, through the merit of the Torah they would receive from His right hand, as it says, “From His right hand came fiery instruction for them.”Deuteronomy 33:2 On their left, through the merit of prayer. Another interpretation of “The waters were anger for them.”Exodus 14:29 Rabbi Pappias expounded: “He is one, and who can turn Him?”Job 23:13 He judges all who enter the world alone, and His word cannot be challenged. Rabbi Akiva told him, “Enough, Pappias! How do you interpret ‘He is one, and who can turn Him?’Job 23:13 One cannot challenge the words of Him who spoke and the world came into being, for all is by judgment and all by His word.” Rabbi Pappias expounded: “The human has become like one of us.”Genesis 3:22 Like one of the ministering angels. Rabbi Akiva told him, “Enough, Pappias! How do you interpret ‘The human has become like one’?”Genesis 3:22 It teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, placed two paths before him, a path of life and a path of death, and he chose the path of death. Rabbi Pappias expounded: “They exchanged their glory for the image of an ox eating grass.”Psalms 106:20 I might understand this as the ox above. Scripture says “eating grass.” Rabbi Akiva told him, “Enough, Pappias! How do you interpret ‘They exchanged their glory’?”Psalms 106:20 I might understand this as an ox at other times of year. Scripture says “eating grass.” Nothing is more filthy and repulsive than an ox while it eats grass. Rabbi Pappias expounded: “To my mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”Song of Songs 1:9 Pharaoh rode a stallion, and, if one may speak this way, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him on a stallion, as it says, “He rode a cherub and flew.”Psalms 18:10 He then rode a mare, and, if one may speak this way, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him on a mare, as it says, “To my mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”Song of Songs 1:9 Rabbi Akiva told him, “Enough, Pappias! How do you interpret lesusati, ‘to my mare’?” It is written lesasti: “As I rejoiced over the Egyptians’ destruction, so I rejoiced over Israel’s destruction.” What caused their deliverance? “On their right and their left.”Exodus 14:29 Through the merit of the Torah they would receive from His right hand and the phylacteries worn on the left.

30 “The LORD saved Israel that day from Egypt’s hand.”Exodus 14:30 Like a bird held in a person’s hand, which he could kill by closing his hand a little. So it says, “Our life escaped like a bird from a trapper’s snare. The snare broke, and we escaped.”Psalms 124:7 “Blessed is the LORD, who did not give us as prey to their teeth.”Psalms 124:6 Some say: Like a man drawing a calf from a cow’s womb. So it says, “The LORD took you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt.”Deuteronomy 4:20 “Israel saw the Egyptians.”Exodus 14:30 It does not say here “dead,” metim, “on the seashore,” but “dying,” met, “on the seashore.” Dying, but not yet dead. Similarly, you say, “As her life was leaving, for she was dying.”Genesis 35:18 Was she already dead? As there she was dying but not yet dead, here too they were dying but not yet dead. Another interpretation of “Israel saw the Egyptians dying.”Exodus 14:30 For four reasons: So Israel would not say, “Just as we came up on this side, they came up on another side.” So the Egyptians would not say, “Just as we perished in the water, they too perished in the water.” Because the chariot yokes were loaded with silver, gold, precious stones and pearls, so Israel could take the captured goods. So they could look at them and rebuke them, as it says, “I will rebuke you and set it before your eyes.”Psalms 50:21 And it says, “My enemy will see, and shame will cover her, who told me, ‘Where is the LORD your God?’ My eyes will see her. Now she will be trampled like mud in the streets.”Micah 7:10 Of them it says, “He sets me on my heights.”Psalms 18:33 These are the Egyptians, who were Israel’s heights. When the Holy One, blessed be He, sank them in the sea, He signaled to the sea to throw them onto dry land. Israel saw them thrown dead on dry land, as it says, “Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”Exodus 14:30 Each took his dog, went and put his foot on an Egyptian’s neck, fulfilling what it says, “You will tread on their heights.”Deuteronomy 33:29 An Israelite would tell his dog, “Eat from this hand that enslaved me. Eat from these entrails that rejoiced over my slavery.” David explains it: “So that your foot may crush in blood, the tongue of your dogs.”Psalms 68:23 Therefore the community of Israel says, “He makes me tread on my heights. For the choirmaster, with my stringed instruments.”Habakkuk 3:19 Because You performed all these miracles for us, saving me from the Egyptians, sinking them in the sea, and throwing them onto dry land so we could see how judgment was done to them, we gave You victory and sang before You. “Then Moses sang.”Exodus 15:1

31 “Israel saw the great hand.”Exodus 14:31 Severe blows, blows unlike one another, different deaths and deaths more severe than others. Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: How do you know the Egyptians suffered ten plagues in Egypt and fifty at the sea? Of Egypt it says, “The magicians told Pharaoh, ‘This is God’s finger.’”Exodus 8:19 Of the sea it says, “Israel saw the great hand.”Exodus 14:31 How many plagues did they suffer from the finger? Ten. Conclude, then, that they suffered ten plagues in Egypt and fifty at the sea. Rabbi Eliezer says: How do you know that each plague the Omnipresent, blessed be He, brought on the Egyptians consisted of four plagues? It says, “He sent against them His burning anger, fury,” one, “indignation,” two, “distress,” three, “a company of destroying angels,” four.Psalms 78:49 Conclude, then, that they suffered forty plagues in Egypt and two hundred at the sea. Rabbi Akiva says: How do you know that each plague the Holy One, blessed be He, brought on the Egyptians consisted of five plagues? It says, “He sent against them His burning anger,” one, “fury,” two, “indignation,” three, “distress,” four, “a company of destroying angels,” five.Psalms 78:49 Conclude, then, that they suffered fifty plagues in Egypt and two hundred and fifty at the sea. “The people feared the LORD.”Exodus 14:31 Formerly they did not fear the LORD. Now, “They feared the LORD.”Exodus 14:31 “They trusted the LORD and His servant Moses.”Exodus 14:31 If they trusted Moses, how much more the Omnipresent! Rather, this teaches that whoever trusts Israel’s shepherd is as though he trusts Him who spoke and the world came into being. Similarly, you say, “The people spoke against God and Moses.”Numbers 21:5 If they spoke against God, how much more against Moses! Rather, this teaches that whoever speaks against Israel’s shepherd is as though he speaks against Him who spoke and the world came into being. Another interpretation of “They trusted the LORD and His servant Moses.”Exodus 14:31 Faith is great before Him who spoke and the world came into being. As a reward for their faith, they merited that the Holy Spirit rest on them, and they sang, as it says, “They trusted the LORD.”Exodus 14:31 “Then Moses and the Israelites sang.”Exodus 15:1 Rabbi Nehemiah says: How do you know that whoever performs one commandment faithfully before Him who spoke and the world came into being deserves to have the Holy Spirit rest on him, so that he sings? So we find with our ancestors: As a reward for their faith, they merited that the Holy Spirit rest on them, and they sang, as it says, “Then Moses and the Israelites sang.”Exodus 15:1 So you find that Abraham inherited this world and the world to come only as a reward for faith, as it says, “He trusted the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”Genesis 15:6 And it says, “Open the gates, so a righteous nation that keeps faith may enter.”Isaiah 26:2 Through this gate people of faith enter. So it says, “It is good to thank the LORD and sing to Your name, Most High, to declare Your faithful love in the morning and Your faithfulness in the nights.”Psalms 92:1-2 “For You have made me glad, LORD, through Your work.”Psalms 92:4 What brought us this joy? The faith they had in this world, which is all night. So Jehoshaphat says, “Trust the LORD your God, and you will stand firm. Trust His prophets, and you will succeed.”2 Chronicles 20:20 So you find that the exiles are gathered only through faith, as it says, “With me from Lebanon, bride, with me from Lebanon come. Look from the summit of Amana.”Song of Songs 4:8 And it says, “I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.”Hosea 2:20 And it says, “The righteous will live by his faith.”Habakkuk 2:4 And it says, “Are Your eyes not on faithfulness?”Jeremiah 5:3 Thus faith is great before Him who spoke and the world came into being. As a reward for Israel’s faith, the Holy Spirit rested on them, and they sang, as it says, “They trusted the LORD and His servant Moses.”Exodus 14:31 “Then Moses and the Israelites sang.”Exodus 15:1 Elsewhere it says, “They trusted His words and sang His praise.”Psalms 106:12

1 “Then Moses and the Israelites sang.”Exodus 15:1 Sometimes “then” refers to the past, and sometimes to the future. “Then people began calling on the LORD’s name.”Genesis 4:26 “Then she said, ‘A bridegroom of blood because of circumcision.’”Exodus 4:26 “Then Joshua built an altar.”Joshua 8:30 “Then David said.”1 Chronicles 15:2 “Then Solomon said.”1 Kings 8:12 These refer to the past. “Then you will see and shine.”Isaiah 60:5 “Then your light will break out like dawn.”Isaiah 58:8 “Then the lame will leap like a deer.”Isaiah 35:6 “Then eyes will be opened.”Isaiah 35:5 “Then a young woman will rejoice.”Jeremiah 31:13 “Then our mouths will fill with laughter and our tongues with joyful song.”Psalms 126:2 “Then the nations will say, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’”Psalms 126:2 These refer to the future. Rabbi says: It does not say here, “Then Moses and the Israelites sang,” shar, but “Then Moses and the Israelites will sing,” yashir.Exodus 15:1 We thus learn resurrection of the dead from the Torah. Another interpretation of “Moses and the Israelites.”Exodus 15:1 Scripture tells us that Moses equaled all Israel, and Israel equaled Moses, when they sang. Another interpretation of “Moses and the Israelites.”Exodus 15:1 This teaches that Moses sang before all Israel. “This song.”Exodus 15:1 Is there only one song? There are ten songs. The first was sung in Egypt: “You will have a song as on a night when a festival is consecrated.”Isaiah 30:29 The second they sang at the sea: “This is my God, and I will glorify Him.”Exodus 15:2 The third was sung at the well: “Then Israel sang this song: Rise up, well! Sing to it!”Numbers 21:17 The fourth was the song Haʾazinu: “Moses spoke the words of this song in the hearing of all Israel’s assembly.”Deuteronomy 31:30 The fifth Joshua sang: “Then Joshua spoke to the LORD on the day the LORD delivered the Amorites.”Joshua 10:12 The sixth Deborah and Barak sang: “Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang.”Judges 5:1 The seventh David sang: “David spoke the words of this song.”2 Samuel 22:1 The eighth Solomon sang: “A psalm, a song for the dedication of the house, of David.”Psalms 30:1 Did David build it? Solomon built it, as it says, “He built the house and finished it.”1 Kings 6:9 Rather, because David devoted himself to it, it was named after him. Where do we see his devotion to it? It says, “LORD, remember David and all his affliction, how he swore to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.”Psalms 132:1-2 What was said to him? “Now see to your own house, David.”1 Kings 12:16 Thus anything a person devotes himself to is named after him. Another interpretation: Solomon’s song, as it is written, “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.”Song of Songs 1:1 The ninth Jehoshaphat sang, as it says, “He consulted the people and appointed singers to the LORD, praising in holy splendor as they went before the armed force, saying, ‘Thank the LORD, for He is good, for His faithful love lasts forever.’”2 Chronicles 20:21 The tenth is for the future: “Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise from the earth’s ends.”Isaiah 42:10 And it says, “Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful.”Psalms 149:1 All past deliverances were called by a feminine name. As a female gives birth, past deliverances have been followed by subjugation. But the coming deliverance is called by a masculine name. As the male does not give birth, as it says, “Ask and see whether a male gives birth,”Jeremiah 30:6 so the coming deliverance will not be followed by subjugation, as it says, “Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting deliverance. You will never be ashamed or disgraced, forever and ever.”Isaiah 45:17 “To the LORD.”Exodus 15:1 They sang it to the LORD, rather than to a human being. It was unlike what is said: “The women came out from all Judah’s towns, singing and dancing to meet King Saul, with tambourines, joy and instruments. The women sang in response, ‘Saul has struck his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’”1 Samuel 18:6-7 But here it was to the LORD, rather than to a human being. “They spoke, saying.”Exodus 15:1 Rabbi Nehemiah says: The Holy Spirit rested on Israel, and they sang like people reciting the Shema. Eleazar son of Taddai says: Moses began, “I will sing to the LORD,”Exodus 15:1 and Israel responded after him, finishing with him, “Horse and rider He cast into the sea.”Exodus 15:1 Moses began, “The LORD is my strength and song,”Exodus 15:2 and Israel responded after him, finishing with him, “This is my God, and I will glorify Him.”Exodus 15:2 Moses began, “The LORD is a warrior,”Exodus 15:3 and Israel responded after him, finishing with him, “The LORD is His name.”Exodus 15:3 “I will sing to the LORD.”Exodus 15:1 Greatness befits the LORD, power befits the LORD. His are splendor, victory and majesty. So David says, “Yours, LORD, are greatness, power, splendor, victory and majesty.”1 Chronicles 29:11 They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king entered a province, and people praised him before him as mighty when he was weak, wise when he was foolish, rich when he was poor, merciful when he was cruel, a judge and faithful, though he had none of these qualities. They were only flattering him. Sing to the LORD, who is wise, as it says, “The LORD founded the earth by wisdom.”Proverbs 3:19 And it says, “With Him are wisdom and power. His are counsel and understanding.”Job 12:13 He is rich, as it says, “The heavens and the highest heavens, the earth and all in it, belong to the LORD your God.”Deuteronomy 10:14 And it says, “Silver is Mine and gold is Mine, says the LORD of hosts.”Haggai 2:8 He is merciful, as it says, “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God.”Exodus 34:6 And it says, “The LORD your God is a merciful God.”Deuteronomy 4:31 Sing to the LORD, who is a judge, as it says, “The LORD is a God of justice.”Isaiah 30:18 And it says, “God stands in the divine assembly. He judges among the gods.”Psalms 82:1 Sing to the LORD, who is faithful, as it says, “The faithful God who keeps covenant and faithful love.”Deuteronomy 7:9 “A faithful God, without injustice.”Deuteronomy 32:4 Sing to the LORD, who is exalted, majestic and praised, as it says, “Who in the skies can equal the LORD, or compare with the LORD among the divine beings?”Psalms 89:6 And it says, “LORD, God of hosts, who is mighty like You, LORD?”Psalms 89:8 And it says, “None among the gods is like You, Lord, and no deeds are like Yours.”Psalms 86:8 And it says, “My beloved is radiant and red, distinguished among ten thousand. His head is the finest gold. His locks are curls ... This is my beloved and my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.”Song of Songs 5:10-16 Thus power befits the LORD. His are splendor, victory and majesty. So David said, “Yours, LORD, are greatness, power, splendor, victory and majesty.”1 Chronicles 29:11 “For He is highly exalted.”Exodus 15:1 He exalted me, and I exalted Him. He exalted me in Egypt: “This is what the LORD says: Israel is My son, My firstborn.”Exodus 4:22 I too exalted Him and sang before Him: “You will have a song as on a night when a festival is consecrated.”Isaiah 30:29 He exalted me at the sea: “The angel of God, who went before the Israelite camp, moved.”Exodus 14:19 I too exalted Him and sang before Him: “This is my God, and I will glorify Him.”Exodus 15:2 Another interpretation of “For He is highly exalted.”Exodus 15:1 He is exalted and will be exalted in the future, as it says, “The LORD has a day against all who are proud and lofty, against all who are raised up, who will be brought low, against all Lebanon’s lofty, towering cedars and all Bashan’s oaks, against all lofty mountains and all towering hills, against every high tower and every fortified wall, against all ships of Tarshish and all beautiful vessels. Human pride will be brought low, human arrogance humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted on that day.”Isaiah 2:12-17 Another interpretation of “For He is highly exalted.”Exodus 15:1 He rises above all who are proud. By what the world’s nations boast of before Him, He punishes them. So you find with the generation of the flood: By what they boasted of before Him, He punished them. So you find with the people of the tower and the people of Sodom. So you find with Egypt: By what they boasted of before Him, He punished them, as it says, “Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Throw every newborn boy into the Nile.’”Exodus 1:22 What is said of them? “He cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.”Exodus 15:4 So you find with Sisera: By what he boasted of before Him, He punished him, as it says, “Sisera summoned all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.”Judges 4:13 What does it say? “The stars fought from heaven. From their courses they fought Sisera.”Judges 5:20 So you find with Sennacherib: By what he boasted of before Him, He punished him, as it says, “Through your messengers you taunted and said, ‘With my many chariots ... I dug and drank water, and with the soles of my feet dried up all Egypt’s rivers.’”2 Kings 19:23-24 What does it say? “The LORD’s angel went out and struck a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When people rose in the morning, they were all dead bodies.”2 Kings 19:35 These were his army commanders. They said: The greatest among them commanded a hundred and eighty-five thousand. The least commanded no fewer than two thousand, as it says, “How could you repel one governor, one of my master’s least servants, while relying on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Now make a wager with my lord the king, and I will give you two thousand horses.”2 Kings 18:23-24 What does it say? “This is the word the LORD spoke against him: The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you. Jerusalem’s daughter shakes her head behind you.”2 Kings 19:21 So you find with Nebuchadnezzar: By what he boasted of before Him, He punished him, as it says, “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven. Among God’s stars I will raise my throne.’”Isaiah 14:13 What does it say? “But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.”Isaiah 14:15 So you find with Tyre’s ruler: By what he boasted of before Him, He punished him, as it says, “Son of man, tell Tyre’s ruler, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Because your heart is proud and you say, “I am a god. I sit in a god’s seat in the heart of the seas,” though you are human, rather than a god, you make your heart like a god’s heart.’”Ezekiel 28:2 What does it say of him? “You will die an uncircumcised death by human hands, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.”Ezekiel 28:10 Thus by what the nations boast of before Him, He punishes them. That is why it says, “For He is highly exalted.”Exodus 15:1 “Horse and rider.”Exodus 15:1 Was there only one horse and one rider? It already says, “He took six hundred selected chariots.”Exodus 14:7 Rather, it teaches that before the Omnipresent they were only like one horse and one rider. Similarly, you say, “When you go to battle against your enemies and see horse and chariot.”Deuteronomy 20:1 Do the world’s nations go out with one horse and one chariot? Rather, when Israel does the Omnipresent’s will, their enemies are before them like only one horse and chariot. Another interpretation of “Horse and rider.”Exodus 15:1 It teaches that the horse was tied to the rider and the rider to the horse. “He cast into the sea.”Exodus 15:1 One verse says ramah, “cast,” into the sea, and another says yarah, “threw.”Exodus 15:4 How can both verses hold? Ramah: They rose high. Yarah: They sank into the deep, without separating from one another. Usually, when a person throws two objects into the air, will one not eventually separate from the other? But here, ramah, yarah: Ramah, they rose high. Yarah, they sank into the deep, without separating from one another. Another interpretation of “He cast into the sea.”Exodus 15:1 When Israel saw Egypt’s guardian fall, they began offering praise before Him. That is why it says, “He cast into the sea.”Exodus 15:1 So you find that the Omnipresent does not punish kingdoms until He first brings down their guardians, as it says, “On that day the LORD will punish heaven’s army in heaven,” and afterward, “earth’s kings on earth.”Isaiah 24:21 And it says, “How you have fallen from heaven, shining one, son of dawn,” and afterward, “you are cut down to earth, conqueror of nations.”Isaiah 14:12 And it says, “My sword has drunk its fill in heaven,” and afterward, “it will descend on Edom, on the people I have condemned to judgment.”Isaiah 34:5 Another interpretation of “Horse and rider He cast into the sea.”Exodus 15:1 The Holy One, blessed be He, brought horse and rider and put them on trial. He asked the horse, “Why did you run after My children?” It answered, “The Egyptian drove me against my will,” as it says, “The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses.”Exodus 14:23 He asked the Egyptian, “Why did you run after My children?” He answered, “The horse carried me against my will,” as it says, “For Pharaoh’s horse entered.”Exodus 15:19 The Holy One, blessed be He, brought horse and rider and judged them together. Antoninus asked Rabbi this question: “After a person dies and the body decays, does the Holy One, blessed be He, bring him to judgment?” He answered, “Rather than ask me about the impure body, ask me about the pure soul.” He illustrated this with a parable. What is it like? A human king had an orchard with beautiful early fruits. He placed two slaves there to guard it, one unable to walk and one blind. The man unable to walk told the blind man, “I see beautiful early fruits.” The blind man replied, “Can I see?” The other said, “Can I walk?” What did they do? The man unable to walk rode on the blind man’s back. They went, took the early fruits and returned to their places. Later the king came and sat in judgment over them. He asked, “Where are the early fruits?” The blind man replied, “Can I see?” The man unable to walk replied, “Can I walk?” The king was clever. He put the man unable to walk on the blind man’s back, and they walked. He told them, “This is how you took and ate the early fruits.” So the Holy One, blessed be He, brings body and soul and puts them on trial. He asks the body, “Why did you sin before Me?” It answers before Him, “Master of the world, did I sin? The soul sinned. Since it left me, have I not lain before You like a stone?” He asks the soul, “Why did you sin before Me?” It answers before Him, “Master of the world, did I sin? The body sinned. Since I left it, have I not been pure before You?” The Holy One, blessed be He, brings the soul, places it in the body and judges them together, as it says, “He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, to judge His people.”Psalms 50:4 “He calls to the heavens above,” to bring the soul, “and to the earth,” to bring the body. Afterward, “to judge His people,” to judge with him. Another interpretation of “Horse and rider.”Exodus 15:1 Issi son of Shammai says: Here “horse” is mentioned without explanation, but elsewhere it says, “On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with bewilderment and its rider with madness. I will open My eyes over Judah’s house and strike every nation’s horse with blindness.”Zechariah 12:4 And it says, “This will be the plague with which the LORD strikes all the peoples who fought Jerusalem: Their flesh will decay while they stand on their feet, their eyes will decay in their sockets, and their tongues in their mouths.”Zechariah 14:12 “The same plague will strike horse, mule, camel, donkey and every animal in those camps, like this plague.”Zechariah 14:15 The explicit statement teaches about the unexplained one. As the explicit one has five plagues, the unexplained one has five plagues.

2 “My strength.”Exodus 15:2 “My strength” means my might, as it says, “LORD, my strength and my stronghold.”Jeremiah 16:19 And it says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield. My heart trusted Him, and I was helped.”Psalms 28:7 Another interpretation of “my strength”: Strength means Torah, as it says, “The LORD gives strength to His people. The LORD ...”Psalms 29:11 And it says, “The strength of a king who loves justice.”Psalms 99:4 Another interpretation of “my strength”: Strength means kingship, as it says, “The king rejoices in Your strength.”Psalms 21:1 And it says, “The LORD is strength, a stronghold of deliverance for His anointed.”Psalms 28:8 Another interpretation of “my strength”: You help and support everyone in the world, and me especially. “And the LORD is my song.”Exodus 15:2 You are a song for everyone in the world, and for me especially. For the nations proclaim the majesty and praise of the One who spoke and the world came into being, but my song pleases Him, as it says, “The sweet singer of Israel.”2 Samuel 23:1 He gave me distinction, and I gave Him distinction. He gave me distinction: “The LORD has declared you His own today.”Deuteronomy 26:18 And I gave Him distinction: “You have declared the LORD your God today.”Deuteronomy 26:17 Israel says, “Who among the gods is like You, LORD?”Exodus 15:11 The Holy Spirit responds through them, “How fortunate you are, Israel! Who is like you?”Deuteronomy 33:29 Israel says, “Listen, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one.”Deuteronomy 6:4 The Holy Spirit responds through them, “Who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth?”1 Chronicles 17:21 Israel says, “Like an apple tree among the forest’s trees, so is my beloved among the young men.”Song of Songs 2:3 The Holy Spirit responds through them, “Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young women.”Song of Songs 2:2 Israel says, “This is my God, and I will glorify Him.”Exodus 15:2 The Holy Spirit responds through them, “Israel, in whom I will display My glory.”Isaiah 49:3 “He became my salvation.”Exodus 15:2 You are salvation for everyone in the world, and for me especially. Another interpretation of “He became my salvation”: He was mine and is mine, mine in the past and mine in the future, as it says, “Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting deliverance.”Isaiah 45:17 “This is my God, and I will glorify Him.”Exodus 15:2 Rabbi Eleazar says: How do we know that a slave woman at the sea saw what Isaiah and Ezekiel did not see? It says, “Through the prophets I speak in likenesses.”Hosea 12:10 And it says, “The heavens opened, and I saw visions of God.”Ezekiel 1:1 They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king entered a province surrounded by a ring of guards, with troops ahead of him and behind him, and warriors to his right and left. Everyone has to ask about him to find out which one he is, because he is a human being like them. But when the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared at the sea, nobody needed to ask. All recognized Him, opened their mouths and said, “This is my God.”Exodus 15:2 “And I will glorify Him.”Exodus 15:2 Rabbi Ishmael says: Can a person beautify his Creator? Rather, be beautiful before Him in fulfilling a commandment. Make Him a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful lulav, beautiful tefillin and beautiful tzitzit. Abba Saul says: Be like Him. Just as He is gracious and merciful, you too should be gracious and merciful. Rabbi Yose son of Dormaskit says: Make Him a Temple, as it says, “Look at Zion, the city of our festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful dwelling.”Isaiah 33:20 And it says, “Holiness adorns Your house.”Psalms 93:5 And it says, “They devastated His dwelling.”Jeremiah 10:25 Another interpretation of “And I will glorify Him”: Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: I will speak of the beauty and praise of the One who spoke and the world came into being, blessed be He. Rabbi Akiva says: I will proclaim the beauty and praise of the One who spoke and the world came into being before the world’s nations. For the nations ask Israel, “How is your beloved better than another beloved, most beautiful of women?”Song of Songs 5:9 “Why do you die for Him and let yourselves be killed for Him?” As it says, “Therefore young women love You.”Song of Songs 1:3 Do not read ʿalamot, young women, but ʿal mot, even in death they love You. And it says, “For Your sake we are killed all day.”Psalms 44:22 “You are all beautiful, all mighty. Come and mingle with us.” Israel says to them: We will tell you some of His praise. You do not know Him. “My beloved is radiant and red, distinguished among ten thousand. His head is the finest gold ...”Song of Songs 5:10-11 “This is my beloved and my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.”Song of Songs 5:16 When the nations heard the majesty and praise of the One who spoke and the world came into being, they said to Israel: We will come with you, as it says, “Where has your beloved gone, most beautiful of women? Where has your beloved turned, so we may seek him with you?”Song of Songs 6:1 Israel says to them: You have no share in Him. Rather, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, who grazes among the lilies.”Song of Songs 6:3 “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”Song of Songs 7:10 Another interpretation of “And I will glorify Him”: The sages say: Let us accompany Him until we come with Him to His Temple. They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king entered a province. They told him: Your son is in such-and-such a province. He went after him and stood by him. He entered another province. They told him: Your son is in such-and-such a province. He went after him and stood by him. So Israel went down to Egypt, and the Shekinah was with them, as it says, “I will go down with you to Egypt.”Genesis 46:4 They came up, and the Shekinah was with them, as it says, “And I will also bring you up again.”Genesis 46:4 They went down to the sea, and the Shekinah was with them, as it says, “The angel of God moved.”Exodus 14:19 They came to the wilderness, and the Shekinah was with them, as it says, “In the wilderness, where you saw how the LORD your God carried you.”Deuteronomy 1:31 Until they came with Him to His Temple, as it says, “Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house.”Song of Songs 3:4 This is the tent of meeting. “And to the room of the one who conceived me.”Song of Songs 3:4 From there Israel became bound to follow instruction. “My father’s God.”Exodus 15:2 He deals with me through mercy, and with my ancestors through judgment. “My God,” Eli, means mercy, as it says, “My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?”Psalms 22:1 And it says, “God, please heal her.”Numbers 12:13 And it says, “The LORD is God, and He has given us light.”Psalms 118:27 Another interpretation of “my father’s God”: I am beloved, daughter of beloved ones, a queen, daughter of kings, pure, daughter of pure ones, holy, daughter of holy ones. They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? A human king married a woman. Sometimes he is ashamed of her, sometimes of her family, sometimes of her relatives. But I am beloved, daughter of beloved ones, a queen, daughter of kings, pure, daughter of pure ones, holy, daughter of holy ones. “And I will exalt Him.”Exodus 15:2 Rabbi Shimon son of Eleazar says: When Israel does God’s will, His name grows great in the world, as it says, “We heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea’s water before you when you left Egypt, and what you did to the two Amorite kings ... When we heard, our hearts melted, and nobody had any courage left before you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.”Joshua 2:10-11 When they do not do God’s will, what does it say? “They came to the nations where they went and profaned My holy name, when people said of them, ‘These are the LORD’s people, yet they have left His land.’”Ezekiel 36:20 Another interpretation of “My father’s God, and I will exalt Him”: I offer Him praise for more than the miracles He did for me. I praise Him for the miracles He did for my ancestors and will do for me. That is why it says, “My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”Exodus 15:2

3 “The LORD is a warrior. The LORD is His name.”Exodus 15:3 This verse is rich in meaning across many passages. It tells us that He appeared to them with every weapon. He appeared to them as a horseman, as it says, “He rode a cherub and flew.”Psalms 18:10 He appeared to them in armor and a helmet, as it says, “He put on righteousness as armor and a helmet of salvation on His head.”Isaiah 59:17 He appeared to them as a warrior wearing a sword, as it says, “Strap your sword to your thigh, warrior.”Psalms 45:3 He appeared to them with a bow, as it says, “Your bow was drawn bare.”Habakkuk 3:9 He appeared with a shield and buckler, as it says, “Take hold of shield and buckler.”Psalms 35:2 He appeared to them with a spear, as it says, “At the brightness of Your flashing spear.”Habakkuk 3:11 I might understand that He needs all these means. Scripture therefore says, “The LORD is a warrior. The LORD is His name.”Exodus 15:3 He fights with His name and needs none of these means. If so, why must Scripture list all these passages? To say that if Israel needs any of them, He will provide it. How terrible for the nations is what their ears hear: The One who spoke and the world came into being will fight them. Another interpretation of “The LORD is a warrior. The LORD is His name”: When the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared at the sea, they saw Him as a young man fighting, as it says, “The LORD is a warrior.”Exodus 15:3 At Sinai He appeared to them as an old man wrapped in a robe, as it says, “I watched until thrones were set in place and the Ancient of Days sat. His clothing was white as snow, and His head’s hair like pure wool.”Daniel 7:9 Could these be two powers? Scripture therefore says, “The LORD is His name.”Exodus 15:3 Another interpretation of “The LORD is a warrior. The LORD is His name”: He fought in Egypt, at the sea, at the Jordan and at the streams of Arnon. He is in this world and the world to come, in the past and the future, as it says, “See that I, I am He.”Deuteronomy 32:39 And it says, “I, the LORD, am first, and with the last I am He.”Isaiah 41:4 Another interpretation of “The LORD is a warrior. The LORD is His name”: A warrior stands in battle with the strength of a forty-year-old. But it is different at sixty or seventy. As he grows older, his strength diminishes. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. “The LORD is a warrior,”Exodus 15:3 who fights in Egypt. “The LORD is His name.”Exodus 15:3 He is in the past and the future. So it says, “I am the LORD. I have not changed.”Malachi 3:6 Another interpretation of “The LORD is a warrior”: A warrior stands in battle, and once an arrow leaves his hand, he cannot bring it back. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. When Israel does not do God’s will, a decree goes out from Him, as it says, “If I sharpen My flashing sword.”Deuteronomy 32:41 If they repent, He brings it back, as it says, “My hand takes hold of judgment.”Deuteronomy 32:41 Might I understand that He brings it back empty? Scripture therefore says, “I will repay My enemies with vengeance.”Deuteronomy 32:41 I turn it back against the world’s nations. Another interpretation of “The LORD is a warrior”: When zeal and strength take hold of a warrior, he makes no distinction, even for his father, brother or relatives. He keeps striking in anger. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. “The LORD is a warrior.”Exodus 15:3 He fights, yet “the LORD is His name.” He is merciful toward all His creatures. What is His name? “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in faithful love and truth.”Exodus 34:6

4 “He cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.”Exodus 15:4 You measured out to him the measure he used. He said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him?”Exodus 5:2 You too showed them the fear and dread of You at the sea: “He cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.”Exodus 15:4 He said, “Throw every newborn boy into the Nile.”Exodus 1:22 You too measured out to them the same measure: “He cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.”Exodus 15:4 He said, “And officers over them all.”Exodus 14:7 You too measured out to them the same measure: “His chosen officers sank in the Red Sea.”Exodus 15:4 Because it says, “They made their lives bitter with hard labor, with mortar and bricks,”Exodus 1:14 You too hardened the water against them like mud, and they sank in it. Sinking means sinking in mud, as it says, “Jeremiah sank in the mud.”Jeremiah 38:6 And it says, “I have sunk in deep mire, with no place to stand.”Psalms 69:2

5 “The depths cover them.”Exodus 15:5 Were there depths there? This teaches that the lower deep rose, covered the sky above them and darkened the heavenly lights over them. So it says, “I will darken all heaven’s shining lights over you and set darkness over your land, declares the Lord GOD. I will trouble many peoples’ hearts when I bring your destruction among nations, to lands you have not known.”Ezekiel 32:8-9 And it says, “Heaven’s stars and constellations will not shine. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not give its light.”Isaiah 13:10 Why? “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their wrongdoing.”Isaiah 13:11 And it says, “At Tahpanhes the day will darken when I break Egypt’s yokes there, and its proud strength will cease.”Ezekiel 30:18 Why? “A cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity.”Ezekiel 30:18 Another interpretation of “The depths cover them”: Were there depths there? Was it not a shoal? Rather, this teaches that the lower and upper depths rose and fought Egypt with every kind of punishment. Jonah went down to one deep, as it says, “The deep surrounded me.”Jonah 2:5 They went down to two depths, as it says, “The depths cover them.”Exodus 15:5 “They went down into the deep waters.”Exodus 15:5 Were there deep waters there? Was it not a shoal? Rather, this teaches that the Great Sea broke into it and fought them with every kind of punishment. Jonah went down to one depth, as it says, “You threw me into the deep.”Jonah 2:3 They went down to two depths, as it says, “They went down into the deep waters.”Exodus 15:5 “Like a stone.”Exodus 15:5 This is their middle group. The worthy among them were tossed about like straw, the middle group like stone, and the wicked “sank like lead in the mighty waters.”Exodus 15:10 Another interpretation of “like a stone”: He said, “Look at the birthstools.”Exodus 1:16 You too hardened the water against them like stones, which struck them at the place of their reproductive organs. Another interpretation of “like a stone”: Because they hardened their hearts like stones. But You act through Your faithful love, goodness, abundant mercy, and right hand extended to everyone in the world, as it says, “Your right hand, Your arm and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Psalms 44:3

6 “Your right hand, LORD, majestic in strength.”Exodus 15:6 You are beautiful and mighty in strength. You gave the generation of the flood time to repent, but they did not. You did not bring total destruction on them until their wickedness reached its full measure. So too with the people of the tower, and with Sodom. You brought ten plagues on the Egyptians, and did not bring total destruction on them until their wickedness before You reached its full measure. “Your right hand, LORD, shatters the enemy.”Exodus 15:6 Come and see: When Israel does God’s will, they turn the left hand into a right hand, as it says, “Your right hand, LORD ... Your right hand, LORD.”Exodus 15:6 When they do not do His will, they turn the right hand into a left hand, as it says, “He drew back His right hand before the enemy.”Lamentations 2:3 When Israel does God’s will, He has no anger: “I have no anger.”Isaiah 27:4 When they do not do His will, He is filled with anger against their enemies, as it says, “The LORD’s anger will burn against you.”Deuteronomy 11:17 When Israel does God’s will, He fights for them: “The LORD will fight for you.”Exodus 14:14 When they do not do His will, He fights them, so to speak, as it says, “He became their enemy. He fought them.”Isaiah 63:10 They even turn the merciful One cruel, as it says, “The Lord became like an enemy.”Lamentations 2:5 When Israel does God’s will, He has no sleep, as it says, “Look, Israel’s guardian neither dozes nor sleeps.”Psalms 121:4 When they do not do His will, there is sleep before Him, so to speak, as it says, “The Lord awoke as from sleep.”Psalms 78:65 So it says, “My eyes rest on their provocations.”Job 17:2 It is as though there were sleep before Him, so to speak, when Israel is in distress and the nations are at ease. “You shatter the enemy.”Exodus 15:6 This is Pharaoh, as it says, “The enemy said: I will pursue, I will overtake.”Exodus 15:9 Some say: This is Esau, as it says, “Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!’”Ezekiel 36:2 It does not say, “You shattered the enemy,” but “You will shatter,” referring to the future. So it says, “In fury You march through the earth. In anger You thresh the nations.”Habakkuk 3:12

7 “In Your great majesty You overthrow those who rise against You.”Exodus 15:7 You rose in majesty against those who rose against You. Who rose against You? Those who rose against Your beloved ones. Amraphel and his companions rose against Abraham. What does it say? “He divided his force against them at night.”Genesis 14:15 So too the wicked Pharaoh, who rose against Your children and pursued them with six hundred chosen chariots. What does it say? “He cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.”Exodus 15:4 So too with Sisera, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar and Hiram king of Tyre. It does not say here, “You overthrew those who rose against You,” but “You will overthrow those who rise against You,” referring to the future. So it says, “Do not forget Your enemies’ outcry, the ever-rising uproar of those who rise against You.”Psalms 74:23 “For Your enemies will perish.”Psalms 92:9 “Those far from You will perish. You destroy everyone unfaithful to You.”Psalms 73:27 Another interpretation: It does not say here, “You overthrew those who rose against You,” but “You will overthrow those who rise against You.” So it says, “God, break their teeth in their mouths. LORD, shatter the young lions’ fangs.”Psalms 58:6 “Because they do not understand the LORD’s deeds or His hands’ work, He will tear them down and not build them up.”Psalms 28:5 It does not say here, “You sent out Your anger,” but “You will send out Your anger.” So it says, “Pour Your indignation over them. Let Your burning anger overtake them.”Psalms 69:24 “Pour Your anger over the nations that do not know You.”Psalms 79:6 It does not say here, “It consumed them like straw,” but “It will consume them like straw.” So it says, “Jacob’s house will be fire, Joseph’s house a flame, and Esau’s house straw. They will set them alight and consume them.”Obadiah 1:18 And it says, “On that day I will make Judah’s leaders like a pan of fire among wood, like a burning torch among sheaves. They will consume the surrounding peoples to right and left, while Jerusalem again remains secure in its place.”Zechariah 12:6 “Like straw.”Exodus 15:7 When wood burns, its sound does not carry, but when straw burns, its sound carries. So the Egyptians’ cries carried because of the punishments coming on them. When wood burns, some substance remains, but when straw burns, no substance remains. So no substance remained in Egypt because of the punishments that came on them. So it says, “Together they lie down, never to rise. They have died out, quenched like a wick.”Isaiah 43:17 Another interpretation of “like straw”: No kingdom is lower than Egypt, but it received kingship for a time for Israel’s honor. When Scripture compares kingdoms to something, it compares them to silver and gold, as it is written, “That statue’s head was fine gold, its chest and arms silver, its belly and thighs bronze, its legs iron.”Daniel 2:32-33 When it compares Egypt, it compares it to lead, as it says, “They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”Exodus 15:10 When it compares kingdoms, it compares them to beasts: “Four great beasts rose from the sea.”Daniel 7:3 When it compares Egypt, it compares it to foxes, as it says, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that ruin vineyards.”Song of Songs 2:15 When it compares kingdoms, it compares them to cedars, as it says, “Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon.”Ezekiel 31:3 And it says, “The tree you saw, which grew great and strong.”Daniel 4:20 And it says, “I destroyed the Amorite before you, whose height was like the cedars’ height and who was strong as oaks.”Amos 2:9 When it compares Egypt, it compares it to straw, as it says, “It will consume them like straw.”Exodus 15:7 Antigonus asked our holy teacher this question: If someone wants to go down to Alexandria in Egypt, could a king rise and defeat him? He said: I do not know. In any event, it is written that Egypt will not establish either a king or a government, as it says, “It will be the lowest of kingdoms and will never again rise above the nations. I will make them few, so they cannot rule the nations.”Ezekiel 29:15

8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up.”Exodus 15:8 You measured out to them the measure they used. They said, “Come, let us deal shrewdly with him.”Exodus 1:10 You too put shrewdness into the waters: “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters became shrewd.”Exodus 15:8 “The flowing waters stood like a waterskin.”Exodus 15:8 As a waterskin stands tied up, so the Egyptians stood bound. The smell of the water made them faint, as it says, “He makes the deep boil like a pot.”Job 41:31 But for Israel it became every kind of spice, as it says, “He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.”Job 41:31 Another interpretation of “They stood like a waterskin”: As a waterskin stands tied up, so the Egyptians’ breath stayed bound. They could neither inhale nor exhale. But Israel ate, drank and rejoiced. Streams of fresh water came out for them from the salt water, as it says, “He brought flowing waters from a rock.”Psalms 78:16 “The depths froze in the sea’s heart.”Exodus 15:8 Where is a person’s heart? Above two-thirds of the body. So the sea froze above two-thirds of its depth to destroy them. “In the sea’s heart.”Exodus 15:8 It had no heart but was given a heart, as it says, “The depths froze in the sea’s heart.”Exodus 15:8 The terebinth had no heart but was given a heart, as it says, “In the terebinth’s heart.”2 Samuel 18:14 The heavens had no heart but were given a heart, as it says, “To the heavens’ heart.”Deuteronomy 4:11 Let the sea, which had no heart but was given a heart, punish the wicked who hardened their hearts. Let the terebinth, which had no heart but was given a heart, punish the one who stole three hearts: his father’s heart, the court’s heart and the Israelites’ heart. Let the heavens, which had no heart but were given a heart, bring down manna for Israel, who received the Torah that was placed on the heart, as it says, “These words that I command you today must be on your heart.”Deuteronomy 6:6

9 “The enemy said.”Exodus 15:9 This is the beginning of the passage, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Similarly, “On the eighth day Moses called.”Leviticus 9:1 This is the beginning of the book, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Similarly, “In the year King Uzziah died.”Isaiah 6:1 This is the beginning of the book, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Similarly, “Go and proclaim in Jerusalem’s hearing.”Jeremiah 2:2 This was the beginning of the book, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Similarly, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.”Ezekiel 2:1 Some say, “Son of man, pose a riddle and tell a parable about Israel’s land.”Ezekiel 17:2 This was the beginning of the book, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Similarly, “Israel is a luxuriant vine, producing fruit for itself.”Hosea 10:1 This was the beginning of the book, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Similarly, “I, Ecclesiastes, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.”Ecclesiastes 1:12 This was the beginning of the book, but the Torah does not follow chronological order. Another interpretation of “The enemy said”: How did Israel know what Pharaoh planned against them in Egypt? The Holy Spirit rested on them, and they knew what Pharaoh planned against them in Egypt. What did Pharaoh tell his troops? He told them: Even if you pursue Israel only for the silver and gold we have lost, it is worth our while. When some of the people heard, they said: For this trifle? We will not pursue Israel. So he told them: We will all share equally in the loot. Another interpretation: Pharaoh spoke without knowing what he was saying. “A person makes plans in his heart, but the tongue’s answer comes from the LORD.”Proverbs 16:1 He did not say, “We will pursue, we will overtake,” but “I will pursue, I will overtake.”Exodus 15:9 He would be pursued by them and fall into their hands. It does not say, “I will divide their loot,” but “I will divide loot.”Exodus 15:9 He would be divided as loot among them. It does not say, “My desire will be satisfied on them,” but “My desire will satisfy them.”Exodus 15:9 They would satisfy their desire on him. It does not say, “My hand will dispossess them,” but “My hand will give them possession.”Exodus 15:9 I will give them my wealth and honor as an inheritance. Another interpretation: Pharaoh told them: In the past you plundered property, and I restrained you because of royal law. Now, “I will divide loot.”Exodus 15:9 In the past you killed them, and I restrained you because of royal law. Now, “My desire will be satisfied on them.”Exodus 15:9 In the past you sought to violate their sons and daughters, and I restrained you because of royal law. Now, “I will draw my sword. My hand will dispossess them.”Exodus 15:9 The Egyptians came against Israel in three groups. One said: Let us take their money without killing them. One said: Let us kill them without taking their money. One said: Let us kill them and take their money. The group that said, “Let us take their money without killing them,” said, “I will divide loot.”Exodus 15:9 The group that said, “Let us kill them without taking their money,” said, “My desire will be satisfied on them.”Exodus 15:9 The group that said, “Let us kill them and take their money,” said, “I will draw my sword. My hand will dispossess them.”Exodus 15:9 The wicked Pharaoh stood boasting defiantly of five things in Egypt: “The enemy said: I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide loot. My desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword. My hand will dispossess them.”Exodus 15:9 In response, the Holy Spirit mocked him.

10 “You blew with Your wind. The sea covered them ...”Exodus 15:10 They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? An Arab robber stood behind a king’s palace and said: If I find the king’s son, I will kill him, crucify him, burn him and put him to a cruel death. The king heard and became angry with him. He said to him: Your own words will bring your punishment. So the wicked Pharaoh stood boasting defiantly in Egypt, “I will pursue, I will overtake.”Exodus 15:9 In response, the Holy Spirit mocked him: “You blew with Your wind. The sea covered them ...”Exodus 15:10 You find the same in the future: “Why do nations rage, and peoples plot in vain? Earth’s kings take their stand, and rulers conspire together against the LORD and His anointed: ‘Let us break their bonds and throw off their ropes.’ The One sitting in heaven laughs. The Lord mocks them.”Psalms 2:1-4 And it says, “They pour words from their mouths, swords on their lips, for who hears?”Psalms 59:7 The next verse says, “But You, LORD, laugh at them. You mock all nations.”Psalms 59:8 So it says, “Sheba and Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish and all its young lions will say to her: Have you come to seize loot? Have you gathered your armies to carry off loot?”Ezekiel 38:13 Later it says, “On the day Gog enters Israel’s land, My anger will rise in My nostrils. In My jealousy and blazing fury I have spoken: On that day there will certainly be a great earthquake in Israel’s land.”Ezekiel 38:18-19 “They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”Exodus 15:10 The Holy One, blessed be He, is called mighty: “The LORD on high is mighty.”Psalms 93:4 Israel is called mighty, as it says, “The mighty, in whom is all my delight.”Psalms 16:3 Egypt is called mighty, as it says, “They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”Exodus 15:10 The waters are called mighty, as it says, “Above the sound of many mighty waters.”Psalms 93:4 The Holy One, blessed be He, who is called mighty, appeared through Israel, who are called mighty, and punished the Egyptians, who are called mighty, in waters that are called mighty.

11 “Who among the gods is like You, LORD?”Exodus 15:11 When they saw Pharaoh and his army lost at sea, Egypt’s kingdom destroyed, and judgments carried out against their idols, all spoke, acknowledged God and said, “Who among the gods is like You, LORD?”Exodus 15:11 It was not only Israel. When the world’s nations saw what happened to Egypt and its idols, they all renounced their idols, acknowledged God and said, “Who among the gods is like You, LORD?”Exodus 15:11 So Rahab says, “We heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea’s water before you. When we heard, our hearts melted ...”Joshua 2:10-11 You find the same in the future: The nations will renounce their idols, as it says, “On that day people will throw away their silver and gold idols, made for them to worship, to the moles and bats, and enter the rocks’ hollows and the cliffs’ clefts.”Isaiah 2:20-21 Why? “From dread of the LORD and His majestic splendor when He rises to terrify the earth.”Isaiah 2:21 What does it say? “The idols will vanish completely.”Isaiah 2:18 Another interpretation of “Who among the gods is like You, LORD?”: Who is like You in the miracles and mighty deeds You did for us at the sea? So it says, “Awe-inspiring deeds at the Red Sea.”Psalms 106:22 Another interpretation of “Who among the gods is like You, LORD?”: Who is like You, who sees His children humiliated and stays silent? So it says, “I have long been silent. I kept quiet and held back.”Isaiah 42:14 I was silent in the past. From now on, “Like a woman in labor I will cry out, gasp and pant together. I will lay waste mountains and hills ... I will lead the blind by a way they do not know.”Isaiah 42:14-16 Another interpretation: Who is like You among those who stand before You on high? So it says, “Who in the skies can equal the LORD, compare with the LORD among the divine beings?”Psalms 89:6 Another interpretation: Who is like You among those who called themselves gods? Pharaoh called himself a god, as it says, “My Nile is mine, and I made myself.”Ezekiel 29:3 What is written about him? “I am against you and your Nile channels.”Ezekiel 29:10 Sennacherib called himself a god, as it says, “Which of all the lands’ gods saved their land from my hand? How then will the LORD save Jerusalem from my hand?”2 Kings 18:35 What is written about him? “While he worshiped in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword.”2 Kings 19:37 So too Nebuchadnezzar and Hiram king of Tyre. Another interpretation of “Who among the gods is like You?”: Among those whom others call gods. What are they like? “They have mouths but cannot speak.”Psalms 115:5 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. He spoke the Ten Commandments in one utterance, as it says, “God spoke all these words, saying.”Exodus 20:1 And it says, “Is My word not like fire, declares the LORD?”Jeremiah 23:29 “They have eyes but cannot see.”Psalms 115:5 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: “The LORD’s eyes range through the whole earth.”Zechariah 4:10 And it says, “The LORD’s eyes are everywhere, watching evil and good.”Proverbs 15:3 “They have ears but cannot hear.”Psalms 115:6 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: “You who hear prayer, to You all people will come.”Psalms 65:2 And it says, “You prepare their hearts. Your ears listen.”Psalms 10:17 “They have noses but cannot smell.”Psalms 115:6 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: “A food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.”Leviticus 1:9 And it says, “The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma.”Genesis 8:21 “Their hands cannot feel.”Psalms 115:7 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: “My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens.”Isaiah 48:13 And it says, “My hands stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.”Isaiah 45:12 “Their feet cannot walk.”Psalms 115:7 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: “The LORD will go out and fight those nations.”Zechariah 14:3 And it says, “On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.”Zechariah 14:4 “They make no sound in their throats.”Psalms 115:7 The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: “His mouth is sweetness, and all of him is desirable.”Song of Songs 5:16 And it says, “The sound that comes from His mouth.”Job 37:2 “Who is like You, majestic in holiness?”Exodus 15:11 You are exalted and mighty in holiness. God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human cannot say two things at once. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. He spoke the Ten Commandments in one utterance, as it says, “God spoke all these words, saying.”Exodus 20:1 Another interpretation: God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human cannot listen to two people at once. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. Everyone in the world stands praying before Him, and He hears their prayers together, as it says, “You who hear prayer, to You all people will come.”Psalms 65:2 Another interpretation: God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human worker works for a householder, sowing, plowing, weeding or hoeing with him, and he gives him one payment. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. If someone desires children, He gives them, as it says, “Children are an inheritance from the LORD.”Psalms 127:3 If someone desires wisdom, He gives it, as it says, “The LORD gives wisdom.”Proverbs 2:6 If someone desires property, He gives it, as it says, “Wealth and honor come from You.”1 Chronicles 29:12 “Awe-inspiring in praises.”Exodus 15:11 God’s way differs from a human being’s way. People fear a human more at a distance than nearby. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. Those nearby fear Him more than those at a distance, as it says, “A fierce storm surrounds Him.”Psalms 50:3 And it says, “God is greatly feared in the holy ones’ council, awe-inspiring to all around Him.”Psalms 89:7 And it says, “Dominion and dread are His.”Job 25:2 And it says, “I will be shown holy among those near Me.”Leviticus 10:3 “Doing wonders.”Exodus 15:11 God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human builds the lower part, then the upper. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. He builds the upper part, then the lower, as it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”Genesis 1:1 Another interpretation of “doing wonders”: God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human roofs a building with wood, stones and earth. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. He roofs with water alone, as it says, “He roofs His upper rooms with water.”Psalms 104:3 Another interpretation of “doing wonders”: God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human cannot fashion a form in water. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. He fashions a form in water, as it says, “God said: Let the waters swarm with living creatures.”Genesis 1:20 Another interpretation of “doing wonders”: God’s way differs from a human being’s way. A human cannot fashion a form in darkness. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. He fashions a form in darkness, as it says, “When I was made in secret, woven in the earth’s depths.”Psalms 139:15 Another interpretation of “doing wonders”: God’s way differs from a human being’s way. When a human fashions a figure, he starts with its head, feet or another part. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different. When He fashions a form, He fashions it all at once, as it says, “He is the maker of everything.”Jeremiah 10:16 And it says, “There is no rock like our God.”1 Samuel 2:2 There is no artist like our God. A human paints a figure, adding papousia to the pigments. The Holy One, blessed be He, formed the human being from one substance. The eye’s orb is black, surrounded by white. The teeth are white, surrounded by red. A human cannot fashion one form inside another. The Holy One, blessed be He, formed the human being in his mother’s womb. A human fashions a figure, and it does not move from its place. The Holy One, blessed be He, formed the human being, who walks from one end of the world to the other. A human fashions a figure, and it neither sees nor hears nor speaks. The Holy One, blessed be He, formed the human being, who sees, hears and speaks. A human fashions a figure but cannot give it a soul and internal organs. The Holy One, blessed be He, formed the human being and gave him a soul and internal organs. So David says, “Bless the LORD, my soul, and all within me, His holy name.”Psalms 103:1 Another interpretation of “doing wonders”: It does not say, “He did wonders,” but “He does wonders.” He did wonders for the ancestors and will do them for the children. So it says, “As in the days you left Egypt, I will show him wonders.”Micah 7:15 And it says, “I thank You, for I am wonderfully made in awe-inspiring ways. Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it well.”Psalms 139:14

12 “You stretched out Your right hand. The earth swallowed them.”Exodus 15:12 Scripture tells us that all lives are in the palm of the One who spoke and the world came into being, as it says, “In His hand is the life of every living thing.”Job 12:10 “The earth swallowed them.”Exodus 15:12 What earned them burial? They said, “The LORD is righteous.”Exodus 9:27 God told them: You acknowledged My judgment of you as righteous. I will give you burial. “You stretched out Your right hand. The earth swallowed them.”Exodus 15:12 Another interpretation of “You stretched out Your right hand. The earth swallowed them”: The sea threw them onto land, and the land threw them into the sea. The sea told the land: Receive your people. The land told the sea: Receive your people. The land said to it: When I received only the blood of Abel, one person, it was said of me, “Now you are cursed from the ground.”Genesis 4:11 How can I receive this whole multitude now? So the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to it: I will not put you on trial, as it says, “You stretched out Your right hand. The earth swallowed them.”Exodus 15:12 The right hand means an oath, as it says, “The LORD swore by His right hand.”Isaiah 62:8 Another interpretation of “You stretched out Your right hand”: Scripture tells us that when God tilts His hand, the wicked pass from the world, as it says, “He stretched His hand against the north and destroyed Assyria.”Zephaniah 2:13 And it says, “I am stretching My hand against the Philistines. I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the coast’s remnant.”Ezekiel 25:16 And it says, “I will stretch My hand against Judah and all Jerusalem’s inhabitants.”Zephaniah 1:4 They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? Eggs held in a person’s hand. If he tilts his hand just a little, they immediately fall and break. So too when God tilts His hand, “The helper stumbles, the helped one falls, and all perish together.”Isaiah 31:3

13 “You led in Your faithful love.”Exodus 15:13 You showed us faithful love when we had no deeds to our credit, as it says, “I will recall the LORD’s faithful love.”Isaiah 63:7 And it says, “LORD, Your faithful love fills the earth.”Psalms 119:64 “This people.”Exodus 15:13 Although the whole world is Yours, You have no people but Israel, as it says, “This people I formed for Myself.”Isaiah 43:21 “You guided in Your strength.”Exodus 15:13 In Your might, as it says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield.”Psalms 28:7 Another interpretation: By the merit of Torah, as it says, “The LORD gives strength to His people.”Psalms 29:11 Another interpretation: By the merit of David’s royal house, as it says, “LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength.”Psalms 21:1 “To Your holy dwelling.”Exodus 15:13 By the merit of the Temple they would build. It is written, “To Your holy dwelling,” and it is written, “They devastated His dwelling.”Psalms 79:7

14 “Peoples heard and trembled.”Exodus 15:14 When they heard that Pharaoh and his army were lost at sea, Egypt’s kingdom destroyed, and judgments carried out against their idols, they began trembling. Another interpretation: When they heard that the Holy One, blessed be He, was raising Israel’s horn, they grew angry. The Holy One, blessed be He, told them: How many kings arose from you without My children trembling? “These are the kings who reigned in Edom before a king reigned over the Israelites.”Genesis 36:31 How many rulers arose from you without My children growing angry? “Chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah.”Genesis 36:29 Now you are angry. I will give you anger with no reconciliation. “The LORD reigns. Let peoples tremble.”Psalms 99:1 “Anguish gripped Philistia’s inhabitants.”Exodus 15:14 They said: Now they are coming to avenge their father Ephraim’s people, as it says, “Ephraim’s sons, armed bowmen, turned back on the day of battle.”Psalms 78:9 Another interpretation of “Anguish gripped Philistia’s inhabitants”: They said: Their only route runs through us. Now they will come, plunder our property and destroy our land.

15 “Then Edom’s chiefs were terrified.”Exodus 15:15 If you say the Israelites were coming to inherit their land, it has already been said, “Command the people: You are passing through the territory of your brothers, Esau’s descendants. Do not provoke them.”Deuteronomy 2:4-5 Rather, they feared taxes. Another interpretation: They said: Now they are coming to settle the quarrel between our father and theirs, as it says, “Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing.”Genesis 27:41 “Trembling grips Moab’s leaders.”Exodus 15:15 If you say they were coming to destroy or inherit their land, it has already been said, “Do not harass Moab.”Deuteronomy 2:9 Rather, they feared taxes. Another interpretation: They said: Now they are coming to settle the quarrel between our father and theirs. “There was a quarrel between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen.”Genesis 13:7 “All Canaan’s inhabitants melted.”Exodus 15:15 When they heard that the Holy One, blessed be He, had told Moses, “In these peoples’ cities, leave no one alive,”Deuteronomy 20:16 they began losing courage. They said: Those people feared only for their money and property, and began losing courage. But these people are coming against us to destroy us. How much more reason for us to lose courage! So they began losing courage. “Melting” means dissolving, as it says, “The earth and all its inhabitants melt.”Psalms 75:3 And it says, “So hearts may melt and stumbling multiply.”Ezekiel 21:15 Thus “all Canaan’s inhabitants melted.”Exodus 15:15

16 “Terror and dread fall on them.”Exodus 15:16 Terror on those nearby, dread on those far away. So it says, “When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan heard ... their hearts melted, and they had no courage left because of the Israelites.”Joshua 5:1 “By Your arm’s greatness they are still as stone.”Exodus 15:16 When Israel crossed the sea, Amalek gathered all the nations’ kings against them to wage war. Moses prayed at that moment, and all fell silent as stone, as it says, “By Your arm’s greatness they are still as stone.”Exodus 15:16 Another interpretation: When the spies entered the land, anyone who wanted to say, “These are Israel’s spies,” became silent as stone. That is why it says, “By Your arm’s greatness they are still as stone.”Exodus 15:16 “Until Your people cross, LORD, until the people You acquired cross.”Exodus 15:16 Until they cross the Jordan, until they cross the streams of Arnon. “This people.”Exodus 15:16 Although the whole world is Yours, You have no people but these, as it says, “This people I formed for Myself.”Isaiah 43:21 “You acquired.”Exodus 15:16 Torah is called a possession, as it says, “The LORD acquired me at the beginning of His way.”Proverbs 8:22 Israel is called a possession, as it says, “The people You acquired.”Exodus 15:16 Israel’s land is called a possession, as it says, “Possessor of heaven and earth.”Genesis 14:19 The Temple is called a possession, as it says, “He brought them to His holy territory, this mountain His right hand acquired.”Psalms 78:54 Let Israel, called a possession, come to Israel’s land, called a possession, and build the Temple, called a possession, by the merit of Torah, called a possession. That is why it says, “The people You acquired.”Exodus 15:16

17 “You will bring them and plant them.”Exodus 15:17 The ancestors prophesied without knowing what they prophesied. It does not say, “You will bring us and plant us,” but “You will bring them and plant them.” The children enter, and the ancestors do not. So it says, “If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the flock’s tracks and pasture your young goats.”Song of Songs 1:8 The young goats enter, and the adult goats do not. Another interpretation of “You will bring them and plant them”: Like a vineyard planted in rows, as it says, “From the east side to the west side, Naphtali, one portion, Judah, one portion, Asher, one portion.”Ezekiel 48:2-3, 7 “And plant them.”Exodus 15:17 A planting that will never be uprooted, as it says, “I will build them and not destroy them, plant them and not uproot them.”Jeremiah 24:6 And it says, “I will plant them in this land faithfully, with all My heart and all My soul.”Jeremiah 32:41 “On Your mountain of inheritance.”Exodus 15:17 On the mountain You promised us, as it says, “On My holy mountain, on Israel’s high mountain, the whole house of Israel will serve Me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require all your contributions and choicest offerings, with all your holy gifts.”Ezekiel 20:40 Another interpretation of “on Your mountain of inheritance”: Torah is called an inheritance, as it says, “From Mattanah to Nahaliel.”Numbers 21:19 Israel is called an inheritance, as it says, “They are Your people and Your inheritance.”Deuteronomy 9:29 Israel’s land is called an inheritance, as it says, “When you enter the land the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.”Deuteronomy 26:1 The Temple is called an inheritance, as it says, “On Your mountain of inheritance.”Exodus 15:17 Let Israel, called an inheritance, come to Israel’s land, called an inheritance, and build the Temple, called an inheritance, by the merit of Torah, called an inheritance. That is why it says, “On Your mountain of inheritance.”Exodus 15:17 “The place You made for Your dwelling, LORD.”Exodus 15:17 This is one of the passages showing that the throne below faces the throne above, as it says, “The LORD says: The heavens are My throne, and the earth My footstool.”Isaiah 66:1 And it says, “Son of man, the place of My throne and the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever.”Ezekiel 43:7 And it says, “The LORD is in His holy Temple. The LORD’s throne is in heaven. His eyes see. His eyelids examine human beings.”Psalms 11:4 And it says, “I have built You a lofty house, a place for Your eternal dwelling.”1 Kings 8:13 “You made, LORD, the sanctuary.”Exodus 15:17 The Temple is dear to the One who spoke and the world came into being. The whole world was created by the Holy One’s word alone, as it says, “By the LORD’s word the heavens were made.”Psalms 33:6 But building the Temple was work before Him, so to speak, as it says, “You made, LORD, the sanctuary.”Exodus 15:17 How terrible for the nations is what their ears hear: The Temple is called work before the One who spoke and the world came into being, and they destroyed it. “They said: Tear it down, tear it down to its foundations!”Psalms 137:7 And it says, “The LORD roars from on high and gives His voice from His holy dwelling. He roars mightily over His dwelling, shouting like grape-treaders against all the earth’s inhabitants.”Jeremiah 25:30 How terrible for the nations is what their ears hear: “I will gather all nations to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and judge them there for My people and My inheritance.”Joel 3:2 “My people” is Israel. “My inheritance” is the Temple. May it be rebuilt speedily in our days. “The sanctuary, Lord, Your hands established.”Exodus 15:17 The Temple is dear to the One who spoke and the world came into being. The whole world was created with one hand alone, as it says, “My hand founded the earth.”Isaiah 48:13 But the Temple was built with both His hands, as it says, “Your hands established.”Exodus 15:17 Another interpretation of “the sanctuary, Lord”: The Temple is dear, for it stands between two divine names: “You made, LORD, the sanctuary, Lord.”Exodus 15:17 Another interpretation of “The sanctuary, Lord, Your hands established”: When is His name made holy in His world? When He establishes His sanctuary and gathers His people’s exiles, as it says, “The LORD builds Jerusalem. He gathers Israel’s outcasts.”Psalms 147:2 They illustrate this with a parable. What is it like? Robbers entered a king’s palace and seized some of the king’s servants. They killed some, crucified some, burned some and destroyed his palace. The king came and sat in judgment over them. He seized some, killed some, crucified some and burned some. He settled in his palace, and his kingship became known in the world.

18 “The LORD will reign forever and ever.”Exodus 15:18 Rabbi Yose says: If Israel had said, “The LORD reigns forever and ever,” no nation or kingdom would have ruled them. But they said, “The LORD will reign forever and ever,” referring to the future. Why?

19 “For Pharaoh’s horse entered.”Exodus 15:19 This teaches that Pharaoh too was included. “The LORD brought the sea’s water back over them.”Exodus 15:19 It returned over them, but Your people, Your inheritance, the flock of Your pasture, children of Abraham Your friend, offspring of Isaac Your beloved, family of Jacob Your firstborn, the vine You brought from Egypt, the stock Your right hand planted, “the Israelites walked on dry ground within the sea.”Exodus 15:19 These are eighteen verses. Corresponding to them, the sages established eighteen blessings in the prayer. The first three verses praise God, the last three thank God, and the middle ones concern the events. Corresponding to them, the sages established the first three blessings as praise, the last as thanksgiving, and the middle ones for each person’s needs. Corresponding to them, the Holy One, blessed be He, comforted them with eighteen verses of consolation. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You said, “Then he sang.”Exodus 15:1 You praise with “then,” as it says, “Then your light will break out like dawn.”Isaiah 58:8 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer.”Isaiah 58:9 “Then you will see and shine.”Isaiah 60:5 “Then you will delight in the LORD.”Isaiah 58:14 You said, “My strength.”Exodus 15:2 “Awake, awake, put on your strength.”Isaiah 52:1 “Awake, put on strength, arm of the LORD.”Isaiah 51:9 You said, “The LORD is a warrior. The LORD is His name.”Exodus 15:3 “The LORD named you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with fine fruit.”Jeremiah 11:16 You said, “Pharaoh’s chariots.”Exodus 15:4 “You will tread on their heights.”Deuteronomy 33:29 You said, “The depths cover them. They went down into deep waters.”Exodus 15:5 “He says to the deep: Dry up!”Isaiah 44:27 You said, “Your right hand, LORD.”Exodus 15:6 “The LORD swore by His right hand.”Isaiah 62:8 You said, “In Your great majesty You overthrow those who rise against You. You send out Your anger. It consumes them like straw.”Exodus 15:7 “Jacob’s house will be fire, Joseph’s house a flame, and Esau’s house straw. They will set them alight and consume them.”Obadiah 1:18 You said, “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up.”Exodus 15:8 “Living waters will flow out of Jerusalem.”Zechariah 14:8 You said, “The enemy said.”Exodus 15:9 “All who devour you will be devoured, and all your enemies will go into captivity. Your plunderers will be plundered, and I will give all who loot you over to looting.”Jeremiah 30:16 You said, “You blew with Your wind.”Exodus 15:10 “I will put My spirit within you.”Ezekiel 36:27 You said, “Who is like You?”Exodus 15:11 “How fortunate you are, Israel! Who is like you?”Deuteronomy 33:29 You said, “You stretched out Your right hand. The earth swallowed them.”Exodus 15:12 “All nations will call you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land.”Malachi 3:12 You said, “You led in Your faithful love.”Exodus 15:13 “My faithful love will not depart from you.”Isaiah 54:10 You said, “Peoples heard.”Exodus 15:14 “Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying.”Isaiah 30:21 You said, “Then Edom’s chiefs were terrified. Trembling grips Moab’s leaders.”Exodus 15:15 “I will appoint a place for My people Israel and plant them. They will dwell in their place and no longer tremble.”2 Samuel 7:10 You said, “Terror and dread fall on them.”Exodus 15:16 “Kings will be your guardians and their princesses your nurses. They will bow face down to the ground before you.”Isaiah 49:23 You said, “You will bring them.”Exodus 15:17 “I will bring them to My holy mountain.”Isaiah 56:7 You said, “The LORD will reign.”Exodus 15:18 “Heaven’s God will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed.”Daniel 2:44 You said, “For Pharaoh’s horse entered.”Exodus 15:19 “A highway will be there, and it will be called the Holy Way.”Isaiah 35:8

20 “Miriam the prophetess took.”Exodus 15:20 Where did Miriam prophesy? Scripture says, “The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was good.”Exodus 2:2 She told her father: Someone will come from you who will save Israel. When Moses was born, the house filled with light. Her father stood, kissed her head and said: Your prophecy has come true. When he was thrown into the Nile, her mother said to her: Where is your prophecy? Even so, she still stood by her prophecy: “His sister stood.”Exodus 2:4 “Aaron’s sister.”Exodus 15:20 Was she Aaron’s sister alone, rather than the sister of both? Because he devoted himself to her, she was named after him. How do we know he devoted himself to her? It is written, “Aaron said to Moses: Please, my lord, do not hold this sin against us ...”Numbers 12:11 Another interpretation: She prophesied while still only Aaron’s sister, before Moses was born. “The tambourine in her hand.”Exodus 15:20 Where did Israel get tambourines at the sea? Because the righteous were confident as they left Egypt that God would perform miracles and mighty deeds for them, they took tambourines and dance instruments with them.

21 “Miriam answered them.”Exodus 15:21 Scripture tells us that just as Moses sang for the men, Miriam sang for the women: “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted.”Exodus 15:21

22 “Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea.”Exodus 15:22 Rabbi Joshua says: Israel made this journey at Moses’ command. They made all their other journeys at the Almighty’s command, but this journey only at Moses’ command. That is why it says, “Moses led.”Exodus 15:22 Rabbi Eliezer says: They traveled at the LORD’s command. We find in two, three or four places that they traveled only at the Almighty’s command, as it says, “At the LORD’s command the Israelites travel, and at the LORD’s command they camp.”Numbers 9:18 And it says, “Sometimes the cloud remains over the tabernacle a few days. At the LORD’s command they camp, and at the LORD’s command they travel.”Numbers 9:20 And it says, “At the LORD’s command they camp, and at the LORD’s command they travel. They keep the LORD’s charge.”Numbers 9:23 They made this journey too at the Almighty’s command. Why then does it say, “Moses led”? He forced them to leave against their will, with a staff. When they saw the bodies of those who had enslaved them with mortar, bricks and every kind of fieldwork, they said: It seems nobody is left in Egypt. Let us make an idol and return to Egypt, as it says, “Let us appoint a head and return to Egypt.”Numbers 14:4 Might they have said it without doing it? Scripture therefore says, “They appointed a head to return to their slavery in their rebellion.”Nehemiah 9:17 Rabbi Judah son of Ilai says: Israel had an idol with them, and Moses removed it at that moment. Another interpretation of “Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea”: He removed the rebellion with which they rebelled at the Red Sea, as it says, “They rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea.”Psalms 106:7 “They went out to the wilderness of Shur.”Exodus 15:22 This is the wilderness of Kub. They said the wilderness of Kub was eight hundred parasangs by eight hundred parasangs, full of snakes and scorpions, as it says, “He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, fiery snakes and scorpions.”Deuteronomy 8:15 And it says, “An oracle about the Negev’s animals: Through a land of trouble and distress, from which come lioness and lion, viper and flying fiery serpent.”Isaiah 30:6 The viper, efʿeh, is the ikheʾos. They said: When this ikheʾos sees the shadow of a bird flying in the air, that bird wastes away and falls apart. So it says, “They did not ask: Where is the LORD who brought us out of Egypt, who led us through a land of desert and pits, drought and death’s shadow?”Jeremiah 2:6 A place where shade brings death with it. Rabbi Abba said: Our great teacher told me this: A man in Israel’s land was called Merita. Why was he called Merita? Once he went to gather wood from the mountain and saw a sleeping snake. The snake did not see him, but all his hair fell out. No hair grew on him again until his death, and they called him Merita. “They walked three days in the wilderness and found no water.”Exodus 15:22 Rabbi Joshua says: To tire them out. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: Was there not water beneath Israel’s feet? The earth floats on the water’s surface, as it says, “He spread the earth over the waters.”Psalms 136:6 What then does “They found no water” mean? To test them. Others say: The water they took from between the sea’s divisions ran out there, as it says, “They found no water.”Exodus 15:22 They found none even in their vessels, as it says, “Their nobles sent their servants for water. They came to the pools and found no water. They returned with empty vessels, ashamed and humiliated, covering their heads.”Jeremiah 14:3 Interpreters of hidden meanings said: These are words of Torah, which is compared to water, as it says, “Everyone who is thirsty, come to the water.”Isaiah 55:1 Because they went three days without words of Torah, they rebelled. So the prophets among them established reading Torah on the Sabbath, Monday and Thursday. How does this work? They read on the Sabbath and pause on Sunday. They read on Monday and pause on Tuesday and Wednesday. They read on Thursday and pause on Friday.

23 “They came to Marah.”Exodus 15:23 Rabbi Joshua says: Israel came to three places that day, as it says, “They came to Marah and could not drink water from Marah, because it was bitter. So its name was called Marah.”Exodus 15:23 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: They came to just one place, named after what happened there.

24 “The people complained against Moses, saying: What will we drink?”Exodus 15:24 Rabbi Joshua says: Israel should have consulted the greatest among them about what they should and should not drink. Instead, they stood and complained against Moses. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: Israel is accustomed to standing and complaining against Moses, and against the Almighty as well. That is why it says, “Saying: What will we drink?”Exodus 15:24

25 “He cried out to the LORD.”Exodus 15:25 From here you learn that the righteous readily listen to complaints. Along the way, we learn that the righteous pray briefly. Once someone led the prayers in Rabbi Eliezer’s presence and made his blessings long. His disciples said: Teacher, did you see how he made his blessings long so people would call him a great giver of blessings? He told them: He did not make them longer than Moses, as it says, “I fell before the LORD as at first, forty days and forty nights.”Deuteronomy 9:18 Another time someone led the prayers in Rabbi Eliezer’s presence and made his blessings short. His disciples said: Teacher, did you see how he made his blessings short so people would call him a scholar? He told them: He did not make them shorter than Moses our teacher, who said, “God, please heal her.”Numbers 12:13 For he used to say: There is a time to be brief and a time to be lengthy. “God, please heal her” is brief. “I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights”Deuteronomy 9:9 is lengthy. “The LORD showed him a tree.”Exodus 15:25 Rabbi Joshua says: A willow tree. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: An olive tree. Nothing is more bitter than an olive. Rabbi Nathan son of Joseph says: A tree called kardis. Some say: Fig roots and pomegranate roots too. Interpreters of hidden meanings say: He taught him words of Torah, compared to a tree, as it says, “She is a tree of life to those who hold her.”Proverbs 3:18 Rabbi Ishmael son of Rabbi Johanan ben Beroka says: Come and see how different human ways are from God’s ways. A human cures bitterness with sweetness. The One who spoke and the world came into being is different: He cures bitterness with bitterness. How? He puts something that spoils into something that spoils, to perform a miracle within a miracle. Similarly, “He went to the water’s source and threw a little salt there, saying: The LORD says: I have healed these waters. No more death or miscarriage will come from there.”2 Kings 2:21 But even good water immediately turns bad when salt is added. How does this work? He puts something that spoils into something that spoils, to perform a miracle within a miracle. Similarly, “Isaiah said: Let them bring a cake of figs and spread it on the boil, so he may live.”Isaiah 38:21 But raw flesh immediately decays when fig cakes are put on it. Rather, He puts something that spoils into something that spoils, to perform a miracle within a miracle. “He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.”Exodus 15:25 At that moment Israel pleaded insistently with their Father in heaven, like a son begging his father or a student pressing his teacher. They said before Him: Master of the world, we sinned by complaining about the water. “The water became sweet.”Exodus 15:25 It had become bitter for a time, then became sweet. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: It was bitter from the beginning, for “water” is said twice. “There He set a statute and judgment for him.”Exodus 15:25 The statute is the Sabbath, and the judgment is honoring father and mother. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: The statute concerns forbidden sexual relationships, as it says, “Keep My charge, so you do not practice these abominable customs.”Leviticus 18:30 The judgment concerns laws of coercion, injuries and fines. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says: Why did judgments precede all the commandments? When a judgment between people is pending, they compete with each other. Once it is decided, peace is made between them. So Jethro says to Moses, “If you do this, and God commands you, you will be able to endure, and all this people will go to their place in peace.”Exodus 18:23 “There He tested him.”Exodus 15:25 There Israel was raised up, as it says, “Evil-Merodach king of Babylon raised Jehoiachin’s head.”2 Kings 25:27 These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin told him: But greatness is always written with sin, while here the letter is samek. What then does “There He tested him” mean? There God tested Israel. Another interpretation of “There he tested Him”: There our ancestors tested God.

26 “He said: If you listen carefully.”Exodus 15:26 If a person hears one commandment, he is enabled to hear many, as it says, “If you listen, you will listen.”Exodus 15:26 If a person forgets one commandment, he is led to forget many, as it says, “If you forget, you will forget.”Deuteronomy 8:19 “To the LORD your God’s voice.”Exodus 15:26 This teaches that anyone who obeys the Almighty’s voice is credited as though he served before the One who lives forever, blessed be He. “And do what is right in His eyes.”Exodus 15:26 This concerns business dealings. Anyone who deals honestly and pleases his fellow creatures is credited as though he fulfilled the whole Torah. “And listen to His commandments.”Exodus 15:26 These are halakhot. “And keep all His statutes.”Exodus 15:26 These are decrees. “I will put none of the diseases I put on Egypt on you.”Exodus 15:26 And if I do put them on you, “I am the LORD who heals you.” These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: “If you listen.” Might this be optional? Scripture says, “You must listen,” making it an obligation. Another interpretation of “You must listen”: This is the general principle that includes the whole Torah. “To the LORD your God’s voice.”Exodus 15:26 These are the Ten Commandments spoken on Mount Sinai. “And do what is right in His eyes.”Exodus 15:26 These are fine teachings that everyone’s ears can hear. “And listen to His commandments.”Exodus 15:26 These are decrees. “And keep all His statutes.”Exodus 15:26 These are testimonies. If you do this, “I will put none of the diseases I put on Egypt on you.” Why does it say, “I am the LORD who heals you”?Exodus 15:26 The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses: The words of Torah I gave you are life and healing for you, as it says, “They are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”Proverbs 4:22 Another interpretation of “I am the LORD who heals you”: Rabbi Isaac says: If they have no illness, why do they need healing? Rather, say: “I will not put them on you” in this world, for “I am the LORD who heals you” in the world to come.Exodus 15:26

27 “They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees.”Exodus 15:27 Scripture tells us that this place was more cursed in its water than any other place. There were twelve springs, yet they supplied only seventy palms. When Israel came, six hundred thousand people camped there, and the springs supplied them with water. They stayed one night, a second and a third. “They camped there by the water.”Exodus 15:27 This teaches that Israel camped only by water. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says: From the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He created twelve springs there corresponding to the twelve tribes, and seventy palms corresponding to the seventy elders. “They camped there by the water.”Exodus 15:27 This teaches that they sat studying the words of Torah given to them at Marah.

Exodus 16

1 “They traveled from Elim, and the whole congregation of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin on the fifteenth day.”Exodus 16:1 Why mention “day”? To identify the day on which the Sabbath fell. It had followed its regular cycle from the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world until it was given to them on the twenty-second of Iyyar. Another interpretation. Why mention “day”? To identify the day on which the Torah was given to Israel. Another interpretation. Why mention “day”? To identify the day on which manna was given to Israel. They ate the cake they brought from Egypt for thirty-one days. As it says, “They baked the dough they brought from Egypt.”Exodus 12:39 Here it says “on the fifteenth day of the second month,”Exodus 16:1 and nearby, “I will rain bread down for you.”Exodus 16:4 Rabbi Shila says, “It supplied them with sixty-one meals.”

2 “The whole congregation of Israel complained.”Exodus 16:2 Rabbi Joshua says, “The Israelites should have consulted their leading elder and asked, ‘What will we eat?’ Instead, they stood up and complained against Moses.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “The Israelites were accustomed to standing up and complaining against Moses. They complained not only against Moses, but even against the Almighty. That is why it says, ‘The whole congregation of Israel complained.’”Exodus 16:2

3 “The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the LORD’s hand.’”Exodus 16:3 They said, “If only we had died during the three days of darkness in Egypt.” “When we sat beside the pots of meat.”Exodus 16:3 Rabbi Joshua says, “Were they not craving everything? They exaggerated when they said this.” “When we ate bread until we were full.”Exodus 16:3 Were they not craving everything? They exaggerated when they said this. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “The Israelites were slaves in the Egyptian kingdom. They went to the market and took bread, meat, fish, and anything else, and nobody stopped them. They went to the fields and took figs, grapes, pomegranates, and anything else, and nobody stopped them.” “For you have brought us out into this wilderness.”Exodus 16:3 They said, “You brought us into this desolate wilderness, where there is nothing.” “To make this whole assembly die of hunger.”Exodus 16:3 Rabbi Joshua says, “No death is worse than hunger, as it says, ‘Those killed by the sword were better off than those killed by hunger.’”Lamentations 4:9 Rabbi Eleazar says, “‘By hunger,’ baraʿav, means ‘hunger came,’ ba raʿav. Hunger after hunger came on us, plague after plague, darkness after darkness.”

4 “The LORD said to Moses, ‘I will rain down for you.’”Exodus 16:4 Rabbi Joshua says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told him, ‘I am revealing Myself at once, without delay.’” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “He says ‘Here I am’ only with reference to the ancestors.” “Raining down for you.”Exodus 16:4 Rabbi Joshua says, “Certainly, it is fitting only for you.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “He says ‘for you’ only because of your ancestors’ merit.” “From heaven.”Exodus 16:4 From the good storehouse in heaven, as it says, “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens.”Deuteronomy 28:12 Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says, “See how dear Israel is to their Father in heaven. Because they are dear to Him, the works of creation were reversed for them. What was above became below, and what was below became above. At first bread grew from the earth, as it says, ‘A land of grain and new wine,’Deuteronomy 33:28 and dew came down from heaven, as it says, ‘His heavens also drip with dew.’Deuteronomy 33:28 But things were reversed. Bread began coming down from heaven, as it says, ‘Bread from heaven,’Exodus 16:4 and dew rose from the earth, as it says, ‘The layer of dew rose.’”Exodus 16:14 “The people must go out and gather.”Exodus 16:4 Rabbi Joshua says, “You are not to go out into your courtyards and gather. You are to go out into the wilderness and gather.” “Each day’s portion on its day.”Exodus 16:4 Rabbi Joshua says, “A person may gather one day for the next, just as on the day before the Sabbath one gathers for the Sabbath.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “A person must not gather one day for the next.” Rabbi Eliezer also used to say, “Someone who has food for today and says, ‘What will I eat tomorrow?’ is lacking in faith. For it says, ‘Each day’s portion on its day.’Exodus 16:4 The One who created the day created its food.” Another interpretation of “Each day’s portion on its day.”Exodus 16:4 Rabbi Shimon says, “Because of His love for Israel, He gives them bread each day. What is this like? A human king became angry with his son and said, ‘He must not see me. Let him come at the beginning of the year and collect his allowance.’ The son lived on it throughout the year, but was distressed. ‘If only I could see my father, even without receiving an allowance!’ When the king was reconciled with him, he said, ‘Let him come every day and collect his allowance.’ That son said, ‘Even if all I gain is seeing the king every day, it is enough.’ So Israel, because they were loved, received their food day by day, so that they would plead with God and enter the Shekinah’s presence every day.” “So that I may test them, whether they will follow My Torah or not.”Exodus 16:4 It is a test for them and for everyone in the world. Anyone who resolves to serve God wholeheartedly will find that He provides what they need, wherever it comes from. Rabbi Joshua says, “If a person studies two rulings in the morning and two in the evening, and works all day, it is credited to him as though he had fulfilled the entire Torah.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “The Torah was given for study only to those who eat manna. How could a person sit and study without knowing where food and drink will come from, or where clothing and coverings will come from? The Torah was given for study only to those who eat manna. Next to them are those who eat the priestly contribution.”

5 “On the sixth day they must prepare.”Exodus 16:5 From this we learn that a person may gather on the day before the Sabbath for the Sabbath. “It will be mishneh.”Exodus 16:5 Bread that is different, meshunneh. You say it means bread that is different. Could it mean only a double quantity of bread? When it says, “They gathered double bread, two omers for each person,”Exodus 16:22 the double quantity is already stated. What, then, does “mishneh” teach? Bread that is different. Every day one omer came down, but for the Sabbath, two omers. Every day its fragrance spread, but for the Sabbath, even more. Every day it gleamed like gold, but for the Sabbath, even more. Another interpretation of “On the sixth day they must prepare.”Exodus 16:5 From this they said that a weekday prepares for the Sabbath, and a weekday prepares for a festival. A festival does not prepare for the Sabbath, and the Sabbath does not prepare for a festival.

6 “Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening.’”Exodus 16:6 They told them, “While you sleep in your beds, God provides for you.” “You will know that the LORD brought you out of the land of Egypt.”Exodus 16:6 From this you learn that, before God, the departure from Egypt equals all the miracles and mighty deeds He performed for Israel.

7 “In the morning you will see the LORD’s glory.”Exodus 16:7 From this you learn that manna was given to Israel with a bright face. They asked for manna properly, so it was given with a bright face. They asked for meat from full stomachs, so it was given with a dark face. “What are we, that you complain against us?”Exodus 16:7 They told them, “How important are we, that you stand up and complain against us?”

8 “Moses said, ‘When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening.’”Exodus 16:8 From this you learn that meat was given to Israel with a dark face, but manna with a bright face. “Your complaints are against the LORD, not against us.”Exodus 16:8 They told them, “If you were standing up and complaining against us, we would not be distressed. But you are standing up and complaining before the One who lives forever, blessed be He.”

9 “Moses said to Aaron, ‘Tell the whole congregation of Israel, “Come before the LORD.”’”Exodus 16:9 Rabbi Joshua says, “‘Come’ means only to face judgment, as it says, ‘Present your case, says the LORD. Submit your arguments, says the King of Israel.’”Isaiah 41:21 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Come’ is said only when the Shekinah is revealed.”

10 “They turned toward the wilderness.”Exodus 16:10 Rabbi Joshua says, “‘They turned’ means only to face judgment.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “It is said only with reference to the earliest ancestors. For it says, ‘They turned toward the wilderness.’Exodus 16:10 Just as the wilderness has no sin or wrongdoing, so the earliest ancestors had no sin or wrongdoing.” “The LORD’s glory appeared in the cloud.”Exodus 16:10 Rabbi Yose ben Shimon says, “Whenever Israel wanted to stone Moses and Aaron, God appeared in a pillar of cloud. God said, ‘Better that the pillar of cloud be struck than that Moses and Aaron be stoned.’”

11 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying.Exodus 16:11

12 “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints.”Exodus 16:12 Rabbi Joshua says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, ‘What Israel has said, and what they will yet say before Me, is revealed and known to Me.’” “Speak to them and say, ‘At twilight you will eat meat.’”Exodus 16:12 He told them, “You stood between two things. You asked for manna. Since people cannot live without bread, I gave it to you. Then you asked for meat from full stomachs. I am giving it to you. Why am I giving it to you? So that you will not think, ‘He cannot provide us with meat.’ I am giving it to you, but afterward I will punish you.” “You will know that I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 16:12 I am a judge who exacts punishment.

13 “In the evening the quail came up.”Exodus 16:13 From this you learn that meat was given to Israel with a dark face. “It covered the camp.”Exodus 16:13 I do not know how much. Scripture says, “About two cubits above the ground.”Numbers 11:31 It was two cubits above the ground, so that a person could stand and take it at chest height without difficulty. From the heart down is two cubits, and from the heart up, one cubit. And it says, “He scattered it beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on that side, all around the camp.”Numbers 11:31 Everything that happened with the second quail happened with the first. The passage that is not explicit is explained by the one that is.

14 “The layer of dew rose.”Exodus 16:14 Scripture teaches how manna came down for Israel. A north wind swept the wilderness. Rain came down and packed the ground. Dew fell on it, and the wind blew over it, making it like golden tables. Manna came down on them, and Israel gathered it and ate. “There, on the surface of the wilderness.”Exodus 16:14 Not all of it, but part of it. “Fine.” This teaches that it was fine. “Flaky.” This teaches that it was flaky. “Fine as frost on the ground.” This teaches that it came down on the ground like ice. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘The layer of dew rose.’Exodus 16:14 God stretched out His hand, so to speak, and accepted the prayer of the ancestors who rest in the dust. He sent manna down like dew for Israel. ‘There, on the surface of the wilderness.’Exodus 16:14 Not the whole wilderness, but part of it. ‘Fine,’ dak, teaches that it came down from heaven, which is called dak. For it says, ‘Who stretches out the heavens like a thin curtain.’Isaiah 40:22 Since it came down from heaven, how do we know it did not come down cold? Scripture says ḥam, warm. Since it came down from above, could it have come down noisily? How do we know it came down silently? Scripture says ḥas, be silent. Since it came down on the ground, how do we know it came down only on vessels? Scripture says saf, a vessel.” Rabbi Tarfon says, “It came down only on the branches.” “Like frost,” kakefor.Exodus 16:14 God stretched out His hand, so to speak, and accepted the prayer of the ancestors who rest in the dust. He sent manna down with dew for Israel, as it says, “I have found a ransom,” kofer.Job 33:24 Once Rabbi Tarfon and his students were sitting, with Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin among them. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin told them, “The manna that came down for Israel was sixty cubits high.” They said, “Our brother Eleazar, how long will you keep piling up astonishing claims before us?” He told them, “I am interpreting a verse from the Torah. Which measure is greater, the measure of goodness or the measure of punishment? You must say the measure of goodness. Of the measure of punishment, it says, ‘The windows of heaven,’Genesis 7:11 and then, ‘The waters rose fifteen cubits.’Genesis 7:20 Whichever you consider, it was fifteen cubits in a river valley, fifteen cubits over a mountain, and fifteen cubits over a plain. Of the measure of goodness, it says, ‘He commanded the skies above, opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna on them to eat.’Psalms 78:23-24 ‘Doors’ means at least two. How many windows are in a door? Four. Four and four make eight. Calculate it, then. The manna that came down for Israel was sixty cubits high.” Issi ben Akiva says, “How do we know that manna came down for Israel so that everyone in the world saw it? Scripture says, ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.’”Psalms 23:5

15 “The Israelites saw it and said to one another, ‘Man hu.’”Exodus 16:15 Like someone asking a friend, “What is it?” the Israelites said, “Man hu.” “Moses told them, ‘It is the bread.’”Exodus 16:15 Moses told the elders, and the elders told Israel. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “Moses told the elders, and he told all Israel.” “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.”Exodus 16:15 Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Shimon says, “At that time Israel was fattened like horses. Here it says ‘to eat,’ and elsewhere it says, ‘A person ate the bread of the mighty.’Psalms 78:25 He told them, ‘This bread you eat builds up the limbs.’ It also says maḥspas,Exodus 16:14 because it comes down into the two hundred and forty-eight limbs of the human body, the numerical value of maḥspas.” Another interpretation of “A person ate the bread of the mighty.”Psalms 78:25 This is Joshua, for whom as much manna came down as for all Israel.

16 “This is what the LORD commanded. Gather from it, each according to what he eats.”Exodus 16:16 They said that when Nahshon ben Amminadab went out to gather, he and his household gathered a great deal, while a poor Israelite gathered a little. When they measured it, it was “an omer per head, according to the number of your people.”Exodus 16:16 They said that someone who eats this amount is healthy and blessed. Someone who eats less has disordered digestion. Someone who eats more is a glutton. “Each of you must take for those in his tent.”Exodus 16:16 From this we learn that a person is responsible for feeding his wife and children.

17 “The Israelites did so, and gathered, some more and some less.”Exodus 16:17 They did what they were commanded and did not disobey Moses’ decree.

18 “Moses told them, ‘No one may leave any of it until morning.’”Exodus 16:19 This is a king’s decree. Anyone who leaves some violates a prohibition.

19 “They did not listen to Moses.”Exodus 16:20 These were those among them who lacked faith. “Some men left it.”Exodus 16:20 It does not say “the men,” but “some men.” The men did not leave any. Other men left it. “It bred worms and stank.”Exodus 16:20 Can something first teem with worms and then stink? It stinks first, then teems with worms, as it says below, “It did not stink, and there were no worms in it.”Exodus 16:24 Another interpretation of “It bred worms and stank.”Exodus 16:20 How did Israel know that some had been left? They saw lines of worms coming out of Dathan’s and Abiram’s houses toward one another. This is what is written, “Fools display disgrace.”Proverbs 3:35 “Moses became angry with them.”Exodus 16:20 Moses was angry with them and asked, “Why did you do this?”

20 “They gathered it morning by morning.”Exodus 16:21 Early each morning. “Each according to what he eats.” Those who interpret symbolic expressions say, “From this we learn that even manna was subject to ‘By the sweat of your face you will eat bread.’”Genesis 3:19 “When the sun grew hot.”Exodus 16:21 At the fourth hour. You say the fourth hour. Could it mean the sixth hour? When it says “in the heat of the day,”Genesis 18:1 the sixth hour is already stated. How, then, do I understand “when the sun grew hot”? At the fourth hour. “It melted.”Exodus 16:21 When the sun shone on it, it melted and flowed down. Streams ran from it to the Great Sea. Deer, gazelles, and fallow deer came and drank from them. People from the nations came and hunted them, and tasted in them the flavor of the manna God gave Israel.

21 “On the sixth day they gathered mishneh bread.”Exodus 16:22 Bread that was different. “Two omers for each person.” A double quantity of bread. “All the leaders of the congregation came and reported to Moses.”Exodus 16:22 They asked him, “Moses our teacher, how is today different from other days?” He told them, “This is what the LORD said. A complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD.”Exodus 16:23 They asked, “When?” He told them, “Tomorrow.”

22 “Bake what you will bake.”Exodus 16:23 Bake in addition to what is already baked, and cook in addition to what is already cooked. This is the source for an eruv tavshilin, according to the school of Shammai, which requires an eruv for each kind of food. Rabbi Joshua says, “‘Bake what you will bake, and cook what you will cook.’Exodus 16:23 If someone wants to bake, it becomes baked for him. If someone wants to cook, it becomes cooked for him.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Bake what you will bake, and cook what you will cook.’Exodus 16:23 Someone who wants the taste of baked food tastes in it every baked food in the world. Someone who wants cooked food tastes in it every cooked food in the world.”

23 “They kept it until morning.”Exodus 16:24 They did what they were commanded.

24 “Moses said, ‘Eat it today.’”Exodus 16:25 Since Israel was accustomed to going out in the morning, they asked him, “Moses our teacher, should we go out in the morning?” He told them, “Eat it today.” They asked him, “Since we did not go out in the morning, should we go out at twilight?” He told them, “For today is a Sabbath to the LORD.”Exodus 16:25 At that moment the Israelites lost heart. They asked him, “Moses our teacher, since we did not find it today, might we not find it tomorrow either?” He told them, “Today you will not find it in the field.”Exodus 16:25 Today you do not find it. You will find it tomorrow. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar Ḥisma says, “You do not find it in this world. You will find it in the world to come.” Rabbi Joshua says, “Moses told Israel, ‘If you succeed in keeping the Sabbath, you will be saved from three calamities, the day of Gog, the day of the Messiah, and the days of the great court of judgment.’” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “Moses told Israel, ‘If you succeed in keeping the Sabbath, God will give you the land of Israel, the world to come, a new world, the kingdom of David’s house, priesthood, and Levitical service.’”

25 “Six days you must gather it.”Exodus 16:26 Rabbi Joshua says, “We have learned that manna did not come down on the Sabbath. How do we know about festivals? Scripture says, ‘The Sabbath, there will be none on it.’”Exodus 16:26 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Six days you must gather it.’Exodus 16:26 We have learned that manna did not come down on the Sabbath. How do we know about the Day of Atonement? Scripture says, ‘The Sabbath, there will be none on it.’”Exodus 16:26

26 “On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather.”Exodus 16:27 These were those among them who lacked faith.

27 “The LORD said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse?’”Exodus 16:28 The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “Tell Israel, ‘I brought you out of Egypt, split the sea for you, sent manna down for you, brought quail to you, and performed miracles and mighty deeds for you. How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My Torah? You might say, “You have placed many commandments on us.” But this Sabbath I gave you at Marah to observe, and you did not observe it. You might ask, “What reward does someone who keeps the Sabbath receive?” Scripture says, “Who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”Isaiah 56:2 You learn that anyone who keeps the Sabbath is kept far from wrongdoing.’” “My commandments and My Torah. See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath.”Exodus 16:28-29 Great is the Sabbath. In the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, we find that it equals all the commandments in the Torah. In the Torah it is written, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My Torah? See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath.”Exodus 16:28-29 In the Prophets, “I gave them My statutes and My judgments, which a person must practice to live by them. I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between Me and them.”Ezekiel 20:11-12 In the Writings, “You came down on Mount Sinai, spoke with them from heaven, and gave them just judgments, true teachings, good statutes and commandments. You made Your holy Sabbath known to them.”Nehemiah 9:13-14

28 “See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath.”Exodus 16:29 He told them, “Take care, for God has given you the Sabbath.” “That is why on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days.”Exodus 16:29 From this Rabbi Josiah used to say, “Double bread.” “Each person must stay where he is.”Exodus 16:29 These are four cubits. “No one may go out from his place.” These are two thousand cubits.

29 “The house of Israel called it manna.”Exodus 16:31 Those who interpret symbolic expressions say, “Israel called it manna.” “It was like gad seed.”Exodus 16:31 You do not know what kind. Rabbi Joshua said, “You must say flaxseed.” Could it also have been red, like flaxseed? Scripture says “white.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “It is like an aggadah that draws a person’s heart.” Rabbi Yose says, “It declares, maggid, of itself that it is manna, since it comes down neither on Sabbaths nor on festivals nor on the Day of Atonement.” Others say, “Just as a prophet tells Israel what is hidden and secret, so manna tells them what is hidden and secret. How? A wife wrongs her husband. She says, ‘He wronged me,’ and he says, ‘She wronged me.’ They come to Moses for judgment. He tells them, ‘Judgment in the morning.’ If her manna is found in her husband’s house in the morning, it is known that she wronged him. If her manna is found in her father’s house, it is known that he wronged her. Likewise, someone sells a slave to another. One says, ‘I bought him,’ and the other says, ‘I did not sell him.’ They come to Moses for judgment. He tells them, ‘Judgment in the morning.’ If his manna is found in his first master’s house in the morning, it is known that he has not been sold. If his manna is found in the other master’s house, it is known that he has been bought.” “Its taste was like wafers with honey.”Exodus 16:31 Rabbi Joshua says, “Like a stew with dumplings.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “Like fine flour that rises to the top of a sieve, kneaded with honey and butter.”

30 “Moses said, ‘This is what the LORD commanded. Fill an omer with it.’”Exodus 16:32 Could I say that Aaron put it away only in the fortieth year? Scripture says, “As the LORD commanded Moses, Aaron put it before the testimony.”Exodus 16:34 When was the ark made? Was it not in the second year? So Aaron put it away in the second year.

31 “Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a jar.’”Exodus 16:33 I do not know what this jar was made of, whether gold, silver, copper, iron, or lead. Scripture says “one jar,” tzintzenet. I mean only a vessel that keeps things cooler than another. What vessel keeps things cooler than another? You must say an earthenware vessel. “Put a full omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.”Exodus 16:33 Rabbi Joshua says, “For the ancestors.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “For the generations.” Rabbi Yose says, “For Jeremiah’s time. Jeremiah told Israel, ‘Devote yourselves to the Torah.’ They asked, ‘If we devote ourselves to the Torah, how will we support ourselves?’ He brought out the jar of manna and told them, ‘See what supported your ancestors when they devoted themselves to the Torah. If you too devote yourselves to the Torah, God will eventually support you.’” This is one of three signs Elijah will reveal to Israel, the flask of manna, the flask of water, and the flask of anointing oil.

32 “The Israelites ate manna for forty years.”Exodus 16:35 Rabbi Joshua says, “Israel ate manna for forty days after Moses’ death. Moses died on the seventh of Adar, and they ate it for twenty-four days of Adar and sixteen days of Nisan. As it says, ‘The manna ceased the next day, when they ate from the produce of the land.’”Joshua 5:12 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “Twenty-four days of Adar, thirty days of the second Adar, since it was a leap year, and sixteen days of Nisan. As it says, ‘The manna ceased the next day.’”Joshua 5:12 Others say, “Israel ate manna for fifty-four years, forty years in the wilderness, seven of conquest, and seven of allotment. For it says, ‘Until they came to an inhabited land.’Exodus 16:35 What does ‘an inhabited land’ teach? That Israel ate manna for fourteen years after Moses’ death.”

33 “An omer.”Exodus 16:36 I do not know how much it is. Scripture says, “It is a tenth of an ephah,” a tenth of three seahs. This is seven quarter-kavs and a little more. This extra amount is a fifth of a quarter-kav.

Exodus 17

1 “The whole congregation of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin.”Exodus 17:1 In the course of our study we have learned that the enemy comes only because of sin and wrongdoing.

2 “The people argued with Moses.”Exodus 17:2 They went beyond what was just. “Moses told them, ‘Why do you argue with me? Why do you test the LORD?’”Exodus 17:2 He told them, “Whenever you contend with me, you are testing God.” Another interpretation. He told them, “Whenever you contend with me, God performs miracles and mighty deeds for you, and His name becomes great in the world.”

3 “There the people thirsted for water.”Exodus 17:3 This teaches that thirst had reached them. Elsewhere it says, “They came to Marah and could not drink the water of Marah.”Exodus 15:23 Thirst had not reached them then, but here it had. “They said, ‘Why did you bring us up from Egypt?’”Exodus 17:3 He told them, “Normally, when someone becomes angry at home, he directs his anger at the least important person. Here they directed it at the most important.” “To make me, my children, and my livestock die of thirst.”Exodus 17:3 From this Rabbi Josiah used to say, “The house has fallen. Its window is doomed.” Another interpretation of “To make me, my children, and my livestock die.”Exodus 17:3 They said that a person’s animal is his very life. How? Someone who goes on a journey without his animal suffers hardship.

4 “Moses cried out to the LORD, ‘What am I to do with this people?’”Exodus 17:4 This makes Moses’ excellence known. He did not say, “Since they contend with me, I will not ask mercy for them.” Instead, he asked, “What am I to do with this people?” “A little more, and they will stone me.”Exodus 17:4 He said before Him, “Master of the world, between You and them I will be killed. You told me not to be angry with them, ‘For You tell me, “Carry them in your arms.”’”Numbers 11:12 Here God lowers the anger while Moses raises it. In the episode of the calf, God raises it while Moses lowers it.

5 “The LORD told Moses, ‘Pass before the people.’”Exodus 17:5 Pass over their words, for they are distressed. Rabbi Judah says, “Pass over their sin.” Rabbi Nehemiah says, “‘Before this people.’ Let whoever feels hurt speak.” Another interpretation of “Pass before this people.”Exodus 17:5 Bring water out for them. “Take some of Israel’s elders with you.”Exodus 17:5 As witnesses, so that they will not say there were springs there. “Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.”Exodus 17:5 This is one of three things about which Israel complained, saying they brought punishment, incense, the staff, and the ark. They said, “This incense brings punishment. It killed Nadab and Abihu. It killed Korah and his company.” In the end they learned that it brought blessing. “He put in the incense and made atonement for the people.”Numbers 16:47 They said, “This ark brings punishment. It killed the Philistines, the people of Beth Shemesh, and Uzzah.” In the end they learned that it brought blessing. “The ark of the LORD stayed in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and his whole household.”2 Samuel 6:11 They said, “This staff brings punishment. It brought plagues on the Egyptians in Egypt.” In the end they learned that it brought blessing. “Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.”Exodus 17:5

6 “I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb.”Exodus 17:6 He told him, “Wherever you find the imprint of human feet, as in ‘a likeness resembling a human,’Ezekiel 1:26 there I stand before you.” “You must strike with the rock.”Exodus 17:6 From this Rabbi Yose ben Zimra says that this staff was made of sapphire. It does not say “strike on the rock,” but “strike with the rock.”

7 “He called the place Massah and Meribah.”Exodus 17:7 Rabbi Joshua says, “Moses called it Massah and Meribah.” Rabbi Eliezer of Modiʿin says, “God, blessed be He, called it Massah and Meribah. For it says, ‘He called the name, the Place.’Exodus 17:7 From this we learn that the great court is called ‘Place.’” “Because the Israelites argued.”Exodus 17:7 Rabbi Joshua says, “They said, ‘If the Master of all worlds, blessed be He, is present as He is present over us, we will know. Otherwise, we will not know.’” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “They said, ‘If He provides what we need in the wilderness, we will serve Him. Otherwise, we will not serve Him.’”

8 “Amalek came.”Exodus 17:8 Rabbi Josiah and Rabbi Eleazar Ḥisma say, “This verse is indicated and explained by Job. ‘Can papyrus grow without marshland? Can reeds grow without water?’Job 8:11 Can papyrus exist without marshland, or reeds without water? So Israel cannot abandon the words of the Torah. Because they abandoned the words of the Torah, they began complaining. That is why the enemy came against them. The enemy comes only because of sin and wrongdoing. For it says, ‘Amalek came.’”Exodus 17:8 “Amalek came.”Exodus 17:8 He came openly defiant, as it says, “He did not fear God.”Deuteronomy 25:18 Rabbi Yose ben Ḥalafta says, “‘Amalek came.’Exodus 17:8 He came with a plan. He went and assembled all those thousands and tens of thousands to meet punishment. They said, ‘How can we stand against them? Pharaoh stood against them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, drowned him in the sea. How can we stand against them?’ He told them, ‘I will advise you what to do. If they defeat us, flee. If not, come and help us against them.’” Rabbi Nathan ben Joseph says, “Amalek crossed five peoples’ territories to come and make war against Israel. For it says, ‘Amalek lives in the Negev. The Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and beside the Jordan.’Numbers 13:29 He was farther inland than all of them.” Rabbi says, “He came only from the mountains of Seir. Amalek crossed four hundred parasangs to come and make war against Israel.” Others say, “Let ungrateful Amalek come and punish an ungrateful people.” “He fought Israel at Rephidim.”Exodus 17:8 Rabbi Joshua says, “He entered beneath the clouds of glory, kidnapped Israelites, and killed them. For it says, ‘He encountered you on the road and attacked all the stragglers behind you.’”Deuteronomy 25:18 “At Rephidim.”Exodus 17:8 Rabbi Ḥananiah said, “We asked Rabbi Eliezer about this while he sat in the great assembly. ‘What is Rephidim?’ He told us, ‘It means what it says.’” Rabbi Ḥananiah also said, “We asked Rabbi Eliezer about this while he sat in the great assembly. ‘Why did Israel redeem firstborn donkeys, but not firstborn camels or horses?’ He told us, ‘It is the decree of the King of kings, blessed be He.’” Another interpretation. Because they helped Israel leave Egypt. Every Israelite had seventy donkeys before him, loaded with silver, gold, precious stones, and pearls. Those who interpret symbolic expressions say, “Rephidim means only ‘slack hands.’ Because Israel’s hands slackened in holding to the Torah, the enemy came against them. The enemy comes only because of sin and wrongdoing. As it says, ‘When Rehoboam’s kingdom was established and he became strong, he abandoned the LORD’s Torah, and all Israel with him.’2 Chronicles 12:1 What does it say? ‘In the fifth year, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD.’”2 Chronicles 12:2

9 “Moses told Joshua, ‘Choose men for us.’”Exodus 17:9 From this we learn that a person should value a student’s honor as much as a colleague’s. Let the whole world learn from Moses. He did not tell Joshua, “Choose men for me,” but “Choose men for us.” He treated him as his equal. “Men.”Exodus 17:9 Brave men, men who fear sin. “Go out and fight Amalek.”Exodus 17:9 Why does Moses tell Joshua to make war against Amalek? There is a tradition that Esau’s descendants fall only to Rachel’s descendants. “Go out and fight Amalek.”Exodus 17:9 Rabbi Joshua says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, ‘Go out from beneath the Shekinah’s wings and fight Amalek.’” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, ‘Tell Joshua, “What are you saving your head for? Is it not for a crown? Go out and fight Amalek.”’” “Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop, with God’s staff in my hand.”Exodus 17:9 Tomorrow we will be ready and standing on the hilltop. The staff that the Holy One, blessed be He, said should be in your hand will always be in my hand. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “Tomorrow we will declare a fast and be ready and standing. ‘On the top’ means the deeds of the fathers. ‘The hill’ means the deeds of the mothers. ‘With God’s staff in my hand.’Exodus 17:9 Moses said before God, ‘With this staff of Yours You brought them out of Egypt, split the sea for them, brought quail to them, sent manna down for them, and performed miracles and mighty deeds for them. With this staff perform miracles and mighty deeds for them at this hour.’”

10 “Joshua did as Moses told him.”Exodus 17:10 He did what he was commanded and did not disobey Moses’ decree. “Moses, Aaron, and Hur.”Exodus 17:10 Hur was Miriam’s son. “Went up to the hilltop.” This refers to what we have said. From this we learn that the prayer leader should have one person at his right and one at his left.

11 “Whenever Moses raised his hand, Israel prevailed.”Exodus 17:11 Rabbi Eliezer says, “Did Moses’ hands make Israel prevail? Did his hands break Amalek? Rather, whenever Israel does God’s will and believes what God commanded Moses, God performs miracles and mighty deeds for them. Likewise, ‘They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts.’Exodus 12:7 What benefit does blood give the angel? What benefit does it give the doorpost? Rather, whenever Israel does God’s will and believes what Moses commanded them to do, God has mercy on them. Likewise, ‘The LORD told Moses, “Make a fiery serpent.”’Numbers 21:8 Does a serpent kill or bring to life? Rather, whenever Israel does God’s will and believes what He commanded them, they are healed.” Another interpretation of “Whenever Moses raised his hand.”Exodus 17:11 Rabbi Akiva says, “When Moses raised his hand, he signaled that Israel would exalt the words of the Torah and be victorious. When he lowered his hand, it signaled, so to speak, that Israel would lower the words of the Torah and not be victorious.”

12 “Moses’ hands were heavy.”Exodus 17:12 Moses’ hands grew heavy at that time, like a person with two jars of water hanging from him. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “From this we learn not to delay a commandment. If Moses had told Joshua, ‘Choose men for me at once,’ he would not have come to that distress. Instead, he said, ‘Tomorrow.’” “They took a stone.”Exodus 17:12 Was there not a cushion or pillow there for him to sit on? But he said, “As long as Israel is in distress, I too will share their suffering.” From this they said, “Happy is someone who suffers with the community.” “Aaron and Hur supported his hand.”Exodus 17:12 This teaches that he had been raising and lowering them. “His hands were steady until sunset.”Exodus 17:12 This teaches that Israel fasted throughout that day. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eliezer of Modiʿin says, “‘Moses’ hands were heavy.’Exodus 17:12 Sin weighed on Moses’ hands, and he could not bear it. What did he do? He turned to the earliest ancestors. For it says, ‘They took a stone and put it beneath him.’Exodus 17:12 These are the fathers’ deeds. ‘He sat on it.’ These are the mothers’ deeds. ‘Aaron and Hur supported his hands.’Exodus 17:12 What does ‘one on this side, and one on that’ teach? Aaron recalled Levi’s merit, and Hur recalled Judah’s merit. From this they said, ‘No fewer than three people lead the prayers before the ark on a communal fast.’ ‘His hands were faithful.’Exodus 17:12 His hand, which had taken nothing from Israel, was faithful until sunset.” Another interpretation of “His hands were faithful.”Exodus 17:12 Moses said before God, “Master of the world, through my hand You brought them out of Egypt. Through my hand You split the sea for them, sent manna down for them, brought quail to them, and performed miracles and mighty deeds for them. Through my hand perform miracles and mighty deeds for them at this hour.” Another interpretation of “Faithful until sunset.”Exodus 17:12 He said, “I have seen that all kingdoms fight only until the sixth hour. This guilty kingdom fights from morning to evening.”

13 “Joshua weakened Amalek.”Exodus 17:13 Rabbi Joshua says, “He went down and beheaded the warriors standing at the front of the ranks.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “The word is an abbreviation, ‘he made sick,’ ‘he seized,’ ‘he broke.’” “Amalek.”Exodus 17:13 It means what it says. “People.” These are his sons. “Et.” These are the troops with him. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Amalek’ means what it says. ‘People’ means his sons. ‘Et’ means the troops with him. When it says ‘veʾet,’ these are the troops with his sons.” “By the edge of the sword.”Exodus 17:13 Rabbi Judah says, “‘By the mouth of the sword.’ We learn that this war took place only at the Almighty’s command.” Others say, “‘By the edge of the sword.’Exodus 17:13 What is said elsewhere was fulfilled in them, ‘I will make you blood, and blood will pursue you. Since you did not hate blood, blood will pursue you.’”Ezekiel 35:6 “The LORD told Moses, ‘Write this as a memorial in the book.’”Exodus 17:14 The earliest elders say, “The whip that strikes Israel will itself be struck in the end. Let the whole world learn from Pharaoh. Because he came and enslaved Israel, God drowned him in the sea. For it says, ‘He swept Pharaoh and his army into the Sea of Reeds.’Psalms 136:15 You find the same with Amalek. Because he came and harmed Israel, God destroyed him from this world and the world to come. For it says, ‘I will completely erase the memory of Amalek.’Exodus 17:14 Likewise, God exacts punishment from every nation and kingdom that comes and harms Israel by that same means.”

14 “Write this as a memorial in the book.”Exodus 17:14 “Write” means what is written here. “This” means what is written in Deuteronomy. “A memorial” means what is written in the Prophets. “In the book” means what is written in the scroll. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘This’ means what is written here and in Deuteronomy. ‘A memorial’ means what is written in the Prophets. ‘In the book’ means what is written in the scroll.” “Place it in Joshua’s hearing.”Exodus 17:14 Joshua was anointed that day. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “This is one of four people who were given a hint. Two understood it, and two did not. Moses was given a hint and did not understand it. ‘Place it in Joshua’s hearing.’Exodus 17:14 Joshua would bring Israel into the land. In the end Moses kept making all those requests and pleas until he was told, ‘Enough. Do not speak of this again.’Deuteronomy 3:26 Jacob was given a hint and did not understand it. For it says, ‘I am with you and will protect you.’Genesis 28:15 In the end he was afraid. For it says, ‘He was afraid and distressed.’Genesis 32:7 Could someone whom God had promised this be afraid? Rather, he said, ‘Perhaps sin will cause it.’ David was given a hint and understood it. For it says, ‘Your servant struck both the lion and the bear.’1 Samuel 17:36 He said, ‘How important am I, that I killed these three dangerous animals? Perhaps something will happen to Israel, and they will be saved through me.’ That is why it says, ‘This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them.’1 Samuel 17:36 Mordecai was given a hint and understood it. For it says, ‘Every day Mordecai walked before the courtyard of the women’s house.’Esther 2:11 He said, ‘Could this devout woman be married to this uncircumcised man? Perhaps something will happen to Israel, and they will be saved through her.’ At once, ‘The matter became known to Mordecai, and he told Queen Esther.’”Esther 2:22 “For I will completely erase.”Exodus 17:14 “Erase” in this world. “I will erase” in the world to come. “Erase” him and his whole family. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Amalek’ means Agag. ‘Memory’ means Haman. ‘Erase’ him and his whole family. ‘I will erase’ him and that whole generation.” “From under heaven.”Exodus 17:14 Rabbi Joshua says, “So that Amalek will have no offspring or descendants. So that people will not say, ‘This camel belonged to Amalek. This ewe belonged to Amalek. This tree belonged to Amalek.’” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “Because he came to destroy Israel from beneath the wings of heaven. Moses said before God, ‘Master of the world, this wicked man has come to destroy Your children from under heaven. Who will read the Torah scroll You gave them?’” Rabbi Nathan says, “Haman came only to give Israel a memorial. For it says, ‘These days of Purim will not pass from among the Jews, and their memory will not end among their descendants.’”Esther 9:28

15 “Moses built an altar and called its name ‘The LORD Is My Banner.’”Exodus 17:15 Rabbi Joshua says, “Moses called it ‘my miracle.’ He told them, ‘This miracle God performed for you, He performed because of me.’” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “God called it ‘my miracle.’ Whenever Israel experiences a miracle, it is as though the miracle is before Him. When they are in distress, it is as though the distress is before Him. When they are joyful, the joy is before Him. As it says, ‘For I rejoice in Your salvation.’”1 Samuel 2:1

16 “He said, ‘For a hand is on Yah’s throne.’”Exodus 17:16 When he sits on Yah’s throne and the war is Yah’s, then there is war for the LORD against Amalek. From this we learn that appointing a king comes before cutting off Amalek’s descendants. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, swore by His throne that if people of any nation in the world came to convert, they would be accepted, but people of Amalek would not be accepted. For it says, ‘David asked the young man who brought him the news, “Who are you?” He said, “I am the son of an Amalekite convert.”’2 Samuel 1:13 At that moment David remembered what had been said to Moses his teacher. If people of any nation in the world came to convert, Israel would accept them, but they would not accept people of Amalek. David told him, ‘Your blood is on your own head. Your mouth has testified against you.’”2 Samuel 1:16 “From generation to generation.”Exodus 17:16 The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “From generation to generation I will pursue him, through every generation.” “From generation to generation.”Exodus 17:16 From the generation of this world to the generation of the world to come. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “From Samuel’s generation to the generation of the Messiah, which has three generations. How do we know that it has three generations? For it says, ‘They will fear You while the sun lasts, and before the moon, a generation and generations.’”Psalms 72:5

Exodus 18

1 “Jethro heard.”Exodus 18:1 What report did he hear that made him come? Rabbi Joshua says, “He heard about the war with Amalek and came, for it is written beside it, ‘Joshua weakened Amalek.’”Exodus 17:13 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “He heard about the giving of the Torah and came. We find that on the day the Torah was given to Israel, all the world’s kings trembled in their palaces. For it says, ‘In His palace everyone says, “Glory.”’Psalms 29:9 All the nations assembled before Balaam and told him, ‘It seems God is destroying His world with water, as He destroyed the generation of the flood.’ As it says, ‘The LORD sat enthroned at the flood.’Psalms 29:10 He told them, ‘Fools! He has already sworn not to bring a flood on the world. For it says, “This is like Noah’s waters to Me. I swore that Noah’s waters would never again pass over the earth.”’Isaiah 54:9 They told him, ‘Certainly He is not bringing a flood of water. But He is bringing a flood of fire.’ He told them, ‘He is bringing neither a flood of water nor a flood of fire. He is giving Torah to His people and rewarding those who fear Him.’ When they heard this from him, they all went home.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “He heard about the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and came. We find that on the day the sea split for Israel, it was heard about from one end of the world to the other. For it says, ‘When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings by the sea heard that the LORD had dried up the Jordan’s waters before the Israelites until they had crossed.’Joshua 5:1 Rahab likewise tells Joshua’s messengers, ‘We heard that the LORD dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds before you.’”Joshua 2:10 They said she was ten years old when Israel left Egypt. She practiced prostitution throughout the forty years Israel was in the wilderness. At fifty she converted. She said, “I sinned through three things. May I be forgiven through three things, the rope, the window, and the shelter.” For it says, “She lowered them by a rope through the window,”Joshua 2:15 and “She hid them in the stalks of flax.”Joshua 2:6 “Jethro.”Exodus 18:1 At first they called him Jether. For it says, “Moses went back to Jether his father-in-law.”Exodus 4:18 When he did good deeds, a letter was added to his name, and he was called Jethro. You find the same with Abraham. At first they called him Abram. When he did good deeds, a letter was added to his name, and he was called Abraham. You find the same with Sarah. At first they called her Sarai. When she did good deeds, a letter was added to her name, and she was called Sarah, for the whole world. You find the same with Joshua. At first they called him Hoshea. When he did good deeds, a letter was added to his name, and he was called Joshua. Another interpretation. Letters are also taken away. Learn this from Ephron. At first they called him ʿEfron. When he set a price with our father Abraham and told him, “Land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you?”Genesis 23:15 a letter was taken from his name, and he was called ʿEfrn. You find the same with Jehonadab. At first they called him Jehonadab.2 Kings 10:15 When he joined a wicked man, Jehu, a letter was taken from his name, and he was called Jonadab.Jeremiah 35:6 From this they said, “Do not associate with a wicked person, even to bring him near the Torah.” You find the same with Ahab son of Kolaiah. At first they called him ʾAḥʾav.Jeremiah 29:21 When he did evil deeds, a letter was taken from his name, and he was called ʾAḥav. Jethro was called seven names, Jether, Jethro, Hobab, Ben, Reuel, Putiel, and Keni. Jether, because he added a section to the Torah. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave him a section in which to distinguish himself. Which one? The appointment of elders. As it says, “You must select from all the people.”Exodus 18:21 Jethro, because he did good deeds. Hobab, because he was dear to God. Ben, because he was like a son to God. Reuel, because he was a friend to God. As it says, “Aaron and all Israel’s elders came to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.”Exodus 18:12 Putiel, because he had renounced every form of idolatry in the world. Keni, because he acquired the world to come. “Priest of Midian.”Exodus 18:1 Rabbi Joshua says, “He was an idolatrous priest, as it says, ‘Jonathan son of Gershom son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan.’”Judges 18:30 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “He was an official, as it says, ‘David’s sons were kohanim.’”2 Samuel 8:18 “Moses’ father-in-law.”Exodus 18:1 At first Moses honored him. For it says, “He went back to Jether his father-in-law.”Exodus 4:18 Then his father-in-law began honoring him. When people asked, “What is your distinction?” he told them, “I am Moses’ father-in-law.” “All that God did for Moses and Israel.”Exodus 18:1 Moses equals Israel, and Israel equals Moses. The teacher equals the student, and the student equals the leader. “For the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt.”Exodus 18:1 From this you learn that, before God, the departure from Egypt equals all the miracles and mighty deeds God performed for Israel.

2 2. Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe, took Tzipporah, wife of Moshe, after she was sent: R' Yehoshua says, after she left him with words. R' Elazar HaModai says, after she left him with a letter of divorce. It says here "after she was sent" and it says in another passuk "He will write for her a document of separation and put it in her hand, and send her from his house.Deuteronomy 24:1" Just like the "sending" there is referring to a divorce, so too the "sending" here is referring to a divorce. When was she sent? At the time that Hashem said to Moshe, Go and take My people out of Egypt, he too his wife and sons and rode them on the donkey. Hashem told Aaron, Go and greet your brother in the desert. He went out to greet him and started to kiss him and said to him, Moshe my brother, where were you all of these years? He responded to him, in Midian. He said to him, Who are these people with you? He responded to him, My wife and sons. He said to him, To where are you leading them? He responded, to Egypt. He said to him, On the first ones meaning the Jews who are already there we are upset, and how you are bringing the later ones meaning new Jews into Egypt. Immediately he said to her, Return to your father's house. She took her two sons, and returned to her father's house, and therefore it says, "After she was sent. And her two sons..."

3 “Her two sons. One was named Gershom, for he said, ‘I was a foreigner in a foreign land.’”Exodus 18:3 Rabbi Joshua says, “It was certainly a foreign land to me.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “A foreign land, because the whole world worships idols, while I worship the One who spoke and the world came into being. As it says, ‘God, the LORD God, spoke and called the earth from sunrise to sunset.’”Psalms 50:1

4 “The other was named Eliezer, for the God of my father helped me and saved me from Pharaoh’s sword.”Exodus 18:4 When did God save him? Rabbi Joshua said, “When Dathan told him, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?’”Exodus 2:14 Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “They seized Moses, brought him to the platform, bound him, and put a sword to his neck. An angel came down from heaven in Moses’ likeness. They seized the angel and let Moses go.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “God divided the people who seized Moses into groups, unable to speak, deaf, and blind. They asked those unable to speak, ‘Where is Moses?’ but they could not speak. They asked the deaf, but they could not hear. They asked the blind, but they could not see. As it says, ‘Who gave a person a mouth?’”Exodus 4:11

5 “Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to Moses with his sons and his wife.”Exodus 18:5 Why is this said? Because it says, “He told Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons.’”Exodus 18:6 I do not know whether they were Moses’ sons or her sons from another union. Scripture says, “Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife.”Exodus 18:5 They were Moses’ sons, not her sons from another union. “Into the wilderness.”Exodus 18:5 Scripture expresses amazement at him. A person living at home, amid the world’s honors, would come into this desolate wilderness where there was nothing! That is why it says “into the wilderness.”

6 “He told Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you.’”Exodus 18:6 Rabbi Joshua says, “He sent word through a messenger.” Rabbi Eliezer of Modiʿin says, “He sent a letter and shot it into Israel’s camp. ‘Do it for my sake. If you will not do it for my sake, do it for your wife’s sake. If you will not do it for your wife’s sake, do it for your two sons’ sake.’” Rabbi Eliezer says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, ‘I am the One who spoke and the world came into being. For it says, “God, the LORD God, spoke and called the earth.”Psalms 50:1 I bring near, and I send away. I brought Jethro near and did not send him away. This person who has come to you has come only to convert, only to enter beneath the Shekinah’s wings. You too must bring him near and not send him away.’” From this they said that a person should always push away with the left hand and draw near with the right, unlike Elisha, who sent Gehazi away forever.

7 “Moses went out to meet his father-in-law.”Exodus 18:7 They said that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders went out. Some say the ark also went out with them. “He bowed and kissed him, and each asked about the other’s well-being.”Exodus 18:7 We do not know who bowed to whom, or who kissed whom. Who have we heard called “a man”? Was it not Moses, as it says, “The man Moses was very humble”?Numbers 12:3 So it was Moses who bowed to Jethro and kissed him. From this they said that a person should always honor his father-in-law. David likewise told Saul, “My father, look, look!”1 Samuel 24:11 This teaches that he honored him as he honored his father. “Each asked about the other’s well-being.”Exodus 18:7 Great is peace, for it comes before praise of the Holy One, blessed be He. We find that he did not begin with Jethro by speaking about the departure from Egypt, the Ten Commandments, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the manna, or the quail. He began with peace. For it says, “Each asked about the other’s well-being,”Exodus 18:7 and afterward, “Moses told his father-in-law.”Exodus 18:8 Peace settles the mind to hear all these things. “They entered the tent.”Exodus 18:7 This is the house of study.

8 “Moses told his father-in-law.”Exodus 18:8 To attract him and bring him near the Torah. “All that the LORD did to Pharaoh and Egypt.”Exodus 18:8 Pharaoh equals Egypt, and Egypt equals Pharaoh. “For Israel’s sake.” So that you may know My people Israel. “All the hardship.”Exodus 18:8 In Egypt. “That met them.” At the sea. “On the way.” This is Amalek’s coming. “The LORD saved them.” From all of them.

9 “Jethro rejoiced over all the good.”Exodus 18:9 Rabbi Joshua says, “He told him about the good of manna. He told him, ‘In the manna the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us, we taste bread, meat, fish, locusts, and every delicacy in the world.’ For it says, ‘Good,’ ‘the good,’ ‘all the good,’ ‘over all the good.’” Rabbi Eliezer of Modiʿin says, “He told him about the good of the well. He told him, ‘In the well God gave us, we taste honey, milk, new wine, old wine, and every sweet thing in the world.’ For it says, ‘Good,’ ‘the good,’ ‘all the good,’ ‘over all the good.’” Rabbi Eliezer says, “He told him about the good of the land of Israel. He told him, ‘God will give us the land of Israel, the world to come, a new world, the kingdom of David’s house, priesthood, and Levitical service.’ For it says, ‘Good,’ ‘the good,’ ‘all the good,’ ‘over all the good.’” “Who saved them from Egypt’s hand.”Exodus 18:9 From beneath that burden of Egypt.

10 “Jethro said, ‘Blessed is the LORD.’”Exodus 18:10 Rabbi Pappis said, “It is a reproach to Moses and his company. God brought six hundred thousand people out of Egypt, and not one began by blessing God.” “Who saved you from Egypt’s hand.”Exodus 18:10 What does “from Pharaoh’s hand” teach? From the hand of the one called the great dragon. For it says, “I am against you, the great dragon.”Ezekiel 29:3 “Who saved you.”Exodus 18:10 This is Moses and Aaron. “Who saved the people.” These are the Israelites. “From beneath Egypt’s hand.” From beneath Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s burden.

11 “Now I know.”Exodus 18:11 Until now he had not acknowledged it. “For the LORD is greater than all gods.”Exodus 18:11 They said that at first no slave could escape from Egypt. God brought out six hundred thousand people. That is why it says, “For the LORD is greater than all gods.” Another interpretation of “For the LORD is greater than all gods.”Exodus 18:11 They said that at first Jethro had worshiped every idol in the world. Then he acknowledged it. For it says, “Gods,” “the gods,” “all the gods,” “than all the gods.” Naaman acknowledged more than he did. For it says, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.”2 Kings 5:15 Rahab the prostitute likewise left something unacknowledged. For it says, “The LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”Joshua 2:11 “For in the matter in which they acted arrogantly against them.”Exodus 18:11 I knew Him before, and even more now. The very plan the Egyptians devised to destroy Israel was how God judged them. For it says, “In the matter in which they acted arrogantly against them.”

12 “Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God.”Exodus 18:12 Scripture expresses amazement at him. A person who offered sacrifices and incense to idols every day would bring a burnt offering and sacrifices to God! “Aaron and all Israel’s elders came to eat bread.”Exodus 18:12 Where had Moses gone? Had he not gone out first to meet him? For it says, “Moses went out to meet his father-in-law.”Exodus 18:7 This teaches that he stood and served. Rabbi Tzadok taught this when Rabban Gamaliel stood and served. They asked, “Is it right that we recline while the distinguished Gamaliel stands and serves us?” Rabbi Joshua told them, “We find someone greater than Rabban Gamaliel who stood and served.” They asked, “Who?” He told them, “Abraham. For it says, ‘He stood over them.’Genesis 18:8 They were not upright people, but people who worshiped idols and provoked God. All the more should Rabban Gamaliel stand and serve upright people who study Torah!” Rabbi Tzadok told them, “We find someone greater than Abraham and Rabban Gamaliel who stands and serves.” They asked, “Who?” He told them, “The God of heaven, blessed be He, who gives each person what he needs and each creature enough for its wants. For it says, ‘Who gives food to all flesh,’Psalms 136:25 and ‘Who gives the animals their food.’Psalms 147:9 He provides not only for upright people, but also for people who worship idols and provoke Him. All the more should Rabban Gamaliel stand and serve upright people who study Torah!” “Before God.”Exodus 18:12 This teaches that anyone who welcomes sages is as though welcoming the Shekinah.

13 “On the next day.”Exodus 18:13 The day after the Day of Atonement. “Moses sat to judge the people.” As was his custom. “The people stood before Moses from morning until evening.”Exodus 18:13 Did Moses really sit judging Israel from morning until evening? Judges sit only until mealtime. Rather, Scripture credits anyone who judges with complete truthfulness as a partner in the work of creation. Here it says “from morning until evening,” and elsewhere, “There was evening, and there was morning.”Genesis 1:5

14 “Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people.”Exodus 18:14 He told him, “Like a king sitting while his servants stand, that is how you treat Israel. Why do you sit alone, with all the people standing before you?”

15 “Moses told his father-in-law, ‘The people come to me to inquire of God.’”Exodus 18:15 Judah of Kefar ʿAni asked Rabban Gamaliel about this. “Why did Moses say, ‘The people come to me to inquire of God’?” He told him, “Otherwise, what should he say? ‘The people come to me to inquire’? Since he said ‘God,’ he spoke properly.”

16 “When they have a matter, it comes to me.”Exodus 18:16 Between impurity and purity. “I judge between a man.” This is a judgment without compromise. “And his fellow.” This is a judgment with compromise, so that they part as friends. “I make God’s statutes known.”Exodus 18:16 These are decrees. “And His teachings.” These are rulings. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘I make God’s statutes known.’Exodus 18:16 These are sexual prohibitions. ‘And His teachings.’ These are decrees.”

17 “Moses’ father-in-law told him, ‘What you are doing is not good.’”Exodus 18:17 Jethro is dear, for he was given an opportunity to distinguish himself, the appointment of elders. Was appointing elders not proper before the Holy One, blessed be He? Why did He not command Moses to do it first? To make Jethro great in the eyes of Moses and all Israel, so they would say, “Jethro was great. The Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with his words.” Jethro himself said it only on condition that the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with his words. For it says, “If you do this, and God commands you.”Exodus 18:23

18 “You will surely wear out.”Exodus 18:18 Rabbi Joshua says, “They will ridicule and harass you.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “They will make you wither and fall like a fig tree whose leaves fall. As it says, ‘Like a leaf withering from a vine, like a withered leaf from a fig tree.’”Isaiah 34:4 “You.”Exodus 18:18 This is Moses. “Also.” This is Aaron. “This people with you.” These are the seventy elders. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘You’ means Moses. ‘Also’ means Aaron. ‘This people with you’ means the seventy elders. When it says ‘and also,’ these are Nadab and Abihu.” “For the matter is too heavy for you.”Exodus 18:18 He told him, “Consider this beam while it is green. As long as people go beneath it one by one, they cannot support it. Three or four can support it. That is why it says, ‘The matter is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone.’”

19 “Listen to me now. I will advise you.”Exodus 18:19 If you listen, it will be good for you. “I will advise you, and may God be with you.”Exodus 18:19 Go and consult the Almighty. If He directs you, you can endure. Otherwise, you cannot endure. “You must represent the people before God.”Exodus 18:19 Be for them like a vessel full of divine words. “You must bring the matters to God.” Bring the matters you hear and present them on their behalf.

20 “You must teach them the statutes.”Exodus 18:20 These are decrees. “And the teachings.” These are rulings. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘The statutes’ means sexual prohibitions. For it says, ‘Keep My charge, so as not to practice any of the abominable customs.’Leviticus 18:30 ‘And the teachings’ means decrees.” “Show them the way they must follow.”Exodus 18:20 This is a decree. For it says, “You must follow the whole way that the LORD your God commanded you.”Deuteronomy 5:33 “And the work they must do.”Exodus 18:20 This is good action. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Show them’ means to show them how to live. ‘The way’ means acts of kindness. ‘They must follow’ means visiting the sick. ‘In it’ means burying the dead. ‘The work’ means justice. ‘They must do’ means going beyond strict justice.”

21 “You must select from all the people.”Exodus 18:21 You must discern them through prophecy. “Able men.” These are wealthy people with property. “Who fear God.” Those who fear God when judging. “Men of truth.” Trustworthy people. “Who hate gain.” Those who hate accepting money. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘You must select from all the people.’Exodus 18:21 Discern them through a looking glass, like the mirror through which kings look. ‘Able men.’ Trustworthy people. ‘Who fear God.’ Those who settle cases by compromise. ‘Men of truth.’ People like Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa and his companions. ‘Who hate gain.’ Those who hate their own wealth. It follows all the more that if they hate their own wealth, they will hate other people’s wealth.” “Appoint over them leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.”Exodus 18:21 There were six hundred leaders of thousands, six thousand leaders of hundreds, twelve thousand leaders of fifties, and sixty thousand leaders of tens. Israel’s judges totaled seventy-eight thousand six hundred.

22 “They must judge the people at all times.”Exodus 18:22 Rabbi Joshua says, “People who are free from their work must judge Israel at all times.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “People who are free from their work and study Torah must judge Israel at all times. As it says, ‘Riders of white donkeys.’Judges 5:10 These are Torah scholars who travel from city to city and province to province, study Torah, and make it clear as noon. ‘Those who sit in judgment.’ Those who sit and judge with complete truthfulness. ‘Those who travel.’ These are masters of Scripture. ‘On the road.’ These are masters of Mishnah. ‘Speak.’ All their conversation concerns Torah.” Another interpretation of “They must judge the people at all times.”Exodus 18:22 Scripture speaks about monetary cases. According to the Torah, these may be judged every day, even on the day before the Sabbath. By the scribes’ rulings, they are not judged on the day before the Sabbath. Another interpretation of “They must judge the people at all times.”Exodus 18:22 Monetary cases are heard by day and may be concluded at night. “Every great matter they must bring to you.”Exodus 18:22 They must judge small matters themselves. You say they must bring great matters to you and judge small matters themselves. Could it mean they must bring matters involving great people to you and judge matters involving small people themselves? When it says, “They brought the difficult matter to Moses,”Exodus 18:26 “great matter” can mean only great matters. They must bring great matters to you and judge small matters themselves. “If you do this, and God commands you.”Exodus 18:23 He told him, “Go and consult the Almighty. If He agrees with you, you can endure. Otherwise, you cannot endure.” “All this people too will go home in peace.”Exodus 18:23 Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and all Israel’s elders will go home in peace. Rabbi Simai says, “Someone who judges with complete truthfulness seems to stir up resentment between people, but actually brings peace between them. For it says, ‘These are the things you must do. Judge truth and a judgment of peace in your gates.’Zechariah 8:16 I know only that the person receiving money has peace. How do we know that the person required to pay money also ends in peace? For it says, ‘All this people too will go home in peace.’Exodus 18:23 I know only that this applies to the litigants. How do we include all Israel? Scripture says, ‘May he judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.’Psalms 72:2 What is written next? ‘May the mountains bring peace to the people.’Psalms 72:3 I know only that this applies to humans. How do we know that justice brings peace even to livestock, wild animals, and all living things? Scripture says, ‘He will judge the poor with righteousness and decide fairly for the earth’s humble,’Isaiah 11:4 and ‘Righteousness will be the belt around his waist.’Isaiah 11:5 What is written next? ‘The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,’Isaiah 11:6 and ‘They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth is full of knowledge of the LORD.’Isaiah 11:9 This knowledge is justice. For it says, ‘Will you reign because you compete in cedar? Did your father not eat and drink, and practice justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy. Then it was well. Is this not knowing Me? says the LORD.’”Jeremiah 22:15-16 Great is justice. Anyone who hates it has no cure for his wound. For it says, “Will one who hates justice bind up?”Job 34:17 Binding up means healing. For it says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their sorrows.”Psalms 147:3

23 “Moses listened to his father-in-law.”Exodus 18:24 Certainly. “He did all that he said.” What his father-in-law told him. These are Rabbi Joshua’s words. Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “‘Moses listened to his father-in-law.’Exodus 18:24 Certainly. ‘He did all that he said.’ What God said.”

24 “Moses chose able men from all Israel.”Exodus 18:25 He appointed judges over them and commanded the judges to bear the community’s burdens. As it says, “I commanded your judges.”Deuteronomy 1:16 He commanded the people to honor the judges. As it says, “At that time I commanded you concerning the things you must do.”Deuteronomy 1:18

25 “They judged the people at all times. They brought the difficult matter to Moses.”Exodus 18:26 The Holy One, blessed be He, told him, “Moses, you judge the difficulties? Zelophehad’s daughters are coming to ask about a ruling that even children can answer, and you will not know what to reply. Instead, ‘Moses brought their case before the LORD.’”Numbers 27:5

26 “Moses sent his father-in-law away.”Exodus 18:27 Rabbi Joshua says, “He sent him away with every honor.” Rabbi Eleazar of Modiʿin says, “He gave him many gifts.” He told him, “I am going to convert the people of my country.” From the reply he gave them, you can know what they told him. “Please do not leave us.”Numbers 10:31 They told him, “You gave us good and proper advice, and God agreed with your words. Please do not leave us.” He told them, “Is a lamp needed anywhere but in darkness? What does a lamp do beside the sun and moon? You are the sun, and Aaron is the moon. I am going to convert the people of my country and bring them beneath heaven’s wings.” Could he have gone and not returned? Scripture says, “The children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the people of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, in the Negev of Arad. He went and lived with the people.”Judges 1:16 “People” means only Torah. For it says, “Truly you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.”Job 12:2 From this they said that as long as a sage lives, his wisdom lives. When he dies, his wisdom is lost with him. We find the same when Rabbi Nathan died. His wisdom was lost with him. They went and sat with Jabez. For it says, “The families of scribes who lived at Jabez, the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.”1 Chronicles 2:55 Just as he loved the Torah, so his descendants loved the Torah after him. For God tells Jeremiah, “Go to the house of the Rechabites and give them wine to drink.”Jeremiah 35:2 “I set bowls full of wine and cups before the members of the house of the Rechabites and told them, ‘Drink wine.’”Jeremiah 35:5 He told them, “God told me that you should drink wine.” They told him, “Our father commanded us not to drink wine all the days this house lies ruined.” Yet it had not been destroyed! Rather, he told us, “Mourn for it, because it will be destroyed.” He told us, “Do not anoint yourselves, cut your hair, or live in houses.” “We listened and did everything our father Jonadab commanded us.”Jeremiah 35:10 That is why they were called Shimeathites, Tirathites, and Sucathites. Tirathites, because they would not cut their hair. Sucathites, because they would not anoint themselves. Shimeathites, because they listened to their father. Another interpretation. Tirathites, because they heard the trumpet blast at Sinai. Another interpretation, because they cried out in their petitions and were answered. Shimeathites, because they listened to the words of Torah. Another interpretation, because their prayer was heard. Sucathites, because they lived in shelters. For it is written, “We lived in tents.”Jeremiah 35:10 Another interpretation, because they sheltered Israel and protected them. Once someone said, “Today there is an offering from the house of the water-drinkers.” A heavenly voice came from the Holy of Holies and told them, “The One who accepted your ancestors’ offering in the wilderness will accept your offering at this hour.” Who are they? “The Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.”1 Chronicles 2:55 And it says, “The children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms.”Judges 1:16 You must say that he foresaw the Temple’s destruction and imposed three decrees on his descendants, not to drink wine, build houses, or plant vineyards. For it says, “They said, ‘We will not drink wine. Our father Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, “You and your descendants must never drink wine. You must not build houses, sow seed, plant vineyards, or own them. You must live in tents all your days, so that you may live many days on the land where you reside.”’”Jeremiah 35:6-7 How did he learn that abstaining from wine lengthens life? Four people were passionate about the land, and they did not turn out as they should, Cain, Noah, Lot, and Uzziah. Cain, “Cain cultivated the ground.”Genesis 4:2 Noah, “Noah began as a man of the soil.”Genesis 9:20 Lot, “Lot looked up and saw the whole plain of the Jordan.”Genesis 13:10 Uzziah, “For he loved the soil.”2 Chronicles 26:10 Rabbi Nathan says, “The covenant the Holy One, blessed be He, made with Jethro’s descendants is greater than the covenant He made with David’s descendants. The covenant made with David is conditional. ‘If your sons keep My covenant and My testimony that I teach them, their sons too will sit on your throne forever.’Psalms 132:12 But the covenant made with Jonadab son of Rechab was unconditional. For it says, ‘Therefore the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a man standing before Me all the days.”’”Jeremiah 35:19 Some say he married his daughters to priests, and high priests descended from him. God gave him a covenant that high priests would never cease from his descendants. Rabban Shimon said, “Has the high priesthood not already ceased? How, then, do I understand ‘Jonadab will never lack a man’? That members of the Sanhedrin will never cease from his descendants.” If God gave such love to someone from the nations and families of the earth because he acted out of love, how much more would He do for someone from Israel! Rabbi Yoḥanan said, “About him the wicked Balaam cried out, ‘Your dwelling is strong.’Numbers 24:21 He said, ‘How much strength came to him because of two loaves! Because he said, “Call him, and let him eat bread,”Exodus 2:20 He rewards him and his descendants to the end of every generation.’” About them Scripture says, “These were the potters.”1 Chronicles 4:23 These are the descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab, who knew the power that formed the world. Another interpretation, their livelihood came without distress. Another interpretation, they kept the oath concerning their father’s command. Rabbi Abbahu said, “Jethro gained the merit that great teachers of Torah in Israel descended from him. Who is this? Jabez. For it says, ‘Jabez called to the God of Israel, “If You truly bless me and enlarge my territory, let Your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I have no pain.” God granted what he asked.’1 Chronicles 4:10 ‘If You truly bless me,’ with Torah study. ‘Enlarge my territory,’ with students. ‘Let Your hand be with me,’ so I do not forget my Mishnah. ‘Keep me from harm,’ by giving me companions like myself. ‘So that I have no pain,’ so the evil inclination will not distress me and stop me studying. ‘God granted what he asked.’1 Chronicles 4:10 This teaches that He gave him what he asked.” This is Rabbi Nathan’s teaching. Rabbi Judah the Patriarch says, “‘If You truly bless me,’1 Chronicles 4:10 with offspring. ‘Enlarge my territory,’ with sons and daughters. ‘Let Your hand be with me,’ in business. ‘Keep me from harm,’ so that the life You gave me has no eye disease, toothache, or headache. ‘So that I have no pain.’ If You do this for me, well. Otherwise, I am going down in sorrow to Sheol.” Rabbi Ḥananiah ben Gamaliel says, “These things were said only in the second year, when Moses appointed officials over Israel. When did he appoint them? In the second year. For it says, ‘Each by his standard, with the signs of their ancestral houses.’”Numbers 2:2

Exodus 19

1 “In the third month after the Israelites left the land of Egypt.”Exodus 19:1 They counted the months from their departure from Egypt. I know this only about months. How do we know it about years? Scripture says, “The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year after they left the land of Egypt.”Numbers 1:1 I know this only about that period. How do we know it about another period? Scripture says, “Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the LORD’s command and died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites left.”Numbers 33:38 I know this only about the time before they entered the land of Israel. How do we know it about the time after they entered the land of Israel? Scripture says, “In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left.”1 Kings 6:1 Once the Temple was built, they began counting by the years of kings and the building of houses. For it says, “At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the two houses.”2 Chronicles 8:1 It also says, “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah.”Isaiah 36:1 They did not merit counting from its construction, so they would count from its destruction. For it says, “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile.”Ezekiel 40:1 They did not merit counting by their own reigns, so they would count by other kingdoms. For it says, “In the second year of Darius.”Haggai 1:1 “In the third year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.” This also applies to legal documents. And it says, “If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.”Song of Songs 1:8 It also says, “Because, even because.”Leviticus 26:43 “Because, even because” means only “eye for eye,” measure for measure. “On this day.”Exodus 19:1 This teaches that it was the first day of the month. It says “on this day” here, and elsewhere, “This month will be the first of the months for you.”Exodus 12:2 Just as that refers to the first day of the month, so does this. “They came to the wilderness of Sinai.”Exodus 19:1 There hatred descended on all the world’s inhabitants who do not observe the Torah. Rabbi Yose used to say, “‘I did not speak in secret to the Israelites, in a place of dark land.’Isaiah 45:19 When I gave the Torah to Israel, I did not give it in secret or in a dark land. ‘I did not say to Jacob’s descendants,’Isaiah 45:19 ‘It belongs to you alone.’ ‘Seek Me in emptiness.’Isaiah 45:19 I did not make it a pledge of security. I placed its reward beside it. ‘I am the LORD, speaking righteousness.’Isaiah 45:19 I speak of Israel’s righteousness. ‘Declaring what is right.’Isaiah 45:19 I declare what they have done before Me out of love. ‘He has not done this for any nation.’Psalms 147:20 What could the nations of the world do? They had not learned the Torah. ‘They have not known His judgments.’Psalms 147:20 I gave them seven commandments, and they could not keep them.”

2 “They traveled from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai.”Exodus 19:2 Why do I need this? Their departure from Rephidim and their encampment in the wilderness of Sinai are already stated in the account of their journeys. Why, then, does it say, “They traveled from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai”?Exodus 19:2 It compares their departure from Rephidim with their encampment in the wilderness of Sinai. Just as they departed from Rephidim as people of Massah and Meribah, asking, “Is the LORD among us or not?”Exodus 17:7 so they encamped in the wilderness of Sinai as people of Massah and Meribah, asking, “Is the LORD among us or not?” This makes known the power of repentance. The moment Israel repented, they were immediately accepted. “They camped in the wilderness.”Exodus 19:2 The Torah was given to Israel in the world’s public domain. Had it been given in the land of Israel, the people of that land would have said, “It belongs to us.” Had it been given somewhere else, the people of that place would have said, “It belongs to us.” Therefore it was given to them in the world’s public domain. Anyone who wants to receive it may come and receive it. Another interpretation. Just as the wilderness is empty of all delicacies, so the words of Torah endure only in someone who keeps away from all delicacies. It also says, “From the wilderness, a gift.”Numbers 21:18 The Torah endures only in someone who makes himself like a wilderness. “Israel camped there before the mountain.”Exodus 19:2 Elsewhere it says, “The Israelites traveled” and “The Israelites camped.” They traveled in disagreement and camped in disagreement. Here it says, “Israel camped there.” A single purpose in camping was placed in their hearts, so that they would love one another and receive the Torah. Another interpretation of “camped there.” He told them, “You will stay there a long time.” We find that they ultimately stayed twelve months less ten days.

3 “Moses went up to God.”Exodus 19:3 This was the second day. Could he have gone up without a command from the Almighty? Scripture says, “He told Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD.’”Exodus 24:1 It also says, “The LORD told Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain.’”Exodus 24:12 This teaches that he went up only at the Almighty’s command. Another interpretation of “Moses went up to God.”Exodus 19:3 He ascended in a cloud and descended in a cloud. The ancestors’ covenant and their descendants’ merit went up with him and came down with him. How do we know that he also went after being called? Scripture says, “The LORD called to him from the mountain, saying.”Exodus 19:3 How do we know that He also called, “Moses, Moses”? A call is mentioned here, and a call is mentioned at the bush.Exodus 3:4 Just as there He called, “Moses, Moses,” so He did here. Just as there Moses said, “Here I am,” so he did here. “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob.”Exodus 19:3 This means the Sanhedrin. It also says, “House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”Isaiah 2:5 “And tell the house of Israel.”Exodus 19:3 This means the rest of the people. Another interpretation. “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob.”Exodus 19:3 This means the women. Tell them the main points, which they can hear. “And tell the Israelites.”Exodus 19:3 This means the men. Tell them the details, which they can hear. Why did He command the women before commanding the men? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “When I created My world, I commanded the first Adam, but I did not command his wife Eve. She came and misled him, and he broke My command. It is fitting for the women to be commanded first, since the men follow them.” That is why it says, “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob,” meaning the women, “and tell the Israelites,” meaning the men. “This is what.” In the sacred language. “This is what.” In this manner. “This is what.” In this order. “This is what.” With these pauses. “This is what.” In these sections. “This is what.” Neither less nor more. “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob.”Exodus 19:3 Everything is through Jacob’s merit. “And tell Israel.”Exodus 19:3 Everything is through Israel’s merit. Another interpretation of “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob.”Exodus 19:3 He was first named Jacob. He has now merited receiving the great name Israel. “For you have struggled with God.”Genesis 32:28

4 “You have seen.”Exodus 19:4 I am telling you neither through witnesses, nor through a written document, nor through received tradition. “What I did to the Egyptians.”Exodus 19:4 Although the Egyptians worshiped idols, committed forbidden sexual acts, and shed blood, I punished them only on your account and for your sake. “I carried you on eagles’ wings.”Exodus 19:4 Rabbi Eliezer says, “This is the day at Mount Sinai.” “And brought you to Me.”Exodus 19:4 This is the permanent Temple. Another interpretation of “on eagles’ wings.”Exodus 19:4 The ear is told what it can understand. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean, says, “Scripture says, ‘Like an eagle stirring up its nest.’Deuteronomy 32:11 An eagle comes down, fluttering its wings over its young, so that they will not be terrified. So when the Omnipresent revealed Himself to give the Torah to Israel, He did not reveal Himself from one direction, but from four. For it says, ‘The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir. He shone from Mount Paran.’Deuteronomy 33:2 What is the fourth direction? ‘God comes from Teman.’”Habakkuk 3:3 Another interpretation of “on eagles’ wings.”Exodus 19:4 A bird normally places its young between its legs, because it fears a stronger creature. An eagle, which does not fear a stronger creature, places them on its shoulders. Why not place them between its feet? It fears slingstones and arrows that people shoot at it. It therefore makes itself a barrier between its young and human beings. So the Omnipresent makes the ministering angels a barrier between Israel and the Egyptians. For it says, “The angel of God moved.”Exodus 14:19 Just as an eagle spreads its wings and draws them back at once, so Israel went twelve miles forward and twelve miles back at every commandment. It also says, “You became very, very beautiful and advanced to royalty.”Ezekiel 16:13 Just as an eagle rises from below to above in a short time, so Israel rises from below to above in a short time. Just as they rose in an extraordinary way, so they fell in an extraordinary way. It also says, “As they go, I will spread My net over them. I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will discipline them as their congregation has heard.”Hosea 7:12

5 “And now, if you really listen to My voice.”Exodus 19:5 All these things refer to what came before. The argument follows all the more strongly. If I performed all these miracles for them when they had not accepted the Torah and had not observed the commandments, how much more will I do when they accept the Torah and observe all the commandments! Another interpretation of “if you really listen to My voice.”Exodus 19:5 This teaches that all beginnings are difficult. Once someone begins listening, everything becomes easy. Someone who listens a little is enabled to hear much. Someone who listens to the words of Torah is enabled to hear the words of the scribes. “And keep My covenant.”Exodus 19:5 Rabbi Eliezer says, “This is the covenant of circumcision.” Rabbi Akiva says, “This is the covenant of the Sabbath.” The sages say, “This is the covenant against idolatry.” “You will be Mine.”Exodus 19:5 Set apart for Me, occupied with My Torah and My commandments. It also says, “I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine.”Leviticus 20:26 When you are separate from the peoples, you are Mine. Otherwise, you belong to Nebuchadnezzar and his companions. “A treasured possession from all the peoples.”Exodus 19:5 Just as someone’s treasured possession pleases him, so Israel pleases Me. Just as someone’s treasured possession is dear to him, so Israel is dear to Me. They explain it with a parable. What is this like? Someone inherited many fields, then went and bought one with his own money. He loved that one more than all the others. Why? Because he bought it with his own money. So, although the whole world belongs to the One who spoke and the world came into being, He loves Israel especially. Why? Because He took them from Egypt and redeemed them from the house of slavery. That is why it says, “You will be My treasured possession from all the peoples.”Exodus 19:5 Rabbi Joshua ben Korḥa says, “‘A treasured possession,’ so that your ear will not be released.” Could Israel accumulate possessions from the nations of the world just as a wife accumulates possessions behind her husband’s back, and a son behind his father’s back? Scripture says, “For all the earth is Mine.”Exodus 19:5

6 “You will be Mine.”Exodus 19:6 Set apart for Me, occupied with My Torah and My commandments. “A kingdom.”Exodus 19:6 Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean, says, “In the future, every individual will have as many children as those who left Egypt. For it says, ‘Your sons will take the place of your fathers.’Psalms 45:16 Could they be poor people? Scripture says, ‘You will appoint them princes throughout the earth.’Psalms 45:16 Could they be princes who are merchants? Scripture says, ‘A kingdom.’ Could they be kings who wage war? Scripture says, ‘Priests.’ Could they be priests who are idle, as in ‘David’s sons were priests’?2 Samuel 8:18 Scripture says, ‘And a holy nation.’”Exodus 19:6 From this they said, “Israel was fit to eat consecrated food before they made the calf. Once they made the calf, it was taken from them and given to the priests.” “A nation.”Exodus 19:6 This teaches that they are like one body and one soul. It also says, “Who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth?”1 Chronicles 17:21 If one of them sins, they are all punished. For it says, “Did not Achan son of Zerah act unfaithfully concerning what was devoted to destruction, and anger came against all Israel? He was not the only one who died for his wrongdoing.”Joshua 22:20 If one of them is hurt, they all feel it. It also says, “Israel is a scattered sheep.”Jeremiah 50:17 Just as a sheep’s limbs all feel it when one limb is hurt, so all Israel feels it when one person is hurt. But the nations all rejoice over one another’s misfortune. “Holy.”Exodus 19:6 Why does it say this, since it also says, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God”?Deuteronomy 14:2 How is this understood? This is the holiness of the commandments. Whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, adds a commandment for Israel, He adds holiness to them. “These.” In the sacred language. “These.” In this manner. “These.” In this order. “These.” With these pauses. “These.” In these sections. “These.” Neither less nor more. “These are the words you must speak to the Israelites.”Exodus 19:6 What are these words? The three crowns with which they were crowned, the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship. Torah, as it is written, “Keep My covenant.”Exodus 19:5 Priesthood and kingship, as it is written, “You will be My kingdom of priests.”Exodus 19:6 Rabbi Nathan says, “The crown of a good name is above them all.”

7 “Moses came.”Exodus 19:7 This teaches that he did not go home or turn to other business. “He called the elders of the people.”Exodus 19:7 This teaches that Moses honored the elders. It teaches that the elders take precedence over all Israel. It teaches that Moses made use of the elders of his generation. “He set before them.”Exodus 19:7 He arranged the words before them. “He set before them.” He opened their eyes to them. Another interpretation of “He set before them.”Exodus 19:7 Speak about the first thing first, and the last thing last. “All these words that the LORD commanded him.”Exodus 19:7 To the women as well.

8 “All the people answered together.”Exodus 19:8 They did not answer with flattery, and they did not consult one another. “They said, ‘We will do everything the LORD has spoken.’”Exodus 19:8 We accept it as binding on us. “Moses brought the people’s words back to the LORD.”Exodus 19:8 This was the third day. Another interpretation of “Moses brought the people’s words back to the LORD.”Exodus 19:8 Scripture teaches you proper conduct. Even if the person who sent a messenger has heard the message, the messenger must still report back.

9 “The LORD told Moses, ‘I am coming to you in a thick cloud.’”Exodus 19:9 The cloud means dense darkness. The cloud in which the Torah was given resembled the cloud over Mount Sinai. The cloud over Mount Sinai was dense darkness, as it says, “A heavy cloud on the mountain.”Exodus 19:16 Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “Moses was consecrated in the cloud for seven days. For it says, ‘The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day He called to Moses from within the cloud.’Exodus 24:16 This was after the commandments, and it was the beginning of the forty days.” Rabbi Akiva says, “‘The cloud covered him for six days,’Exodus 24:16 meaning Moses, to purify him. ‘He called to Moses on the seventh day.’ This was after the commandments, and it was the beginning of the forty days.” “So that the people will hear when I speak with you.”Exodus 19:9 Rabbi Judah says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, ‘I will say something to you, you will answer Me, and I will then agree with your words.’” Rabbi says, “The Omnipresent did not agree with Moses’ words out of regard for his honor. Rather, He told him, ‘The commandments I gave you at Marah, I will repeat to you here.’” It does not say, “which the LORD commanded,” but “which the LORD commanded him.”Exodus 19:7 This teaches that they listen to your words as they listen to the Holy One’s words. Not only your words, but also those of the elders who will come after you, and those of the prophets. That is why it says, “And they will also trust you forever.”Exodus 19:9 “Moses reported.”Exodus 19:9 What did the Holy One, blessed be He, tell Moses to say to Israel, and what did Israel tell Moses to say before the Omnipresent? Scripture says, “Set a boundary around the people, saying.”Exodus 19:12 These are the words of Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi says, “Because He told them the reward if they listened.” How do we know that he also told them all the punishments if they did not listen? Scripture says, “Moses came and recounted to the people all the LORD’s words and all the judgments.”Exodus 24:3 “All the people answered with one voice.”Exodus 24:3 This teaches that the voice of an adult and the voice of a child are equal before the Omnipresent.

10 “The LORD told Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today.’”Exodus 19:10 This was the fourth day. “And tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.”Exodus 19:10 They were to immerse themselves. Could they immerse themselves on the fifth day? If they immersed themselves on the fifth day, they would be waiting for sunset before the sixth. Why does it say, “Consecrate them today”? So that they would immerse themselves on the fourth day. What were they doing on the fifth? Moses was writing down the words, like someone writing them in a memorandum. What does it say about the sixth? “Moses rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.”Exodus 24:4 For whom were these pillars? Rabbi Judah says, “For the twelve tribes of Israel.” The sages say, “For all Israel.” It also says, “He sent the young men of the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings.”Exodus 24:5 He offered them on behalf of all Israel. From this they said, “Israel entered the covenant through three things, circumcision, immersion, and sacrifice. Afterward, the Torah was given to them.” Circumcision, as it is written, “No uncircumcised person may eat it.”Exodus 12:48 Moses our teacher circumcised them in Egypt so that they could eat the Passover offering. It also says, “I passed by you and saw you struggling in your blood. I said to you, ‘In your blood, live!’ I said to you, ‘In your blood, live!’”Ezekiel 16:6 These two mentions of blood are the blood of circumcision and the blood of the Passover offering. Sacrifice, as it is written, “He sent the young men of the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings.”Exodus 24:5 On behalf of all Israel. Immersion, as it is written, “Let them wash their clothes.”Exodus 19:10 I know only that they must wash their clothes. How do we know that they must immerse themselves? It follows by reasoning. If they must immerse themselves when they are not required to wash their clothes, surely they must immerse themselves when they are required to wash their clothes.

11 “Be ready for the third day.”Exodus 19:11 This teaches that He appointed a meeting place for them. “For on the third day the LORD will descend in the sight of all the people.”Exodus 19:11 This teaches that there were no blind people among them. Rabbi Shimon ben Judah of Kefar Ikkos says, “How do we know that if even one of those who left Egypt had been missing, the Torah would not have been given to them? Scripture says, ‘For on the third day the LORD will descend in the sight of all the people.’Exodus 19:11 From this we learn that no generation has arisen or will arise as worthy to receive the Torah as they were.” Of them it says, “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright, a shield for those who walk blamelessly.”Proverbs 2:7

12 “Set a boundary around the people, saying.”Exodus 19:12 This teaches that He established limits for them. Since it says, “Do not even let the sheep and cattle graze in front of that mountain,”Exodus 34:3 I know only about its eastern side. How do we know about its northern, southern, and western sides? Scripture says, “Around,” everywhere. “Be careful not to go up the mountain.”Exodus 19:12 This is a prohibition. Could going up be forbidden, but touching be permitted? Scripture says, “Or touch its edge.” Could someone go up in a litter? Scripture says, “Go up the mountain,” in any way. “Whoever touches the mountain must be put to death.”Exodus 19:12 This is the penalty.

13 “No hand may touch it.”Exodus 19:13 The permanent Temple is not subject to a prohibition on mere touch. “No hand may touch it.”Exodus 19:13 Nor may someone touch it with something else. “He must be stoned.”Exodus 19:13 I know only about stoning. How do we know about being thrown down as well? Scripture says, “Or thrown down.” How do we know that someone sentenced to stoning is also thrown down? Scripture says, “He must be stoned or thrown down.” All those sentenced to stoning are thrown down. How do we know that if he dies from one fall, the requirement has been met? Scripture says, “Or thrown down.” “An animal.”Exodus 19:13 I know only about a domestic animal. How do we know about a wild animal? Scripture says, “Whether an animal.” The same rule applies to every domestic animal, wild animal, and bird, whether unclean or clean. “A man.”Exodus 19:13 I know only about a man. How do we know about a woman? Scripture says, “Whether a person.” “Must not live.” This is the penalty. “When the ram’s horn sounds long, they may go up the mountain.”Exodus 19:13 When the horn stops. It also says, “When they sound a long blast on the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the horn.”Joshua 6:5 In Arabic, a ram’s horn is called yovla. Rabbi Yose says, “A person’s place does not honor him. A person honors his place. As long as the Shekinah was on Mount Sinai, anyone who went up to its summit was liable to death. Once the Shekinah departed, people who were ritually unclean or had physical disabilities were permitted to go up there. As long as the tent of meeting stood, someone entering it was liable to death. Once the tent of meeting was removed, people who were ritually unclean or had physical disabilities were permitted to enter.”

14 “Moses went down from the mountain to the people.”Exodus 19:14 This teaches that he did not go home or turn to other business. How do we know that he reported back on his mission only in the morning? Scripture says, “He cut two stone tablets like the first ones. Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai.”Exodus 34:4 This is the rule for everything he was commanded. Why does it say, “As the LORD commanded him”?Exodus 34:4 This establishes the general principle that Moses reported back on his mission only in the morning. “He consecrated the people.”Exodus 19:14 He separated them from sexual relations, because the Torah is called holy. For it says, “Knowledge of holy things is understanding.”Proverbs 9:10 A person must therefore become holy for it, so that it will cling to him. The argument follows all the more strongly. Moses our teacher abstained for forty days from bread and water, without which the body cannot live, until the Torah was given to him. How much more must someone purify himself for it from every impurity of the body! It also says, “The fear of the LORD is pure.”Psalms 19:9 When is it pure? When someone purifies himself from impurities. That is why the Torah is compared to oil. This tells you that someone can adulterate any other liquid, but not oil. So too, someone cannot introduce deceit into the words of Torah. How do we know that the words of Torah are compared to oil? For it says, “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy above your companions.”Psalms 45:7 Another interpretation. When is it pure? When someone keeps himself from using it for his own benefit, so that he does not say, “Since I am learned, people must serve me. People must support me.” Hillel used to say, “Whoever uses the crown passes away.” Anyone who gains personal benefit from the words of Torah takes his share from the world. If Belshazzar, who used the vessels of the Temple, was uprooted from the world, how much more will this happen to someone who uses the instrument through which the world was created! Another interpretation. When is it pure? When someone purifies himself from arrogance. Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah says, “Why do Torah students die young? Not because they commit adultery, and not because they rob, but because they are arrogant.” Another interpretation of “The fear of the LORD is pure.”Psalms 19:9 When is it pure? When someone purifies himself from the love of silver and gold. For the prophet says, “Even if you give me half your house, I will not come with you.”1 Kings 13:8 Elisha also says, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.”2 Kings 5:16 Daniel also says, “Keep your gifts for yourself, and give your rewards to someone else.”Daniel 5:17 Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Ḥalafta said, “Once, as I was walking along the road, a man met me and greeted me. He asked, ‘Where have you come from?’ I told him, ‘I have come from a great city of sages and scribes.’ He asked me, ‘Would you be willing to live with me? I will give you support, silver, and gold.’ I told him, ‘Even if you give me all the wealth in the world, I will not live there.’ “He asked me, ‘And you have not accepted?’ I told him, ‘All the spirits and souls you see in the world return to dust. Nothing stands by a person at death except the words of Torah. Even Jerusalem was destroyed only because of its transgression against the Torah. For it says, “All this is because of Jacob’s transgression.”’Micah 1:5 “He told me, ‘Blessed is the Omnipresent, who placed the words of Torah in your hearts, so that you occupy yourselves with it, live securely, and leave behind all the world’s empty pursuits.’ I told him, ‘May others never become jealous of us, and may we never become jealous of others.’ Then I took my leave of him.” Another interpretation. When is it pure? When someone purifies himself from transgressions. Because the words of Torah require purity and holiness, it says, “He consecrated the people.”Exodus 19:14 “They washed their clothes.”Exodus 19:14 I know only about washing their clothes. How do we know that they must immerse themselves? It follows by reasoning. If they must immerse themselves when they are not required to wash their clothes, surely they must immerse themselves here, where they were required to wash their clothes.

15 “He told the people, ‘Be ready for three days.’”Exodus 19:15 Could Moses have said this on his own authority? Scripture says, “Be ready for the third day,”Exodus 19:11 and here, “Be ready for three days.” The matching words “ready” and “ready” establish an analogy. Just as the “be ready” there was spoken to Moses by the Holy One, so the “be ready” here was spoken to Moses by the Holy One. Rabbi says, “Its own context decides the matter. ‘Consecrate them today,’Exodus 19:10 so that they would immerse themselves on the fourth day.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says, “How do we know that a woman who discharges semen on the third day is ritually unclean? For it says, ‘Be ready for three days. Do not approach a woman.’”Exodus 19:15 Rabbi Ishmael says, “Sometimes these are four half-day periods, sometimes five, and sometimes six.” Rabbi Akiva says, “Always five.”

16 “On the third day, when morning came.”Exodus 19:16 At the time he had been told. This teaches that the time and the event support the hour when life is given to all the world’s inhabitants. Could it have been given at night? Scripture says, “On the day.” During the day, and not at night. Could it have been given in silence? Scripture says, “There were thunder and lightning.”Exodus 19:16 Thunder and peals of thunder, lightning and flashes of lightning, different kinds of thunder and different kinds of lightning. It also says, “The LORD’s voice is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. The LORD is over mighty waters. The LORD’s voice is powerful. The LORD’s voice is majestic. The LORD’s voice breaks cedars. The LORD’s voice cuts out flames of fire. The LORD’s voice makes the wilderness tremble. The LORD’s voice makes deer give birth and strips forests bare. In His palace everyone says, ‘Glory!’”Psalms 29:3-9 Scripture tells us that on the day the Torah was given, there were clouds, lightning, and rainfall. It also says, “LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the field of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens dripped, and the clouds dripped water.”Judges 5:4 It also says, “Your thunder sounded in the whirlwind. Lightning lit up the world.”Psalms 77:18 Something like the sound of a horn was heard in the air. For it says, “A very loud sound of a horn.”Exodus 19:16 The whole world shook, and all the nations of the world gathered around Balaam son of Beor. They told him, “It seems that the Omnipresent is destroying His world with water, as it says, ‘The LORD sat enthroned at the flood.’”Psalms 29:10 He told them, “Fools! He has already sworn that He will never bring a flood on the world. As it says, ‘This is like the waters of Noah to Me, when I swore that Noah’s waters would never again pass over the earth.’”Isaiah 54:9 They told him, “Certainly He will not bring a flood of water, but He will bring a flood of fire.” He told them, “He will bring neither a flood of water nor a flood of fire.” They asked him, “Then why this sound?” He told them, “He is giving the Torah to His people. For it says, ‘The LORD gives strength to His people.’Psalms 29:11 Strength means Torah, as it says, ‘With Him are strength and sound wisdom.’”Job 12:16 They told him, “If so, ‘May the LORD bless His people with peace.’”Psalms 29:11 “All the people in the camp trembled.”Exodus 19:16 They shook. The argument follows all the more strongly. If Israel, who were prepared and ready before Mount Sinai, shook, how much more did the nations of the world! It also says, “From heaven You made judgment heard. The earth feared and grew quiet.”Psalms 76:8

17 “Moses brought the people out to meet God.”Exodus 19:17 Rabbi Yose said, “Judah used to say, ‘The LORD came from Sinai.’Deuteronomy 33:2 He revealed Himself on Sinai. But I say, ‘He came from Sinai’ to receive His children joyfully.” He explains it with a parable. What is this like? A bridegroom who went out to meet a bride. From the honor of the one going out, you learn the honor of the one coming in. That is why it says, “Moses brought the people out to meet God.”Exodus 19:17 “They stood beneath the mountain.”Exodus 19:17 They crowded together. Of them it is explained in the received sacred writings, “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the shelter of the steep path.”Song of Songs 2:14 Rabbi Eleazar says, “This passage speaks only about the sea. ‘Let Me see your face,’Song of Songs 2:14 as it says, ‘Stand firm and see the LORD’s deliverance.’Exodus 14:13 ‘Let Me hear your voice,’Song of Songs 2:14 as it says, ‘Pharaoh drew near, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.’Exodus 14:10 ‘For your voice is sweet,’Song of Songs 2:14 as in ‘Their cry for help rose up to God.’Exodus 2:23 ‘And your face is beautiful,’Song of Songs 2:14 as in ‘The people believed.’”Exodus 4:31 Rabbi Akiva says, “This passage speaks only about the time before Mount Sinai. ‘Let Me see your face,’Song of Songs 2:14 as it says, ‘Moses rose early in the morning and built an altar beneath the mountain.’Exodus 24:4 ‘Let Me hear your voice,’Song of Songs 2:14 as it says, ‘All the people answered together, “We will do and hear everything the LORD has spoken.”’Exodus 19:8 ‘For your voice is sweet,’Song of Songs 2:14 as in ‘They have spoken well in everything they said.’Deuteronomy 5:28 ‘And your face is beautiful,’Song of Songs 2:14 at the tent of meeting, ‘All the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD.’”Leviticus 9:5 Others say, “This passage speaks only about future generations. ‘My dove in the clefts of the rock,’Song of Songs 2:14 as it says, ‘Over the circle of the earth.’Isaiah 40:22 ‘In the shelter of the steep path,’Song of Songs 2:14 these are the Israelites who sit beside the distress caused by the kingdoms until their time arrives. ‘Let Me see your face,’ this is action. ‘Let Me hear your voice,’ this is study. ‘For your voice is sweet, and your face is beautiful,’Song of Songs 2:14 makes known the difference in rank between study and action.” They once took a vote in the upper room of the house of Aris. Which is greater, study or action? Rabbi Tarfon said, “Study is greater.” Rabbi Akiva said, “Action is greater.” They all answered, “Study is greater, because study leads to action, while action does not lead to study.” Another interpretation of “They stood beneath the mountain.”Exodus 19:17 This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, held the mountain over them like a vat and said, “If you accept the Torah, good. Otherwise, this will be your grave.” At that moment they all burst into tears and poured out their hearts like water in repentance. They said, “We will do and hear everything the LORD has spoken.”Exodus 24:7 The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I need guarantors.” “Let heaven and earth guarantee us.” He told them, “They have their own duties.” They said, “Our children will guarantee us.” He said, “These are good guarantors.” It also says, “From the mouths of children and infants You have established strength.”Psalms 8:2 It also says, “You have forgotten the Torah of the LORD your God. I too will forget your children.”Hosea 4:6

18 “Mount Sinai was smoking.”Exodus 19:18 Could this mean only the holy place? Scripture says, “All of it,” not just the holy place. Why? “Because the LORD descended on it in fire.”Exodus 19:18 Scripture tells us that the fire licked the sky and descended on Mount Sinai, becoming a flame of fire to signal through it. It also says, “As fire kindles brushwood and fire makes water boil, to make Your name known to Your adversaries.”Isaiah 64:2 “In fire.”Exodus 19:18 This tells us that the words of Torah are compared to fire. Just as fire gives life to the world, so the words of Torah give life to the world. If someone comes close to fire, he is burned. If he stays far from it, he grows cold. So, if someone comes close to a word of Torah, he is burned. If he stays far from it, he grows cold. This is what we learned, “Warm yourself before the fire of the sages, but be careful of their burning coals, so that you are not burned.” Just as a small fire lights a large one, and a large one lights a small one, so in a matter of Torah the young learn from the old, and the old learn from the young. Whoever moves within the fire in this world merits moving within it in the world to come. What, then, do we have? There is “one who walks righteously and speaks uprightly.”Isaiah 33:15 Another interpretation. Anyone who accepts the words of Torah, which are compared to fire, has the burden of kingdoms, which are compared to fire, removed from him. Anyone who throws off the burden of Torah, which is compared to fire, has the burden of a kingdom, which is compared to fire, placed on him. It also says, “I will set My face against them. They have come out of the fire, but the fire will consume them.”Ezekiel 15:7 Just as people who work with fire are recognizable among other people, so Torah students are recognizable by their speech, their walk, and the way they wrap themselves in the marketplace. “Its smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln.”Exodus 19:18 A kiln tests the jars. Some come out fit for wine, some fit for oil, and some full of holes. So the words of Torah test human beings. It also says, “The LORD’s word is refined.”Psalms 18:30 The commandments were given only to refine people’s understanding. “Like the smoke of a kiln.”Exodus 19:18 Could it really have been like the smoke of a kiln? Scripture says, “The mountain was burning with fire.”Deuteronomy 4:11 Why, then, does it say, “Like smoke”? The ear is told what it can understand. Similarly, you say, “The glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east, like the sound of mighty waters.”Ezekiel 43:2 Could His creatures be like Him? Rather, the ear is told what it can understand. Similarly, you say, “The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.”Psalms 24:8 Could His creatures be like Him? Rather, the ear is told what it can understand. Similarly, you say, “A lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken.”Amos 3:8 Could His creatures be like Him? Rather, the ear is told what it can understand. Similarly, you say, “May My teaching fall like rain.”Deuteronomy 32:2 Could rain be greater than the Torah, so that He compares it to rain? Rather, the ear is told what it can understand. “The whole mountain shook violently.”Exodus 19:18 It trembled. It also says, “Why do you leap, you many-peaked mountains?”Psalms 68:16 Where are you pleading your case? You are like those with physical defects, “a hunchback or a dwarf.”Leviticus 21:20 “The mountain God desired for His dwelling.”Psalms 68:16 This is Sinai. “The LORD will dwell there forever.”Psalms 68:16 This is the permanent Temple.

19 “The sound of the horn grew louder and louder.”Exodus 19:19 Normally, the longer a sound continues, the weaker it grows. But with the One who spoke and the world came into being, it is different. The longer the sound continues, the stronger it grows. As students of Torah advance, their minds grow more settled. It also says, “With the aged is wisdom.”Job 12:12 “Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice.”Exodus 19:19 Rabbi Eliezer says, “The Omnipresent gave Moses great honor. The Omnipresent would not speak until Moses told Him, ‘Speak. Your children have already joyfully accepted Your words as binding on them.’” Rabbi Akiva says, “How do we know that Moses made Israel hear with the same voice, strength, and melody with which he heard? Scripture says, ‘Moses would speak, and God would answer him.’ Certainly. Why does it add, ‘With a voice’? This teaches that he made them hear with the same voice, strength, and melody with which he heard.”

20 “The LORD descended on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain.”Exodus 19:20 Could He really have descended? Scripture says, “I spoke with you from heaven.”Exodus 20:22 Why, then, does it say, “The LORD descended on Mount Sinai”? You must understand that the highest heavens were split open and fire was permitted to blaze through the waters. It also says, “As fire kindles brushwood and fire makes water boil.”Isaiah 64:2 The lower platform descended and stood over Mount Sinai. He spoke with them from heaven, meaning the heavens over Mount Sinai. “The LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”Exodus 19:20 When Moses ascended to the sky, the ministering angels gathered against him. They said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, what is someone born of a woman doing here?” He told them, “I have come to receive the Torah.” They said before the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, let the beings above be enough for You. For it says, ‘LORD our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth! Set Your splendor over the heavens.’Psalms 8:1 That is enough. What concern have You with those who live in dust?” The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, “Son of Amram, answer them.” He said before Him, “Master of the world, can I answer Your angels?” He told him, “Hold on to the throne and answer them.” It is written, “He takes hold of the face of the throne. He spreads His cloud over him.”Job 26:9 This teaches that he held on to the throne, and He spread over him some of the radiance of His cloud and sheltered him, so that the angels would not burn him with their fire. It also says, “I will cover you with My hand until I pass by.”Exodus 33:22 Once he held on to the throne, he told them, “You say, ‘Let the beings above be enough for You.’ But what need do you have of it?” They asked him, “What is written in it?” He told them, “It is written, ‘You must have no other gods before Me.’Exodus 20:3 Are there idol worshipers among you? It is written, ‘You must not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.’Exodus 20:7 Is there any occasion for an oath among you? It is written, ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal.’Exodus 20:13-15 Do any of you have these traits? It is written, ‘Honor your father and your mother.’Exodus 20:12 Do you have a father and mother?” When they heard this, they said, “Master of the world, give it to him, so that those below can find what they need in it. Those above have no need of it.” This is what is written, “LORD our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!”Psalms 8:9 When the ministering angels saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, had given him the Torah, they too crowned him and revealed their secrets to him. This is what is written, “You ascended on high. You took captives. You received gifts among human beings.”Psalms 68:18 When the angel of death saw that all the angels had revealed their secrets to him, he too revealed his secrets. He told him, “When a plague comes, burn incense, and it will stop.” When the plague began, what does it say? “Moses told Aaron, ‘Take the censer, put fire from the altar on it, and add incense.’”Numbers 16:46 It also says, “He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.”Numbers 16:48 It also says, “They will place incense before You.”Deuteronomy 33:10

21 “The LORD told Moses, ‘Go down. Warn the people.’”Exodus 19:21 Warn those who have gone up not to look, and warn those who have not gone up not to go up. “So that they do not break through to the LORD to see.”Exodus 19:21 So that they do not breach the boundaries. “And many of them fall.”Exodus 19:21 “Many” means a multitude. This tells us that if one of them falls to the ground, He regards him as a multitude before Him. Another interpretation of “And many of them fall.”Exodus 19:21 From those whose minority holds back the majority.

22 “The priests who approach the LORD must also consecrate themselves.”Exodus 19:22 Rabbi Joshua ben Korḥa says, “These are the firstborn.” Rabbi says, “These are Nadab and Abihu.” In two places it says “priests” without saying “Nadab and Abihu,” and in two places it says “Nadab and Abihu” without saying “priests.” “So that the LORD does not break out against them.”Exodus 19:22 So that He does not make a breach among them. Another interpretation of “So that the LORD does not break out against them.” So that they do not break through.

23 “Moses told the LORD, ‘The people cannot go up Mount Sinai.’”Exodus 19:23 This is what Rabbi Judah says, “The Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses, ‘I will say something to you, you will answer Me, and I will then agree with your words.’” “For You warned us, saying, ‘Set a boundary around the mountain.’”Exodus 19:23 He told Him, “They have already established limits for themselves and have been warned.”

24 “The LORD told him, ‘Go down, and you will come up.’”Exodus 19:24 Could everyone have gone up with him? Scripture says, “The people must not break through to go up.” Could the priests have gone up with him? Scripture says, “You will come up, you and Aaron with you.” The priests will not be with you. Could Aaron be within the same boundary? Scripture says, “Moses alone must approach God.”Exodus 24:2 You must therefore understand that Moses had a boundary to himself, and Aaron a boundary to himself.

25 “Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.”Exodus 19:25 This teaches that he did not go home or turn to other business. I know this only about the commands at Mount Sinai. How do we know that with the commands at the tent of meeting he also did not go home or turn to other business? Scripture says, “He went out and told the Israelites what he was commanded.”Exodus 34:34 When Moses went down to call Aaron, the Holy One, blessed be He, made His voice heard, so that Israel would not say that it was Moses’ voice from the sky. The first voice went out. Heaven and earth shook, mountains and hills collapsed, seas and rivers fled, and all the trees bowed. The dead among Israel came to life and stood on their feet. Israel recoiled, retreated twelve miles, and their souls departed. In that voice they heard “I am” and “You must have no other gods.” It also says, “God spoke once. I heard these two things.”Psalms 62:11 At that moment they told Moses, “You approach and hear everything the LORD our God says, and you speak to us.”Deuteronomy 5:27 The Holy One, blessed be He, heard their voice, and it pleased Him. He sent Michael and Gabriel. Against Moses’ will, they took him by both hands and brought him into the dense darkness. For it says, “Moses was brought near to the dense darkness.”Exodus 20:21 It is not written “came near,” but “was brought near,” against his will. He made Israel hear the remaining commandments. Of him it is said, “Like the coolness of snow at harvesttime is a faithful messenger to those who send him. He refreshes his masters’ spirits.”Proverbs 25:13

Exodus 20

1 “God spoke all these words, saying.”Exodus 20:1 He told them, “I apply justice in your case and in all these matters. Had you not accepted them as binding on you, I would not have punished you. Someone who accepts is different from someone who does not.” Rabbi Judah the Patriarch explains it with a parable. What is this like? Someone married a woman. They told her, “You have married him. Comb his wool.” So too, “You, Israel, have been drawn to Me. You have bound yourselves to Me. I expect you to do My will.” Another interpretation of “God spoke.”Exodus 20:1 This teaches that the words spoken here are those spoken elsewhere. Both refer to one matter, something the mouth cannot say and the ear cannot hear. Here it says, “God spoke all these words,”Exodus 20:1 and elsewhere it says, “God spoke once. I heard these two things.”Psalms 62:11 It also says, “‘Is not My word like fire?’ says the LORD.”Jeremiah 23:29 Just as fire divides into many sparks, so one utterance goes out into many scriptural passages. Another interpretation of “God spoke.”Exodus 20:1 “Through this I punish, and through this I pay a reward.” It also says, “The LORD spoke with you face to face.”Deuteronomy 5:4 Another interpretation of “God spoke.”Exodus 20:1 This teaches that He told them the first thing first, and the last thing last. Another interpretation of “God spoke all the words.”Exodus 20:1 Could they have told Him only at the end, “We accept them as binding on us”? Scripture says, “I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:2 “I am” was included in the general statement and singled out. An exception teaches about the general statement. Just as “I am” had its own utterance and its own acceptance, so every commandment had its own utterance and its own acceptance. Why does it say, “Saying”? This teaches that He told them to respond to each commandment, “No” to a prohibition and “Yes” to a positive command.

2 “I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:2 I am He. Anyone who has authority may come and protest. Rabbi Shimon says, “Concerning the world’s destruction it says, ‘I will wipe out every living thing.’Genesis 7:4 I am He. Anyone who has authority may come and protest.” Similarly, you say, “I did not speak in secret, in a place of dark land. I speak righteousness.”Isaiah 45:19 I am He. Anyone who has authority may come and protest. Another interpretation of “I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:2 I am God over all the world’s inhabitants. Could you be just like them? Scripture says, “Your God.” Could I be God over you alone? Scripture says, “I am the LORD.” I am God over all the world’s inhabitants. How is this understood? I am God over all the world’s inhabitants, but My name rests on you. Similarly, you say, “This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says. I am the God of all flesh.”Jeremiah 32:15,27 I am God over all the world’s inhabitants. Could you be just like them? Scripture says, “The God of Israel.” Could I be God over you alone? Scripture says, “I am the LORD, the God of all flesh.” How is this understood? I am God over all the world’s inhabitants, but My name rests on you. Another interpretation of “I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:2 Why does it say, “Your God”? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If you do His will, then ‘I am the LORD,’ and of Me it is said, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a compassionate and gracious God.’Exodus 34:6 Otherwise, ‘Your God.’ I exact punishment from your enemies.” “Your God” means a judge. Another interpretation of “I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:2 This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, offered His Torah to all the nations of the world, and they did not accept it from Him. He returned to Israel and said, “I am the LORD your God.” “Who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”Exodus 20:2 Even if My only claim on you were that I brought you out of the land of Egypt, that would be enough. “From the house of slavery.”Exodus 20:2 Even if My only claim on you were that I redeemed you from the house of slavery, that would be enough.

3 “You must not have.”Exodus 20:3 Could someone be forbidden to keep an idol for himself but permitted to keep one for others? Scripture says, “There must not be.” Why does it say, “For you”? This teaches that anyone who keeps an idol for himself violates two prohibitions, “There must not be” and “for you.” “Gods.”Exodus 20:3 Since they are called gods, could they have some use before Me? Scripture says, “Other.” Another interpretation. Why does it say, “Other gods”?Exodus 20:3 Someone must not make a god of silver or gold and say, “It is not for something detestable, but for a god. It is not for an idol, but for a god.” Scripture says, “Other gods.” Even if you do not regard it as a god, you are not permitted to keep it. Another interpretation of “other.” They are later ones, made last. It also says, “New ones that have recently come, which your ancestors did not dread.”Deuteronomy 32:17 They have not helped you, have not helped your ancestors, and have never helped at all. Another interpretation of “other.” They delay goodness from coming into the world. Another interpretation of “other.” They turn those who serve them into others. “Before Me.”Exodus 20:3 Neither in My likeness nor in the likeness of My attendants. Another interpretation of “before Me.” This teaches that they bring anger into the world.

4 “You must not make for yourself.”Exodus 20:4 This teaches that anyone who makes an idol for himself violates two prohibitions, “You must not make” and “for yourself.” “A carved image.”Exodus 20:4 I know only about a carved image. When it says, “Any likeness,” it includes the sun, the moon, the stars, and the constellations. “Which is in heaven.”Exodus 20:4 This includes heaven itself. “Above.” This includes the ministering angels. “And which is on the earth.”Exodus 20:4 This includes mountains, hills, snakes, and scorpions. “Below.” This includes the depths. “And which is in the waters.”Exodus 20:4 This includes sea creatures and dolphins. “Under.” This includes worms. “The earth.” This includes the earth itself. When it says, “Any likeness,”Exodus 20:4 it means neither their form nor the form of their reflection, neither wild animals nor the form of the heavenly living creatures. If we are ultimately to include everything, why does it say, “A carved image”? Rather, if you do this, you exclude the world from Me, and I exclude the world from you.

5 “You must not bow down to them.”Exodus 20:5 You may bow down to a human being. Could you do so even to someone worshiped like Haman? Scripture says, “You must not bow down to them or serve them.” You must not bow down as an act of worship. “You must not bow down to them.”Exodus 20:5 Bowing was included in the general prohibition. Why was it singled out? To serve as a model. Bowing is a distinct act for which someone is separately liable, whether or not this is the idol’s usual worship. So too, for every form of worship reserved for God, if someone performs it for an idol, he is liable, whether or not this is its usual worship. What forms of worship are reserved for God? Sacrifice, burning incense, bowing, and pouring a libation. If someone serves an idol with them, he is liable even if that is not its usual form of worship. “And you must not serve them.”Exodus 20:5 Someone must not serve an idol in its own form of worship, such as throwing a stone at Mercurius, exposing himself to Peor, offering his hair to Chemosh, passing his son to Molech, or similar acts. It also says, “How did these nations serve their gods? I too will do the same.”Deuteronomy 12:30 He is liable only when he serves it in its customary form of worship. Thus there are three grounds for being cut off in connection with idolatry. Someone serves it in its customary way, or serves it with one of the four forms of worship reserved for God even though that is not its customary way, or accepts it as a god even without serving it. Another interpretation of “And you must not serve them.”Exodus 20:5 Someone must not wash, anoint, polish, sweep before, sprinkle the ground before, kiss, or embrace any kind of idol. “For I am the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:5 This teaches that they saw the face that would reward the righteous in the future. The prophets make Him heard in many forms of speech. One verse says, “His clothing was white as snow,”Daniel 7:9 and another says, “Why are Your clothes red?”Isaiah 63:2 Could you imagine that they saw Him only for a moment? That is why it says in Ezekiel, “I saw visions of God.”Ezekiel 1:1 He told them, “I saw many visions before I merited receiving the face of the Shekinah.” “A jealous God.”Exodus 20:5 This teaches that they saw the face that would punish the wicked in the future. “A jealous God.” A judging God, a severe God, a merciless God. Another interpretation of “a jealous God.”Exodus 20:5 Is there jealousy before Him? Does He punish out of jealousy? He does not punish through a stone, an arrow, or a smooth pebble. It is as if He tells someone who follows an idol, “You have exchanged Me for it.” Agrippas the Elder asked Rabban Gamaliel. “One is jealous neither of someone greater than himself nor of someone equal to himself, but of someone smaller than himself.” It also says, “For My people have committed two evils. They have abandoned Me, the spring of living water.”Jeremiah 2:13 Had they only abandoned Me, the spring of living water, they would have been wretched. How much more so when they “cut out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water”!Jeremiah 2:13 “Taking account.”Exodus 20:5 “Taking account” means remembering. It also says, “The LORD took note of Sarah.”Genesis 21:1 It also says, “I have indeed taken notice of you.”Exodus 3:16 Rabbi Judah says, “I gather their sins into My hand and hold back for as many as four generations, as with Jehu son of Nimshi. It also says, ‘Your sons to the fourth generation will sit on Israel’s throne.’2 Kings 15:12 And that is what happened to him.” One verse says, “Taking account of the fathers’ wrongdoing in their children,”Exodus 20:5 and another verse says, “A father will not bear a son’s wrongdoing, and a son will not bear a father’s wrongdoing.”Ezekiel 18:20 If their ancestors were worthy, He waits for them. Otherwise, He does not wait for them. He explains it with a parable. What is this like? Someone borrowed a hundred minas from the king and denied the debt. His grandson came, borrowed a hundred minas from the king, and denied the debt. They do not lend to the fourth generation because their ancestors denied their debts. It also says, “Our ancestors sinned and are gone, and we bear their wrongdoing.”Lamentations 5:7 Do not read, “We bear their wrongdoing,” but “We bear our own wrongdoing.” What caused us to bear our own wrongdoing? Our ancestors, who denied their debts. “Taking account of the fathers’ wrongdoing in their children.”Exodus 20:5 Could this apply only to their direct offspring? Scripture says, “And on the children’s children.” Let it say this alone. If it did, I would say that He waits only for the son. How do we know about three and four generations? Scripture says, “To the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” “Of those who hate Me.”Exodus 20:5 When they follow their ancestors’ practices.

6 “Showing kindness to thousands.”Exodus 20:6 Could this mean only a person’s own descendants? Scripture says, “For a thousand generations.”Deuteronomy 7:9 Let it say that alone. If it did, I would say that He shows kindness only for a thousand generations. How do we know about thousands and thousands of thousands? Scripture says, “Showing kindness to thousands.” “To those who love Me.”Exodus 20:6 To someone who acts before Me out of love. “And to those who keep My commandments.” To someone who acts before Me out of fear. This shows you how many degrees separate someone who acts out of love from someone who acts out of fear. It also teaches that the measure of goodness exceeds the measure of punishment by a factor of five hundred. Another interpretation. Why are four prohibitions stated in this passage? They correspond to the four kingdoms. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “See that they do not mislead you. Do not do this. Do not do that.” Why? Because I will eventually exact punishment from them. For it is written, “For I am the LORD your God, a jealous God, taking account of the fathers’ wrongdoing.”Exodus 20:5 This is the wrongdoing of Nebuchadnezzar, the father of kingdoms. “In their children.” This is his son Belshazzar. “In the third generation.” This is the kingdom of Media. For it says, “Three ribs were in its mouth.”Daniel 7:5 “In the fourth generation.” This is the kingdom of Greece, of which it is written, “The beast had four heads.”Daniel 7:6 “Of those who hate Me.” This is the wicked kingdom of Edom, of which it is written, “But Esau I hated.”Malachi 1:3 Afterward comes “Showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me.”Exodus 20:6 From this you learn that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not settle His Shekinah in Zion until He has exacted punishment from the nations. It also says, “I will avenge their blood that I have not avenged, and the LORD dwells in Zion.”Joel 3:21

7 “You must not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”Exodus 20:7 A vain statement is something that has not happened, does not happen, and will not happen. “For the LORD will not clear him.”Exodus 20:7 Since repentance was mentioned at Horeb, with the words “And clearing,”Exodus 34:7 could repentance bring atonement here? Scripture says, “For the LORD will not clear him.” Does it not then follow all the more that repentance cannot bring atonement for an offense punishable by death at heaven’s hands? Or does repentance fail to bring atonement for every prohibition in the Torah? Scripture says, “For the LORD will not clear anyone who takes His name in vain.” For this, repentance does not bring atonement. It does bring atonement for every other prohibition in the Torah. It then follows all the more that repentance brings atonement for a positive commandment and for a prohibition that can be remedied by fulfilling a positive commandment. Say, then, that offenses at the level of “You must not take” and below are minor offenses, and repentance brings atonement for them. Those at the level of “You must not make” and above are serious offenses, and repentance does not bring atonement for them. Could the Day of Atonement fail to bring atonement? Scripture says, “For on this day atonement will be made for you.”Leviticus 16:30

8 “Remember” and “Observe”Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12 were both spoken as one, something the mouth cannot say and the ear cannot hear. So it says, “God spoke all these words.”Exodus 20:1 It also says, “God spoke once. I heard these two things.”Psalms 62:11 Shammai the Elder says, “Remember it before it comes and observe it once it comes.” They said of Shammai the Elder that mention of the Sabbath never left his lips. If he bought a fine item, he said, “This is for the Sabbath.” If he bought a new utensil, he said, “This is for the Sabbath.” They also said of Shammai the Elder that all his life he ate in honor of the Sabbath. If he found a fine animal, he said, “This is in honor of the Sabbath.” If he found another that was finer, he set the second aside and ate the first. But Hillel the Elder had a different practice. Everything he did was for heaven’s sake. For it is written, “Blessed be the Lord, day by day.”Psalms 68:19 Another interpretation of “Remember.”Exodus 20:8 Remember it over a cup. From here we learn that the sanctification is recited only over a cup of wine. Another interpretation of “Remember” and “Observe.”Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12 Remember it before it begins and observe it once it begins. From here we learn that some ordinary time is added to sacred time at its beginning and its end. Another interpretation of “Remember.”Exodus 20:8 Rabbi Judah ben Beteira says, “How do we know that when you count the days, you should count the first day toward the Sabbath, the second day toward the Sabbath, the third day toward the Sabbath, the fourth day toward the Sabbath, the fifth day toward the Sabbath, and the eve of the Sabbath? Scripture says, ‘Remember.’” “The day.”Exodus 20:8 I know only about the day. How do we know about the night? Scripture says, “To keep it holy.” Why does it say, “The day”? Honoring the day takes precedence over honoring the night. “To keep it holy.”Exodus 20:8 Sanctify it at night. How do we know that if someone did not sanctify it at night, he may do so throughout the day? Scripture says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” If he has only one cup of wine, sanctifying the day takes precedence over honoring the day and honoring the night. Another interpretation of “To keep it holy.”Exodus 20:8 How do you keep it holy? With food, drink, and clean clothing, so that your Sabbath meal is different from your weekday meal, and your Sabbath clothing is different from your weekday clothing. How do we know that even a poor person’s Sabbath food should differ from his weekday food? Scripture says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

9 “For six days you must work.”Exodus 20:9 Rabbi says, “This is another decree. Just as Israel was given the positive commandment concerning the Sabbath, so they were commanded to work.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says, “Work is great, for the Shekinah did not dwell among Israel until they worked. For it is said, ‘They must make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.’Exodus 25:8” Rabbi Yose the Galilean says, “Work is great, for the Omnipresent imposed death on a person only when he became inactive. For it is said, ‘He expired and died and was gathered to his people.’Genesis 25:17” Rabbi Akiva says, “Work is great. Someone who gains even a perutah’s worth of benefit from sacred property must repay what he misappropriated, add a fifth, and bring a guilt offering worth two selaʿs. Yet the workers employed on sacred property receive their wages from the contribution in the chamber.” Rabbi Shimon says, “Work is great. Even a high priest who enters on the Day of Atonement outside the time of the service is liable to death. Yet when work must be done, those who are ritually impure and those with physical defects are permitted to enter.” “For six days you must work and do all your work.”Exodus 20:9 This is the basis for the school of Shammai’s ruling. Ink, dyes, and vetches may be soaked only if there is enough time for them to soak before sunset. Traps for wild animals and birds may be set only if there is enough time for them to catch something before sunset. The beam of the olive press and the round weights of the winepress may be loaded only if there is enough time for the liquid to flow out before sunset. Water may be released into gardens only if there is enough time for them to fill before sunset. Meat, onions, and eggs may be put over a fire, and cooked food put in an oven, only if there is enough time for them to roast before sunset. The school of Hillel permits all of these. The school of Shammai says, “‘For six days you must work and do all your work’ means that your work must be finished on the eve of the Sabbath.” The school of Hillel says, “‘For six days you must work’ means that you may work throughout the six days, and the rest of your work may take place by itself on the Sabbath.” “And do all your work.”Exodus 20:9 On the Sabbath, be like someone who has no work to do.

10 “And the seventh day is a Sabbath.”Exodus 20:10 I know only a positive commandment. How do we know a prohibition? Scripture says, “You must not do any work.” I know only a positive commandment and a prohibition. How do we know the death penalty? Scripture says, “Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.”Exodus 31:15 We have heard the penalty, but not the warning. Scripture says, “The Israelites must observe the Sabbath.”Exodus 31:16 I know only a penalty and a warning for work during the day. How do we know a penalty and a warning for work at night? Scripture says, “From evening to evening.”Leviticus 23:32 Since this is not needed for the nights of the Day of Atonement, apply it to Sabbath nights. I know only a positive commandment and a prohibition. How do we know the death penalty? Scripture says, “Those who profane it must be put to death.”Exodus 31:14 “A Sabbath to the LORD your God.”Exodus 20:10 Rest from thinking about work. From here they said that a person must not walk around his field on the Sabbath to find out what it needs, or go to the bathhouse to bathe there after dark. Any calculations he needs, whether about the past or the future, must not be made on the Sabbath. “You must not do any work.”Exodus 20:10 Could this mean that someone must not trim vegetables, wash dishes, or make beds? Scripture says, “Work.” “Work” is said here, and “work” is said concerning the tabernacle. Just as the work mentioned concerning the tabernacle is work involving intention, so the work mentioned here concerning the Sabbath is work involving intention. “You, your son, and your daughter.”Exodus 20:10 Could this refer to his adult son and daughter? When it says, “You,” his adult son and daughter are already included. Why does it say, “Your son and your daughter”? These are his minor son and daughter. He must not tell his young son, “Bring me this utensil from the marketplace,” or “Bring me this basket from the marketplace.” If minors come to put out a fire, they must be stopped, for they too are commanded to rest. Could someone have to follow them around to keep them from breaking pieces of pottery or scattering pebbles? Scripture says, “You.” Just as you do your own work by your own choice, so they do their own work by their own choice. Let it say, “Son.” Why does it say, “Daughter”? Because some things apply to a son that do not apply to a daughter. Another interpretation. Some things apply to a daughter that do not apply to a son. A father is commanded to circumcise his son, redeem him, teach him Torah, teach him a trade, teach him to swim, and arrange a marriage for him. These do not apply to a daughter. A father has the right to what his daughter finds, to the work of her hands, and to annul her vows. These do not apply to a son. Since some things apply to a son that do not apply to a daughter, and some things apply to a daughter that do not apply to a son, Scripture needs to mention both son and daughter. “And your male slave and your female slave.”Exodus 20:10 Could this refer to Hebrew slaves? They are like you. Which slaves, then, are meant? Resident male and female slaves. “And your livestock.”Exodus 20:10 Why is this needed? If it means that someone must not work with it, it has already said, “You must not do any work.” Why does it say, “And your livestock”? A person must not hire out his animal to a gentile or lend it to him, and it must not go out carrying a load on the Sabbath. “And your resident alien within your gates.”Exodus 20:10 If Scripture is speaking of a convert, it has already said, “The assembly must have one statute for you and for the alien who lives among you.”Numbers 15:15 How, then, do I understand “Your resident alien”? Scripture speaks of a resident alien employed by an Israelite as a hired worker or harvester. He must not let him do work for him on the Sabbath. But the alien may do work for himself and by his own choice.

11 “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth.”Exodus 20:11 Were they created over six days? Has it not already said, “By the LORD’s word the heavens were made”?Psalms 33:6 If so, why does it say, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens”? To punish the wicked who destroy the world created over six days, and to give a good reward to the righteous who sustain the world created over six days. Another interpretation of “For in six days the LORD made.”Exodus 20:11 The Sabbath was given to Israel on account of three things. On account of the exodus from Egypt, for it is written, “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt.”Deuteronomy 5:15 On account of “For in six days the LORD made.”Exodus 20:11 And on account of “He rested on the seventh day.”Exodus 20:11 “The sea and everything in them.”Exodus 20:11 The sea was included in the work of creation. Its separate mention teaches that the sea’s praise equals that of all the works of creation. Similarly, you say, “This Leviathan You formed to play in it.”Psalms 104:26 Was Leviathan not included among the creatures of the sea? Its separate mention teaches that Leviathan’s praise equals that of all the creatures of the sea. “He rested on the seventh day.”Exodus 20:11 This teaches that rest was not created until the seventh day. Another interpretation of “He rested on the seventh day.”Exodus 20:11 Is there toil and weariness before Him? Has it not already said, “He does not grow faint or weary”?Isaiah 40:28 If so, why does it say, “He rested”? To punish the wicked who destroy the world created with toil and weariness. Another interpretation of “He rested.”Exodus 20:11 Does this not follow all the more? The One who spoke and the world came into being, blessed be He, experiences no toil or weariness, yet had it written of Himself, “He rested.” How much more must a person, of whom it is written, “A human being is born to toil,”Job 5:7 be obligated to rest on the seventh day! “Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”Exodus 20:11 How did He bless it and make it holy? He blessed it through manna and made it holy through manna. He blessed it through manna. For each day it says, “An omer for each person,”Exodus 16:16 but for the Sabbath it says, “Two omers for each person.”Exodus 16:22 For each day it says, “It bred worms and stank,”Exodus 16:20 but for the Sabbath it says, “It did not stink, and there were no worms in it.”Exodus 16:24 Rabbi Shimon ben Judah of Kefar Ikos says, “He blessed it through the heavenly lights and made it holy through the heavenly lights. He blessed it through the radiance of a person’s face and made it holy through the radiance of a person’s face. Although the heavenly lights were impaired on the eve of the Sabbath, they did not grow dim until the Sabbath ended. Although the radiance of Adam’s face was impaired on the eve of the Sabbath, it did not grow dim until the Sabbath ended.” So it says, “The moon’s light will be like the sun’s light, and the sun’s light will be sevenfold, like the light of the seven days.”Isaiah 30:26 Rabbi Yose told him, “Why do I need this? Has it not already said, ‘A human being does not remain overnight in honor’?Psalms 49:12 His honor did not stay overnight with him. Instead, his honor was lost, and ‘He became like the beasts that perish.’Psalms 49:12” He told him, “Yes, the decree was made on the eve of the Sabbath. He did not stay overnight before the decree was made against him, but he was not stricken until the Sabbath ended.”

12 “Honor your father and your mother.”Exodus 20:12 I do not know what this honor means. When it says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth,”Proverbs 3:9 you must conclude that it means providing food and drink, clothing and covering, and helping them go out and come in. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says, “Honoring one’s father and mother is great, for the Holy One, blessed be He, equated their honor with His honor and reverence for them with reverence for Him. It is written, ‘Honor the LORD with your wealth,’Proverbs 3:9 and it is written, ‘Honor your father and your mother.’Exodus 20:12 It is written, ‘You must fear the LORD your God,’Deuteronomy 6:13 and it is written, ‘Each of you must revere his mother and father.’Leviticus 19:3 It is written, ‘Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death,’Leviticus 24:16 and it is written, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’Exodus 21:17 But striking cannot apply to the One above. This comparison is reasonable, since all three are partners in a person, his father, his mother, and the Holy One, blessed be He.” Another interpretation of “Honor your father and your mother.”Exodus 20:12 “Your father” includes your father’s wife. “And your mother” includes your mother’s husband. When it says, “And your mother,” it also includes your older brother, whom you must treat with honor. A person is obligated to honor his father’s wife only while his father is alive. Likewise, he is obligated to honor his mother’s husband only while his mother is alive. After their deaths he is not obligated to honor their spouses. “So that your days may be long on the land.”Exodus 20:12 In the land, rather than in exile or in temporary residence elsewhere.

13 “You must not murder.”Exodus 20:13 From the statement “The murderer must be put to death,”Numbers 35:16 we have learned the penalty. How do we know the warning? Scripture says, “You must not murder.” How do we know that someone who says, “I will murder on condition that I am put to death,” remains under the warning? Scripture says, “You must not murder.” How do we know that someone being taken to execution who says, “I will murder,” remains under the warning? Scripture says, “You must not murder.” Another interpretation of “You must not murder.”Exodus 20:13 Do not permit the shedding of a murderer’s blood. “You must not murder.” Do not cause blood to cry out against you. Bloodshed is grievous, for nothing atones for it except the murderer’s death. For it is said, “No atonement can be made for the land for blood shed on it except through the blood of the one who shed it.”Numbers 35:33 Likewise, when Saul killed the people of Nob, the city of priests, and destroyed the Gibeonites who were there, what does Scripture say? “There was a famine in David’s days for three years, and David inquired of the LORD.”2 Samuel 21:1 Why did he inquire only after three years? In the first year he told them, “Go and see whether there are idol worshipers among you, for rain is withheld because of idolatry. It is said, ‘Take care that your hearts are not deceived and you turn away and serve other gods. Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and He will close the heavens so that there is no rain.’Deuteronomy 11:16–17” They went out, investigated, and found none. In the second year he told them, “Go and see whether there are people committing forbidden sexual acts among you, for rain is withheld because of such acts. It is said, ‘The showers were withheld, and there was no spring rain. Yet you had the forehead of a prostitute.’Jeremiah 3:3” They went out, investigated, and found none. In the third year he told them, “Go and see whether anyone among you publicly pledges charity and fails to pay, for rain is withheld because of someone who pledges charity and fails to pay. It is said, ‘Clouds and wind but no rain, a person boasting of a gift never given.’Proverbs 25:14” They went out, investigated, and found none. After that, it could only be bloodshed. He immediately inquired through the Urim and Thummim. “The LORD said, ‘It is because of Saul and the bloodstained house, because he killed the Gibeonites.’2 Samuel 21:1” If this applies to killing a resident alien, how much more to killing an Israelite! “You must not commit adultery.”Exodus 20:14 From the statement “The adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death,”Leviticus 20:10 we have learned the penalty. How do we know the warning? Scripture says, “You must not commit adultery.” How do we know that someone who says, “I will commit adultery on condition that I am put to death,” remains under the warning? Scripture says, “You must not commit adultery.” How do we know that someone eating from his own bowl while imagining that he is eating from his neighbor’s bowl, or drinking from his own cup while imagining that he is drinking from his neighbor’s cup, remains under the warning? Scripture says, “You must not commit adultery.” Another interpretation of “You must not commit adultery.”Exodus 20:14 Do not take pleasure through the nose. From here they said that it is forbidden to smell perfume worn by someone with whom sexual relations are forbidden. Another interpretation of “You must not commit adultery.” Do not allow anger to come into the world. Another interpretation. “You must not commit adultery”Exodus 20:14 has four applications. Do not commit it with the hand, the foot, the eye, or the heart. How do we know that the hand can act unfaithfully? It is written, “Your hands are full of blood.”Isaiah 1:15 How do we know that the feet can act unfaithfully? It is written, “One who hurries with his feet sins.”Proverbs 19:2 How do we know that the eyes and the heart can act unfaithfully? It is written, “You must not follow your hearts and your eyes, after which you stray.”Numbers 15:39 Sexual wrongdoing is grievous, for the twenty-four ornaments were taken away only because of it. For it is written, “The LORD said, ‘Because the daughters of Zion are proud and walk with outstretched necks and alluring eyes.’Isaiah 3:16” “With outstretched necks.” They would walk with a short woman among tall women and a tall woman between two short women. “And alluring eyes.” They painted their eyes with red pigment. “Walking with little steps.” This refers to their sleeves. “And jingling with their feet.” They placed bladders filled with balsam beneath their heels so that their fragrance would spread. What does Scripture say there? “On that day the Lord will remove the splendor of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents, the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils, the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume cases, and the amulets, the rings and the nose rings.”Isaiah 3:18–21 These are thirteen ornaments of gold and silver. “The fine robes, the mantles, the shawls, and the purses, the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the wraps. Instead of perfume there will be decay, instead of a belt a rope, instead of styled hair baldness, instead of a fine robe a wrapping of sackcloth, a brand instead of beauty.”Isaiah 3:22–24 These are eleven ornaments of clothing. Sexual wrongdoing is grievous, for the Holy One, blessed be He, was patient with the false prophets over everything except this. Who were they? Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah. For it is said, “Because they committed an outrage in Israel and committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives.”Jeremiah 29:23 What did they do? Ahab would tell a woman, “Yield to Zedekiah and you will give birth to a prophet.” Zedekiah would tell her, “This is what the LORD says. Yield to Ahab and you will give birth to a prophet.” “When his abundance is complete, he will be in distress.”Job 20:22 When their time came, they did this with Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter. When he became aware of them, he said, “Their God hates sexual immorality.” He immediately recognized that they were false prophets. He sent for them and had them brought. They told him, “Our words are true, and we are true prophets.” He told them, “I have a way to test true prophets. I threw some of them into the fire and they were saved, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. I will test you too.” They said, “They were three, and we are two.” He told them, “Choose whomever you want.” They said, “Joshua son of Jehozadak the priest.” He made a large pan for them, put them inside, and lit a fire beneath them. They were burned. For it is said, “From them a curse will be taken up by all the exiles of Judah, saying, ‘May God make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.’Jeremiah 29:22” Joshua was saved, for it is written, “Is this not a brand rescued from the fire?”Zechariah 3:2 Sexual wrongdoing is grievous, for it is one of three things for which Scripture explicitly describes Gehenna. They are adultery with a married woman, slander, and the wicked kingdom. For adultery with a married woman it is said, “Can a man carry fire against his chest without his clothes being burned? So it is with someone who goes to his neighbor’s wife. No one who touches her will go unpunished.”Proverbs 6:27,29 For slander it is written, “What will He give you, and what will He add to you, deceitful tongue? A warrior’s sharpened arrows with glowing broomwood coals.”Psalms 120:3–4 For the wicked kingdom it is written, “You are worn out by your many counsels. Let the astrologers stand and save you. They have become like straw. Fire burns them.”Isaiah 47:13–14 “You must not steal.”Exodus 20:15 From the statement “Anyone who kidnaps a person and sells him, or is found holding him, must be put to death,”Exodus 21:16 we have heard the penalty. How do we know the warning? Scripture says, “You must not steal.” This is a warning against kidnapping. Whether someone kidnaps a man or a woman, an adult or a child, even a child one day old, he is liable. Concerning property it says, “You must not steal.”Leviticus 19:11 This is a warning against stealing property. “You must not give false testimony against your neighbor.”Exodus 20:16 Falsehood means fabrication. How so? If someone deposited gold with him, he must not say that it was a pearl. If it was a pearl, he must not say that it was gold. From the statement “You must do to him what he intended to do to his brother,”Deuteronomy 19:19 we learn money for money, lashes for lashes, and penalties for penalties. We have heard the penalty. How do we know the warning? Scripture says, “You must not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

14 “You must not covet.”Exodus 20:17 Elsewhere it says, “You must not desire.”Deuteronomy 5:21 This makes someone separately liable for desire and for coveting. How do we know that someone who desires will eventually covet? It is said, “You must not desire,” and “You must not covet.” How do we know that someone who covets will eventually rob? It is said, “They covet fields and seize them.”Micah 2:2 Desire is in the heart. It also says, “When your soul desires.”Deuteronomy 12:20 Coveting involves action. It also says, “You must not covet the silver and gold on them and take it for yourself.”Deuteronomy 7:25 Could someone be forbidden to desire his neighbor’s daughter in marriage? Scripture says, “Your neighbor’s wife.”Exodus 20:17 Just as your neighbor’s wife is forbidden to you, so this applies to anything forbidden to you. If so, just as relations with your neighbor’s wife carry the court’s death penalty, could this apply only to something carrying the court’s death penalty? Scripture says, “His house and his field.”Deuteronomy 5:21 Or, just as these are acquired with money, a deed, or possession, could this apply only to something acquired with money, a deed, or possession? Scripture says, “His male slave and his female slave.”Exodus 20:17 Or, just as these are legally classed with land, could this apply only to something legally classed with land? Scripture says, “His ox and his donkey.” Or, just as these are things one must guard, could this apply only to something one must guard? How do we know that someone must not desire his neighbor’s staff, shoes, or money belt? Scripture says, “Anything belonging to your neighbor.” Could someone be forbidden to say, “If only my eye were like his eye! If only my hair were like his hair!”? Scripture says, “His ox and his donkey, his male slave and his female slave, his house and his field.”Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21 Just as these are things that can come into your possession while your neighbor loses them, so this applies only to something that can come into your possession while your neighbor loses it. Another interpretation of “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male slave and his female slave, his ox and his donkey, or anything belonging to your neighbor.”Exodus 20:17 Is there someone who covets all these things? Rather, when someone has relations with his neighbor’s wife and she gives birth to a son, her husband thinks that the child is his son. He then leaves him his house, his field, his male slave and his female slave, his ox and his donkey, and everything belonging to your neighbor. These are the Ten Commandments. “I am,” “You must not have,” “You must not take,” “Remember,” “Honor,” “You must not murder,” “You must not commit adultery,” “You must not steal,” “You must not give false testimony,” and “You must not covet.”Exodus 20:2–17 Five were on this tablet and five on that tablet. These are the words of Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel. The sages say that ten were on this tablet and ten on that tablet. Five correspond to five. “You must not murder” corresponds to “I am.” This teaches that anyone who murders is as though he diminished the divine image. “You must not commit adultery” corresponds to “You must not have.” This teaches that idolatry is equivalent to adultery. It also says, “Through the noise of her prostitution she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and wood.”Jeremiah 3:9 “You must not steal” corresponds to “You must not take,” for anyone who steals will eventually swear falsely. “You must not give false testimony” corresponds to “Remember.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, as it were, “If you give false testimony against your neighbor, I count it against you as though you testified that I did not create My world in six days and did not rest on the seventh.” “You must not covet” corresponds to “Honor.” For anyone who covets his neighbor’s wife brings about the birth of a son who honors someone who is not his father and curses his mother. Could someone be liable only if he violates all of them? Scripture says, “You must not murder,” “You must not commit adultery,” “You must not steal,” “You must not give false testimony,” and “You must not covet.”Exodus 20:13–17 This makes someone liable for each one separately. If so, why does it say elsewhere, “You must not murder, and you must not commit adultery, and you must not steal, and you must not give false testimony, and you must not covet”?Deuteronomy 5:17–21 It teaches that they are all connected. Someone who breaks through one will eventually break through them all. How do we know that someone who murders will eventually commit adultery? It is written, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, ‘Come with us. Let us lie in wait for blood. Let us ambush the innocent without cause. Cast your lot among us. We will all have one purse.’Proverbs 1:10–11,14” How do we know that someone who commits adultery will eventually steal? It is written, “If you see a thief, you run with him, and your share is with adulterers.”Psalms 50:18 How do we know that someone who steals will eventually swear a vain oath? It is written, “Someone who shares with a thief hates his own life. He hears the oath but does not tell.”Proverbs 29:24

15 “All the people saw.”Exodus 20:18 This teaches that none of them were blind. From the statement “You were shown so that you would know,”Deuteronomy 4:35 we learn that none of them lacked understanding. From the statement “All the people answered together,”Exodus 19:8 we learn that none of them were unable to speak. From the statement “From heaven He made you hear His voice,”Deuteronomy 4:36 we learn that none of them were deaf. From the statement “You are standing,”Deuteronomy 29:10 we learn that none of them were unable to walk. How do we know that not one of them had a headache or a toothache? Scripture says, “There was no one stumbling among His tribes.”Psalms 105:37 “The sounds.”Exodus 20:18 In the ordinary course of things, it is impossible to see sound. But here they saw the sounds and the flames. Just as they saw the flames, they saw the sounds. “The people saw.”Exodus 20:18 What did they see? They saw great glory. Rabbi Eliezer says, “How do we know that an Israelite slave woman saw what the greatest of the prophets did not see? It is said, ‘The people saw.’ What did they see? They saw great glory.” “They trembled.”Exodus 20:18 Trembling means being thrown into confusion. So it says, “The earth reels like a drunkard.”Isaiah 24:20 It also says, “His heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.”Isaiah 7:2 “They stood at a distance.”Exodus 20:18 Why is this needed? Has it not already said, “The people stood at a distance”?Exodus 20:21 It teaches that they went twelve mils away and returned twelve mils at each commandment.

16 “They said to Moses, ‘You speak with us, and we will listen.’”Exodus 20:19 Through this they merited having prophets raised up for them. It also says, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers.”Deuteronomy 18:15 But when they mocked God’s messengers, the Holy Spirit ceased among them. So it says, “They mocked God’s messengers.”2 Chronicles 36:16 “But do not let God speak with us, or we will die.”Exodus 20:19 If one more utterance had been added for them, they would have died. Why did they see fit to say this to Moses after the commandments, when these had already been spoken? It teaches that they thought He was going to say something more.

17 “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid.’”Exodus 20:20 He told them, “He gave you the Torah and performed miracles and mighty deeds for you only ‘to test you,’ to exalt you above everyone in the world.” This is like the statement “Evil-Merodach raised up.”2 Kings 25:27 Another interpretation of “To test you.”Exodus 20:20 To exalt you through commandments. This is like the statement “For they are crown stones raised high over His land.”Zechariah 9:16 It also says, “You have given those who fear You a banner to raise high.”Psalms 60:4 Another interpretation of “To test you.”Exodus 20:20 Certainly, before this you acted unintentionally. From this point on you act knowingly. Before this you did not know the reward of the righteous or the punishment of the wicked in the world to come. From this point on you know the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked in the world to come. “So that fear of Him may be before your faces, so that you do not sin.”Exodus 20:20 Anyone who has a sense of shame will not readily sin.

18 “The people stood at a distance.”Exodus 20:21 Why is this needed? Has it not already said, “They stood at a distance”?Exodus 20:18 It teaches that the Israelites went twelve mils away and returned twelve mils at each commandment. “Moses approached the thick darkness.”Exodus 20:21 Could this mean the inner darkness or the outer darkness? Scripture says, “Where God was.” Say, then, that there were two walls of thick darkness, and Moses walked between them until he reached the inner darkness. So Solomon says, “The LORD said that He would dwell in thick darkness.”1 Kings 8:12 From here they said that all the prophets prophesied only through mirrors that did not shine, while Moses our teacher prophesied through one shining mirror.

19 “The LORD said to Moses, ‘This is what you must say to the Israelites.’”Exodus 20:22 “This” means in the holy language. “This” means in this manner. “This” means in this order. “This” means with these pauses. “This” means with these divisions. Everything must be as the LORD commanded, with nothing taken away and nothing added. “You yourselves saw.”Exodus 20:22 Not through witnesses and not through a written document. “That I spoke with you from heaven.”Exodus 20:22 Here are two verses that stand against each other. One verse says, “The LORD came down onto Mount Sinai,”Exodus 19:20 and another verse says, “You yourselves saw that I spoke with you from heaven.” We cannot say, “He came down,” because it says, “I spoke with you from heaven.” We cannot say, “From heaven,” because it says, “He came down.” The deciding verse is “From heaven He made you hear His voice to instruct you, and on earth He showed you His great fire.”Deuteronomy 4:36 This teaches that the Omnipresent, blessed be He, lowered the upper heavens onto the mountain’s summit and spoke with them from heaven at the mountain’s summit. It also says, “He bent the heavens and came down, with thick darkness beneath His feet.”2 Samuel 22:10

20 “You must not make alongside Me.”Exodus 20:23 A person must not make an altar corresponding to the altar, a table in the form of the table, or a lampstand in the form of the lampstand. These are the words of Rabbi Meir. “Gods of silver and gods of gold you must not make for yourselves.”Exodus 20:23 Why is this needed? Has it not already said, “You must not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness”?Exodus 20:4 Why does it say, “Gods of silver and gods of gold”? Someone might think that since an exception to the prohibition was permitted in the sanctuary, it would be permitted generally outside the sanctuary. Scripture says, “You must not make for yourselves.” Rabbi Ishmael says, “We have heard the warning, but not the penalty. From the statement ‘You must make two cherubim of gold,’Exodus 25:18 could someone think that because objects of this kind were permitted in the sanctuary, he would not be liable if he transgressed outside the sanctuary? Scripture says, ‘Gods of silver and gods of gold.’ It compares gods of silver to gods of gold. Just as gods of gold fall under both the warning and the penalty, so gods of silver fall under both the warning and the penalty.” Another interpretation of “You must not make alongside Me gods of silver.”Exodus 20:23 You must not make images of the attendants who serve before Me above.

21 “You must make Me an altar of earth.”Exodus 20:24 Could this mean actual earth? Scripture says, “You must build the altar of the LORD your God with whole stones.”Deuteronomy 27:6 When you enter the land, make Me an altar attached to the earth. These are the words of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Meir says, “There was a hollow space beneath the courtyards, but the altar was attached to the earth.” “You must make Me.”Exodus 20:24 Not stones that have been defaced or made detestable through the worship of others. On this basis the Hasmoneans stored away the altar stones that the Greek kings had made detestable. “You must make Me.”Exodus 20:24 Wherever it says, “For Me,” it endures forever. Sacrificial service is great, for Scripture began with it. “You must make Me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it.”Exodus 20:24 Likewise, at the tent of meeting, it began with sacrificial service. For it is said, “He called to Moses, and the LORD spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ‘When someone among you brings an offering to the LORD.’Leviticus 1:1–2” Likewise, when they entered the land, they began with sacrificial service. For it is said, “Then Joshua built an altar.”Joshua 8:30 In the future, too, they will begin with sacrificial service. For it is said, “I will enter Your house with burnt offerings.”Psalms 66:13 Likewise, when they returned from exile, they began with sacrificial service. For it is said, “They set up the altar on its foundations.”Ezra 3:3 “And sacrifice on it.”Exodus 20:24 Could the slaughter take place on top of the altar? Scripture says, “You must offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God.”Deuteronomy 12:27 The flesh and blood go on the altar of the LORD your God, but the slaughter does not take place on the altar of the LORD your God. If so, why does it say, “On it”? It means beside it, as in the statement “Beside him, the tribe of Manasseh.”Numbers 2:20 “Your burnt offerings and your well-being offerings.”Exodus 20:24 I know only about burnt offerings and well-being offerings. How do we include firstborn offerings, tithe offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings? Scripture repeats the object marker et. How do we include the handful of a grain offering, frankincense, a priest’s grain offering, the anointed priest’s grain offering, and the grain offering accompanying libations? Scripture repeats the object marker et. How do we include the altar portions of sin offerings, guilt offerings, the most holy offerings, and offerings of lesser holiness? Scripture repeats the object marker et. “In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned.”Exodus 20:24 From the statement “To place His name there,”Deuteronomy 12:5 and the statement “They must place My name on the Israelites,”Numbers 6:27 could someone think that the priestly blessing applies only in the sanctuary? How do we know about places outside the sanctuary? Scripture says, “In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned.” Could someone pronounce the Name outside the sanctuary? Scripture says, “I will come to you and bless you.” Rearrange the verse and turn it around. “In every place where I come to you, there you must mention My name in your blessing.” From here they said that in the sanctuary the Name is pronounced as written, but elsewhere its substitute is used. Another interpretation of “In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned.”Exodus 20:24 Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion says, “How do we know that when three people sit and study Torah, the Shekinah is among them? It is said, ‘God stands in the assembly of God. Among the judges He judges.’Psalms 82:1” Rabbi Halafta of Kefar Hananiah says in his name, “How do we know about two? It is said, ‘Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard.’Malachi 3:16 How do we know about one? It is said, ‘In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you.’Exodus 20:24”

22 “And if you make Me an altar of stones.”Exodus 20:25 This is obligatory. Do you say it is obligatory, or could it be optional? Scripture says, “You must build the altar of the LORD your God with whole stones.”Deuteronomy 27:6 It is obligatory, rather than optional. They said in Rabbi Ishmael’s name that every “if” in the Torah indicates something optional except for three. “And if you make Me an altar of stones,” “And if you bring a grain offering of first fruits,”Leviticus 2:14 and “If you lend money to My people.”Exodus 22:25 “You must make Me.”Exodus 20:25 Their quarrying, transport, and construction must be for My sake. “You must not build them of cut stone.”Exodus 20:25 They must not be scraped with a scraping tool or shaped with a saw. Where are they brought from? From undisturbed ground. They dig until they reach a place that is clearly not a place of cultivation or construction, and take the stones from there. Or they bring them from the sea or a river. From the statement “For you have raised your sword over it and profaned it,”Exodus 20:25 could the stones be disqualified only if cut with a sword? Scripture says, “You must not raise iron over them.”Deuteronomy 27:5 Iron, then, is like a sword. If we are ultimately to treat iron like a sword, why does it say, “For you have raised your sword over it”? This is what Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai said. “Why was iron singled out from all kinds of metal to disqualify the stones? Because a sword is made from it. A sword is a sign of punishment, and an altar is a sign of atonement. Something that is a sign of punishment is kept away from something that is a sign of atonement.” Does this not follow all the more? Stones neither see nor hear nor speak. Yet because they bring atonement between Israel and their Father in heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “You must not raise iron over them.”Deuteronomy 27:5 How much more should Torah scholars, who bring atonement to the world, be protected from every harmful thing in the world! “You must not build them of cut stone.”Exodus 20:25 You must not build these of cut stone, but you may build the sanctuary building and the courtyards of cut stone. Could a chip in one stone at the top profane the entire altar? Scripture says, “And you profaned it.”Exodus 20:25 That stone is profaned, but the altar is not profaned. From here they said that any stone touched by iron, or chipped enough to catch a fingernail as a slaughtering knife would, is unfit for the altar or the ramp. Another interpretation of “And you profaned it.”Exodus 20:25 How do we know that every act of service performed while the altar is unfit is itself unfit? Scripture says, “And you profaned it.”

23 “You must not go up to My altar by steps.”Exodus 20:26 Could going up be forbidden but going down be permitted? Scripture says, “So that your nakedness is not exposed on it.” Let it say that alone. If it did, I would say, “Could the altar be low, so that someone stands on the ground and burns the offering?” Scripture says, “The priest must offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar.”Leviticus 14:20 If so, why does it say, “You must not go up by steps”? No steps are made for it. Instead, a ramp like a mound is built on the altar’s south side, sloping down from the top of the altar to the ground. Someone who goes up to the altar by steps is liable to lashes, even for a single step. For it is written, “You must not go up by steps,” with “steps” written as “step.” “So that your nakedness is not exposed on it.”Exodus 20:26 Why is this needed? Has it not already said, “You must make linen undergarments for them to cover their naked flesh”?Exodus 28:42 Why does it say, “So that your nakedness is not exposed on it”? When someone goes up to the altar, he must not take a long stride but must walk with his heel beside his toe. I know only about the altar. How do we know about the courtyards? Scripture says, “You must not go up to My altar by steps,”Exodus 20:26 and it says, “On it.” “On it” means beside it. It also says, “We walked in God’s house with a throng.”Psalms 55:14 Could someone be forbidden to make steps for the sanctuary building and the courtyards? Scripture says, “You must not go up to My altar by steps.” You must not make steps for the altar, but you may make steps for the sanctuary building and the courtyards. Another interpretation of “You must not go up to My altar by steps.”Exodus 20:26 Since it says, “And sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your well-being offerings,”Exodus 20:24 could a person deliberately sin in order to bring an offering? Scripture says, “You must not go up by steps.” Do not read “By steps,” but “Through acts of sacrilege.” A person must not say, “Which act of sacrilege requires a costly offering? I will go and do it, and bring a great burnt offering.” It also says, “For I, the LORD, love justice and hate robbery in a burnt offering.”Isaiah 61:8

1 “And these are the judgments.”Exodus 21:1 Rabbi Judah says, “The judgments were given to Israel at Marah before the Torah was given, as it says, ‘There He established a statute and a judgment for them.’Exodus 15:25 Could they have been left unrepeated at Sinai? Scripture says, ‘And these are the judgments.’” Rabbi Ishmael says, “Wherever Scripture says ‘these,’ it excludes what came before. Wherever it says ‘and these,’ it adds to what came before. Here ‘and these’ adds to the preceding commandments. Just as the preceding commandments came from Sinai, these judgments also came from Sinai. It likewise says, ‘Remember the Torah of Moses My servant, which I commanded him at Horeb, statutes and judgments.’Malachi 4:4 And it says, ‘You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just judgments, true teachings, and good statutes and commandments.’”Nehemiah 9:13 Rabbi Akiva says, “Why does it say ‘which you are to set before them’?Exodus 21:1 Since Scripture says ‘Speak to the Israelites and say,’ how do we know that one must repeat the teaching a second, third, and fourth time, teaching a student until the student learns? Scripture says, ‘Teach it to the Israelites.’Deuteronomy 31:19 How do we know that it must become fluent in the student’s mouth? Scripture says, ‘Put it in their mouths.’Deuteronomy 31:19 How do we know that one must explain its meaning? Scripture says, ‘And these are the judgments which you are to set before them.’ Arrange them before them like a table set for a meal.” Another interpretation of “which you are to set before them.” It does not say “before the Israelites,” but “before them,” before their foremost members. This teaches that monetary judgments are not taught to an uneducated person. Another interpretation of “And these are the judgments which you are to set before them.” Rabbi Ishmael says, “These are the thirteen methods by which the Torah is interpreted, which were handed down to Moses at Sinai. They are inference from a less demanding case to a more demanding one; inference from matching expressions; establishing a general principle from one passage or from two passages; a general statement followed by a particular one; a particular statement followed by a general one; a general statement, a particular one, and another general one, in which case the ruling covers only cases resembling the particular one; a general statement that needs a particular one and a particular statement that needs a general one; a case included in a general rule that is singled out to teach something, which teaches about the whole rule rather than about itself alone; a case included in a general rule that is singled out for another provision of the same kind, which brings a relaxation rather than a restriction; a case included in a general rule that is singled out for another provision of a different kind, which brings both a relaxation and a restriction; a case included in a general rule that is singled out for a different ruling, which cannot be brought back under its general rule until Scripture expressly brings it back; a matter learned from its context; a matter learned from its conclusion; and two passages that contradict one another until a third passage resolves the contradiction.” Another interpretation of “which you are to set before them.” Before them, rather than before gentiles. Before them, rather than before unqualified judges.

2 “When you buy a Hebrew slave.”Exodus 21:2 Shouldn’t “And these are the judgments” have been followed by “when someone clings,” “when men struggle,” or “when a man strikes,” which concern judgments? Those who interpret allusions say, “Because they had been commanded about judgments at Marah and had received the Ten Commandments, Moses said, ‘Master of the world, perhaps the evil inclination will mislead Your children, and they will violate the commandments. You will exile them from Your presence and sell them as slaves.’ Therefore he began, ‘When you buy a Hebrew slave.’ When You hand them over to kingdoms, may they serve no more than six kingdoms. ‘He will serve six years,’ Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, Assyria, and Rome. ‘In the seventh he will leave free, without payment.’ Moses said before Him, ‘Master of the world, do not let them remain sunk in Rome’s power. Instead, act generously toward them without payment. “In the seventh he will leave free, without payment.”’” “If he enters by himself.”Exodus 21:3 Scripture could have said, “If he enters alone, he leaves alone.” What does “by himself” mean? Moses said, “May it never happen! If sins bring enemies against them on wings, like eagles flying in the sky, as it is written, ‘Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky,’Lamentations 4:19 Master of the world, give them a spirit of confidence. ‘Who are these flying like a cloud, like doves to their windows?’”Isaiah 60:8 ... “If not, give me permission to speak before you.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Arakh was interpreting, and fire blazed all around him. When Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai saw the fire blazing around him, he got down from the donkey, kissed him, and said, “Rabbi Eleazar ben Arakh, how fortunate is the woman who gave birth to you! How fortunate you are, Abraham our father, that this man is descended from you!” He used to say, “If all Israel’s sages were on one pan of a balance and Rabbi Eleazar ben Arakh on the other, he would outweigh them all.” “When you buy a Hebrew slave.” How do we know that when you buy a slave, you should buy a Hebrew slave? Scripture says, “When you buy a Hebrew slave.” How do we know that when he is sold, he should be sold to you? Scripture says, “He is sold to you.”Leviticus 25:39 How do we know that when the court sells him, it should sell him to you? Scripture says, “When your brother, a Hebrew man, is sold to you.”Deuteronomy 15:12 “When you buy a Hebrew slave” refers to someone who sells himself. Elsewhere it says, “When your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you.”Deuteronomy 15:12 This refers to someone whom the court sells to you. Scripture teaches you to speak briefly. “When you buy a slave” includes both someone who sells himself and someone whom the court sells to you. “When you buy a Hebrew slave.” You may buy a Hebrew man who sells himself, but you may not buy a Hebrew woman who sells herself. One might reason otherwise. A Hebrew man, whom his father cannot sell, may sell himself. Shouldn’t a Hebrew woman, whom her father can sell, be able to sell herself? Scripture says, “When you buy a Hebrew slave.” You may buy a Hebrew man who sells himself, but you may not buy a Hebrew woman who sells herself. By inference, a Hebrew man’s father should be able to sell him. Scripture says, “When a man sells his daughter as a slave.”Exodus 21:7 A man may sell his daughter, but he may not sell his son. Rabbi Ishmael says, “Scripture speaks of a Hebrew slave. Do you say it speaks of a Hebrew slave, or could it mean a Canaanite slave? I might apply ‘You may pass them on as an inheritance to your children after you, to hold as property’Leviticus 25:46 to someone buying a slave from a gentile, while supposing that someone buying a slave from an Israelite must release him after six years. Scripture says, ‘When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years.’ Elsewhere it says, ‘When your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you.’Deuteronomy 15:12 The same is meant here as there. ‘Your brother’ also includes your brother’s son.” “Hebrew.” These commandments about the Hebrew slave were given because of Eber’s merit. Another interpretation. Because of the merit of Abraham, who came from beyond the river. Another interpretation. Because of Israel’s merit, for they spoke Hebrew, as it says, “They said, ‘The God of the Hebrews has met with us.’”Exodus 5:3 “He will serve six years.” He also serves the son. Could this include any heir? Scripture says, “He will serve you six years.”Deuteronomy 15:12 One passage includes someone, and the other excludes someone. I include the son, who takes his father’s place regarding designation for marriage and an ancestral field. I exclude another heir, who does not take the father’s place regarding designation for marriage and an ancestral field. Another interpretation of “He will serve six years.” Even if he runs away, he must complete the years of service. Another interpretation of “He will serve six years.” This includes someone who spends his time in the marketplace and someone who is sick in bed. That time counts toward his term. Another interpretation of “He will serve.” His master must not sell his skilled labor to someone else. He must not make him a public bath attendant, a public barber, a public baker, or a public money changer. Could this apply even if that was already his occupation? Scripture says, “He will serve.” Rabbi Yose says, “Provided that he does not introduce him to a different occupation.” “In the seventh he will leave.” Could this mean at the beginning of the year or at its end? Reason as follows. The seventh year releases slaves, and the jubilee releases slaves. Just as the jubilee releases them at its beginning rather than its end, this year should release them at its beginning rather than its end. Or reason the other way. The seventh year releases slaves, and the sabbatical year cancels a loan. Just as a loan is canceled at the year’s end rather than its beginning, the slave should leave at the year’s end rather than its beginning. Consider which comparison is closer. Compare something governed by the jubilee with something governed by the jubilee. Cancellation of a loan, which is not governed by the jubilee, cannot prove the case. Or reason the other way. Compare something that does not need the court’s consecration with something that does not need the court’s consecration. The jubilee, which needs the court’s consecration, cannot prove the case. Scripture says, “He will serve six years.” Therefore he leaves at the beginning of the seventh year, rather than at its end. Another interpretation of “In the seventh he will leave.” Sometimes he works during the seventh year. If the sabbatical year falls within his six years, he works during it, because the sabbatical year does not release slaves. But if the jubilee arrives, even in the second year after his sale, he leaves, as it says, “In this jubilee year, each of you will return to his property.”Leviticus 25:13 “He will leave free, without payment.” Since it says, “When you send him away free from you,”Deuteronomy 15:13 we learn that the master is commanded to tell him, “Leave.” Could he leave only if the master tells him to leave, and otherwise remain? Scripture says, “He will leave free, without payment.” “Without payment.” Since “free” is said here and “free” is said elsewhere,Exodus 21:26 could release here require a document, just as release there requires one? Scripture says, “Without payment.” He needs no document of release. Another interpretation of “without payment.” If he was sick in bed and his master spent money on him, could he have to repay it? Scripture says, “He will leave free, without payment.” Another interpretation of “without payment.” Could he leave without a parting gift? Scripture says, “When you send him away free from you, do not send him away empty-handed. Give him a generous gift.”Deuteronomy 15:13-14 Another interpretation. This includes redemption by paying the balance of the purchase price. Another interpretation of “he will leave.” This includes release by a document. From this they said, “A Hebrew slave is acquired by money or a document. He acquires his freedom in five ways, by completing his years, by the jubilee, by paying the remaining purchase price, by a document of release, or by the death of a master who leaves no son.”

3 “If he enters by himself, he leaves by himself.”Exodus 21:3 Could this be a requirement? Scripture says “if,” making it optional. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, “‘He enters by himself, he leaves by himself.’ Your only claim on him is to his labor.” “If he has a wife.” Just as his master must provide his food, his master must also provide food for his wife and children. I might still say that the master need not provide for a wife and children whom he had before his master bought him. Or does the rule mean only that the master must provide for a wife and children acquired after he bought him, since he had already become responsible for his food, but need not provide for a wife and children whom he had before buying him? Scripture says, “If he has a wife, his wife leaves with him.” Two wives are covered here, one from before his master bought him and one from after his master bought him. Could this also include a woman betrothed to him or a widow awaiting levirate marriage to him? Scripture says, “His wife leaves with him,” a wife who is with him. This excludes a woman who is not with him. Could it include even a wife whom he is forbidden to marry, such as a widow married to a high priest or a divorced woman or a woman released from levirate marriage married to an ordinary priest? Scripture says, “His wife leaves with him,” a wife who is permitted to remain with him. This excludes a woman who is not permitted to remain with him. Could it include even a wife whom he married without his master’s consent? Scripture says “he.” Just as his position requires his master’s consent, his wife’s position requires his master’s consent. Could the work of his wife, sons, and daughters belong to his master? One might reason so. The work of a Canaanite slave’s sons and daughters belongs to the master, although he is not responsible for providing their food. In this case, where the master is responsible for food, shouldn’t the work of the sons and daughters belong to him? Scripture says “he.” His own labor belongs to the master, but the labor of his sons and daughters does not. Could anything he finds or inherits belong to his master? Scripture says, “He will serve you.”Deuteronomy 15:12 Your only claim on him is to his labor. Could his being singled out for a different ruling deprive him of his right to what his wife finds or inherits? Scripture says, “If he has a wife.” Scripture expressly brings him back under the general rule. He has a husband’s standing. Just as a husband has rights to what his wife finds and inherits, he too has rights to what his wife finds and inherits. Another interpretation of “His wife leaves with him.” Do not separate him from his wife. Elsewhere it says, “He will leave you, he and his children with him.”Leviticus 25:41 Do not separate him from his children.

4 “His master gives him a wife.”Exodus 21:4 Could this be a requirement? Scripture says “if,” making it optional. “His master gives him a wife” also includes the master’s son. “Gives him a wife.” Scripture speaks of a Canaanite female slave. Do you say it speaks of a Canaanite female slave, or could it mean a free woman? Scripture says, “The wife and her children belong to her master.” If she were free, how could her children belong to the master? Another interpretation of “gives him.” He compels him to live with her. Even if the slave is a priest, who is forbidden to marry a prostitute, his master gives him a Canaanite female slave to live with, and the children are slaves. Could he be permitted a Canaanite female slave even if he has no Israelite wife and children? Scripture says, “His wife leaves with him.”Exodus 21:3 When he has a wife and children with him, his master may give him a female slave. Otherwise he may not. Another interpretation of “gives him a wife.” He gives him one woman, rather than two. Could this mean that he may not give a free man two wives? Scripture says, “His master gives him a wife.” He may not give this man two women, but he may give a free man two wives. Could he give one woman to two men, as he gives one female slave to two of his Canaanite slaves? Scripture says, “His master gives him a wife.” He gives him one woman, and does not give one woman to two men. Could he also be forbidden to give one female slave to two of his Canaanite slaves? Scripture says, “His master gives him a wife.” He may not give one woman to two men in this case, but he may give one female slave to two of his Canaanite slaves. “She bears him sons or daughters.” The son is compared to the daughter. Just as the daughter cannot enter a binding betrothal with a free man and needs no divorce document from him, the son cannot enter a binding betrothal with a free woman, and she needs no divorce document from him. “The wife and her children.” All the children she bears, whether by him or by someone else, are slaves. “Belong to her master.” This teaches that she leaves her partner without a divorce document. Another interpretation of “The wife and her children belong to her master.” Could the slave prevent his master from selling his wife and children while he remains in his service? Scripture says, “The wife and her children belong to her master.” “He leaves by himself.” This includes his many ways of leaving, by completing his years, by the jubilee, by paying the remaining purchase price, by a document, or by the death of a master who leaves no son.

5 “If the slave repeatedly says.”Exodus 21:5 He must say it, repeat it, and say it a third time. “The slave.” A male slave, rather than a female slave. Since it says, “Do the same for your female slave,”Deuteronomy 15:17 referring to a parting gift, could the same apply to ear piercing? Scripture says “the slave,” a male slave rather than a female slave. Another interpretation of “the slave.” He must say it while he is still a slave. Could his saying it at any point during the six years allow his ear to be pierced? Scripture says, “I will not leave free.” He must say it at the time of his release. Therefore he says it at the end of the six years. “I love my master, my wife, and my children.” Rabbi Shimon says, “Otherwise, what could I have thought? If he does not love them, how could his ear be pierced? From this you may say that if he loves his master but his master does not love him, or his master loves him but he does not love his master, his ear is not pierced, as it says, ‘Because he loves you.’”Deuteronomy 15:16 If he has a wife and children but his master has no wife and children, his ear is not pierced, as it says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says, “If he became sick while with his master, or his master became sick while he was with him, his ear is not pierced, as it says, ‘Because he is well with you.’”Deuteronomy 15:16

6 “His master brings him before the judges.”Exodus 21:6 He takes him before three judges and states his case in their presence. “He brings him to the door or to the doorpost.” Could he pierce his ear against the doorpost? One might reason so. The door, which carries no commandment to attach a mezuzah, carries the commandment of ear piercing. Shouldn’t the doorpost, which carries the commandment to attach a mezuzah, carry the commandment of ear piercing? Scripture says, “Put it through his ear and into the door.”Deuteronomy 15:17 Into the door, rather than the doorpost. Could this be a door standing in place or one that has been removed? Scripture says, “Or to the doorpost.” Just as the doorpost stands in place, the door must stand in place. I know only of a door with a doorpost. How do we include a door without a doorpost? Scripture says, “He brings him to the door or to the doorpost.” What was the first possibility? A door without a doorpost. “His master pierces.” This adds an inclusion. One inclusion following another serves to exclude. His master, rather than his son. His master, rather than his slave. His master, rather than his master’s agents. “His ear.” “His ear” is said here, and “his ear” is said elsewhere.Leviticus 14:14 Just as the ear there is the right ear, in its upper part, the ear here is the right ear, in its upper part. Rabbi Eleazar says, “Rabbi Yudan used to say that he pierces the soft lobe. Otherwise, the slave might be a priest, and the piercing would disqualify him from service. But I say that a priest’s ear is not pierced at all.” “An awl.” I know only of an awl. How do we include a needle, a leatherworker’s tool, a pointed implement, and a thorn? Scripture says, “Take.”Deuteronomy 15:17 These are the words of Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Judah the Patriarch says, “‘An awl.’ Just as an awl is specifically made of metal, I include only metal implements.” “He will serve him permanently.” Could he also serve the son? Scripture says, “He will serve him,” rather than his son. Elsewhere it says, “He will be your slave,”Deuteronomy 15:17 yours rather than your son’s. One might reason otherwise. Acquisition by money, which does not acquire more than six years, gives the son a claim. Shouldn’t ear piercing, which acquires more than six years, give the son a claim? Scripture says, “He will be your slave,” yours rather than your son’s. By inference, ear piercing should not acquire more than six years. Money, which gives the son a claim, does not acquire more than six years. Shouldn’t ear piercing, which gives the son no claim, acquire no more than six years? Scripture says, “He will serve him permanently.” Could ear piercing prevent release at the jubilee? One might reason otherwise. Acquisition by money, which gives the son a claim, ends at the jubilee. Shouldn’t ear piercing, which gives the son no claim, end at the jubilee? No. Acquisition by money does not acquire more than six years, while ear piercing does acquire more than six years. Scripture says, “Each of you will return to his property, and each of you will return to his family.”Leviticus 25:10 This is the slave whose ear was pierced before the jubilee, whom the jubilee releases. What, then, does “He will serve him permanently” mean? Throughout the lifetime of the master who pierced his ear, even if he was sold thirty or forty years before the jubilee. How do we apply what is said here to the other passage, and what is said there to this passage? Scripture uses “permanently” in both places,Deuteronomy 15:17 allowing an inference from matching expressions.

7 “When a man sells his daughter as a slave.”Exodus 21:7 Since it says, “If he has nothing, he is sold for his theft,”Exodus 22:3 could a woman be sold for her theft? Scripture says, “When a man steals.”Exodus 22:1 A man is sold for theft, but a woman is not sold for her theft. Could she be exempt from sale for her own theft but be sold for her father’s theft? You might say that if she is not sold for her own theft, how could she be sold for her father’s theft? But why is she not sold for her own theft? Because she cannot sell herself. She might be sold for her father’s theft, since her father can sell her. Scripture says, “When a man sells.” The man sells her, but the court does not sell her. “His daughter.” A man may sell his daughter, but he may not sell his son. I might have reasoned that if a Hebrew female slave, who cannot sell herself by her own choice, can be sold by her father, a Hebrew male slave, who can sell himself by his own choice, should certainly be able to be sold by his father. Scripture says, “When a man sells his daughter.” His daughter, rather than his son. Another interpretation of “his daughter.” “His daughter” means a minor. Could it include an adolescent girl? Scripture says “his daughter,” a daughter rather than a mother. This excludes an adolescent girl, who can be a mother. From this they said, “A father may sell his daughter until she shows signs of puberty. Once she shows those signs, he may not sell her.” “As a slave.” For slave service. Another interpretation of “as a slave.” Even to someone whose marriage to her would disqualify her, such as a high priest marrying a widow or an ordinary priest marrying a divorced woman or a woman released from levirate marriage, since betrothal to him takes effect. A man may sell his daughter only if he has become poor and cannot find food. When he sells her, he may sell her only to someone whose betrothal to her can take effect. “She will not go out as slaves do.” She must not carry buckets and bath vessels after him to the bathhouse. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Akiva said to him, “Why do I need this? It already says, ‘Do not make him do a slave’s work.’Leviticus 25:39 What, then, does ‘She will not go out as slaves do’ mean? She does not leave free for the loss of a tooth or an eye, as slaves do. One might reason otherwise. A Canaanite slave, who is not released by completing years, by the jubilee, or by paying the remaining purchase price, is released for the loss of a tooth or an eye. Shouldn’t she, who is released by completing years, by the jubilee, or by paying the remaining purchase price, be released for the loss of a tooth or an eye? Scripture says, ‘She will not go out as slaves do.’”

8 “If she is displeasing.”Exodus 21:8 I know only of a woman who is unattractive. How do we include one who is attractive? Scripture says, “In her master’s eyes.” How do we include displeasing his son? Scripture says “displeasing.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “‘If she is displeasing in her master’s eyes’ includes those whom he is forbidden to marry.” “Who has not designated her.” A negative implies a positive, for if he wishes to designate her for marriage, he may do so. “Designated her.” With her knowledge. This teaches that he may betroth her only with her knowledge. The same applies to all women, who may be betrothed only with their knowledge and consent. The inference is clear. Of a Hebrew female slave, who is under his authority, the Torah says “designated her,” with her knowledge. How much more must this apply to other women! How does he designate her? Before two witnesses, he tells her, “You are betrothed to me.” He need not give her anything further for the betrothal. Another interpretation of “designated her.” This teaches that he does not designate two women at once. “Designated her” and “let her be redeemed.” This teaches that the commandment to designate her for marriage takes precedence over the commandment to redeem her. “Let her be redeemed.” This teaches that she is released by paying the remaining purchase price. Another interpretation of “let her be redeemed.” This teaches that the court redeems her against his will. Another interpretation of “designated her” and “let her be redeemed.” Designation for marriage applies only while redemption is possible. If he designates her during the six years, even when only the value of the last perutah remains, the designation is valid. If he designates her after the six years, the designation is invalid. “He may not sell her to a foreigner.” Could he be forbidden to sell her but permitted to give her as a gift? Scripture says, “He has no authority.” Could he be forbidden to sell her to unrelated people but permitted to sell her to relatives? Scripture says, “He may not sell her to a people.” Could he be forbidden to sell her but permitted to give her as a gift? Scripture says, “He has no authority over her for a people.” Why mention relatives when unrelated people have been mentioned? If unrelated people had been mentioned without relatives, I would have said that he may not sell her to unrelated people but may sell her to relatives. Why mention unrelated people when relatives have been mentioned? If relatives had been mentioned without unrelated people, I would have said that he may not sell her to relatives who are forbidden to marry her, but may sell her to unrelated people who are permitted to marry her. Both unrelated people and relatives must be mentioned. I know only of a Hebrew female slave. How do we include a Hebrew male slave? Reason by inference. He may designate a Hebrew female slave for marriage to himself or his son, yet he may not sell her. How much more must this apply to a Hebrew male slave, over whom he has no such authority! If he sells him, the sale has no effect, and he is not flogged. “By spreading his garment over her.” Once he has spread his cloak over her, he cannot sell her. Another interpretation of “He has no authority to sell her, having acted faithlessly toward her.” Rabbi Shimon says, “Once the first man acted faithlessly toward her and divorced her, you may not subject her to slave service.” From this they said, “A man may not sell his daughter into slave service after marriage.”

9 “He designates her for his son.”Exodus 21:9 Could this be a requirement? Scripture says “if,” making it optional. “For his son,” rather than for his brother. One might reason otherwise. The Torah provides designation for marriage for a son, although it does not provide him with levirate marriage to his father’s widow. Shouldn’t it provide designation for a brother, for whom it provides levirate marriage to his brother’s widow? Scripture says “for his son,” rather than for his brother. “He designates her for his son.” The son may designate her during his father’s lifetime, but he may not designate her after his father’s death. “He must treat her according to the rule for daughters.” But what have we learned so far about the rule for daughters? The passage that comes to teach turns out to learn. Just as a Hebrew female slave designated for marriage may not be deprived of food, clothing, or marital intimacy, the same applies to all daughters. Another interpretation of “according to the rule for daughters.” Once a father betroths his daughter, adultery with her carries a judicial death penalty, and she leaves the marriage only with a divorce document. Likewise, once a Hebrew female slave has been designated for marriage, adultery with her carries a judicial death penalty, and she leaves the marriage only with a divorce document.

10 “He takes another woman for himself.”Exodus 21:10 Could this be a requirement? Scripture says “if,” making it optional. “Takes another woman,” rather than one available without a marital bond. “Takes another woman for himself” teaches that he may acquire another woman as a wife. “Takes another woman for himself” puts the other woman in the same position as this one. Just as this woman is acquired by a document, so is the other woman. “Her flesh” means her food, as it says, “Who eat the flesh of My people.”Micah 3:3 “Her clothing” means her clothing. “Her appointed time” means marital intimacy, as it says, “If you afflict my daughters.”Genesis 31:50 Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, “‘Her body, her clothing.’ Give her clothing suited to her body. Do not put a young woman’s clothing on an older woman or an older woman’s clothing on a young woman. ‘Her clothing, her appointed time.’ Give her clothing suited to the season. Do not give her summer clothing in the rainy season or rainy-season clothing in summer.” “He must not reduce.” This teaches that doing so violates a prohibition. What is her appointed time for marital intimacy? Each man according to his occupation. How so? Men with leisure, every night. Craftsmen, twice a week. Donkey drivers, once a week. Camel drivers, once a month. Sailors, once in six months. Students of the sages, from one Sabbath eve to the next. “He must not reduce” teaches that a woman rises with her husband’s standard of living and does not descend.

11 “If he does not do these three things for her.”Exodus 21:11 Rabbi Eliezer says, “This means food, clothing, and marital intimacy.” Rabbi Akiva said to him, “Why do I need this? It already says, ‘He must not reduce her food, clothing, or marital intimacy.’Exodus 21:10 What, then, does ‘these three things’ mean? He has not designated her for himself or for his son, and he has not redeemed her.” “She leaves without payment.” Why do I need this? If it teaches that she leaves at the end of six years, it already says, “When your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, he will serve you six years.”Deuteronomy 15:12 What, then, does “She leaves without payment” mean? Scripture adds another way for her to leave. “She leaves without payment” refers to reaching adulthood. “Without money” refers to reaching adolescence. From this they said, “A Hebrew female slave has an additional way of leaving beyond those of a Hebrew male slave. She leaves on showing signs of puberty.”

12 “One who strikes a person.”Exodus 21:12 I know only of striking a man. How do we include a woman or a child? Scripture says, “When someone strikes any human being,”Leviticus 24:17 whether a man, a woman, or a child. I know only of a man who strikes. How do we include a woman who strikes? Scripture says “one who strikes,” whether a man or a woman. Why, then, does it say “a person”? Could the penalty apply even for striking a nonviable newborn or a child born in the eighth month? Scripture says “a person.” Just as a person is specifically capable of surviving, this excludes nonviable newborns and children born in the eighth month, who are not capable of surviving. “And he dies.” This teaches that the assailant is liable only if the victim dies. From this you may say that if one person struck him and another then disturbed his injured condition, the last assailant is liable. “He must be put to death.” We do not know the method of execution. Scripture says, “He must be avenged,”Exodus 21:20 and elsewhere it says, “I will bring a sword against you, avenging the covenant.”Leviticus 26:25 Just as vengeance there is by the sword, vengeance here is by the sword.

13 “One who did not lie in wait.”Exodus 21:13 This case was included in the general rule and was singled out for another provision of the same kind, bringing a relaxation rather than a restriction. “One who did not lie in wait” means someone who did not intend to strike him. It likewise says, “Or threw any object at him without lying in wait.”Numbers 35:22 “But God brought it about.” “Brought it about” means arranging an encounter for him. It likewise says, “Recognize and see that he is seeking an occasion against me.”2 Kings 5:7 And of Samson it says, “He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines.”Judges 14:4 “But God brought it into his hand.” A good outcome is brought about through someone deserving, and a bad outcome through someone guilty. This is what Trajan asked Julianus and his brother Pappus when he sentenced them to death. He said to them, “I am a son of Nebuchadnezzar, and you are sons of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Let the One who rescued Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from Nebuchadnezzar rescue you from my hand.” They replied, “Nebuchadnezzar merited being spared from shedding innocent blood, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah merited being spared death at the hands of someone deserving death. You do not deserve to have miracles performed through you, and we do not deserve to have miracles performed for us. You have incurred the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and we have incurred a sentence of death. If you do not kill us, will we not die? Could the sun not strike us and cause our death? Could snakes and scorpions not bite us and cause our death? It is written in our Torah, ‘One who did not lie in wait, but God brought it into his hand.’ A good outcome is brought about through someone deserving, and a bad outcome through someone guilty. When we die, you will know that we are sons of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” Before they died, two officials arrived from Rome and executed him, beheading him and gouging his eyes. “I will appoint for you.” During your lifetime. This teaches that offenders were sent into exile in the wilderness. “A place.” “Place” is said here and “place” is said elsewhere. Just as the place there means that the Levite cities offer refuge, the place here means that the Levite camp offers refuge. “There.” There he must live, and there he must be buried.

14 “When a man deliberately attacks his fellow to kill him by deceit.”Exodus 21:14 Deliberate action means acting with contempt, as it says, “The prophet has spoken it presumptuously.”Deuteronomy 18:22 “A man” excludes a minor. “His fellow” excludes outsiders. “His fellow” excludes a resident alien. I might exclude outsiders, who have no commandments within Israel, but still include a resident alien, who has commandments within Israel. Scripture says “his fellow,” excluding outsiders, and “his fellow,” excluding a resident alien. “To kill him by deceit” excludes someone who intended to kill one person but killed another. “To kill him by deceit” means someone who approaches with a pretext, like Joab, who killed Abner, as it is written, “Joab took him aside into the gateway to speak with him privately.”2 Samuel 3:27 “From My altar.” If he had acted unintentionally, the altar would offer him refuge. Only the top of the altar in the permanent Temple offers refuge, and only to an unintentional offender. An intentional offender is removed and executed, even if he is a priest performing the service. Rabbi Yose says, “Reason by inference. The Temple service overrides the Sabbath, yet we interrupt it to take one life in punishment for another. Shouldn’t the Sabbath, which the service overrides, be set aside to preserve even a life in doubt?” “You must take him.” I know only of a murderer. How do we include others sentenced to death? Scripture’s emphatic “you must take him” includes them. “To die,” rather than to be exiled or flogged. “To die,” rather than for other penalties. Another interpretation of “from My altar.” How do we know that the Sanhedrin must sit near the altar? Scripture says, “You must take him from My altar to die.” How do we know that executions take place only while the Temple stands? Scripture says, “You must take him from My altar to die.” If there is an altar, you execute. Otherwise you do not execute. From this they said, “Forty years before the destruction of the Second Temple, capital judgments ceased in Israel, because the Sanhedrin had moved away and was no longer in its place in the Temple.”

15 “One who strikes his father.”Exodus 21:15 His father, rather than his father’s father. “His mother,” rather than his mother’s mother. “His father” excludes uncertain paternity. “His mother” excludes uncertain maternity. “One who strikes his father and his mother must be put to death.” Could he be liable only if he strikes both together? Scripture says, “One who strikes a human being must be put to death,”Leviticus 24:21 even one of them. Why, then, does it say “one who strikes his father and his mother”? Could someone conceived before his mother’s conversion but born after her conversion be liable for striking his mother? Scripture says, “One who strikes his father and his mother.” Someone liable for striking his father is liable for striking his mother. Someone not liable for striking his father is not liable for striking his mother. Could he be liable for striking them after their death? One might reason so. Cursing, which does not apply to everything, brings liability after death. Shouldn’t striking, which applies to everything, bring liability after death? Scripture says, “One who strikes an animal” and “one who strikes a human being.”Leviticus 24:21 Just as striking an animal brings no liability after its death, striking a father or mother brings no liability after their death. Could he be liable if he struck them without causing a wound? Scripture says, “One who strikes an animal” and “one who strikes a human being.” Just as striking an animal brings liability only when it causes an injury, striking a father or mother brings liability only when it causes an injury. From this they said, “He is liable only if he draws a drop of blood or causes blood to collect beneath the skin.” Could striking them unintentionally bring liability for compensation? Scripture says, “One who strikes an animal” and “one who strikes a human being.” Just as no distinction is made between unintentionally and intentionally striking an animal regarding liability for compensation, no distinction is made between unintentionally and intentionally striking a father or mother regarding exemption from compensation. The same applies to any offense carrying a death penalty. It carries no obligation to pay compensation. “He must be put to death.” We do not know the method of execution. Scripture says, “Love your fellow as yourself.”Leviticus 19:18 Choose a favorable death for him. Which is that? Strangulation. Rabbi Judah the Patriarch says, “Not because it is favorable, but because the method of death is unspecified. Every unspecified death penalty in the Torah means strangulation.” How do we know that if strangulation is impossible, he may be executed by any other method, whether lighter or more severe? Scripture’s emphatic “he must be put to death” applies in every case.

16 “One who kidnaps a person.”Exodus 21:16 I know only of kidnapping a man. How do we include a woman or a child? Scripture says, “When a man is found kidnapping a person,”Deuteronomy 24:7 whether a woman or a child. I know only of a man who kidnaps. How do we include a woman who kidnaps? Scripture says “one who kidnaps,” whether a man or a woman. Why, then, does it say “a person”? Could the penalty apply even for kidnapping a nonviable newborn or a child born in the eighth month? Scripture says “a person.” Just as a person is specifically capable of surviving, this excludes nonviable newborns and children born in the eighth month, who are not capable of surviving. How do we know that he is liable only if the kidnapping took place before witnesses? Scripture says, “When a man is found kidnapping.” How do we know that he is liable only if the sale took place before witnesses? Scripture says, “And sells him.” “And he is found in his possession.” “Found” excludes someone who is regularly in his possession. This excludes a father who kidnaps his son, a teacher of children who kidnaps one of the children, and a guardian of orphans who kidnaps one of the orphans, since they are regularly in their care. Could selling him to one of his relatives bring liability? Scripture says, “Kidnapping a person from among his brothers.”Deuteronomy 24:7 He must separate him from his brothers. Since we find that a Canaanite slave is acquired as soon as money is paid for him, could the same apply here? Scripture says, “And sells him, and he is found in his possession.” This teaches that he is liable only after bringing him under his authority. Rabbi Judah says, “He must bring him under his authority and make use of him, as it says, ‘He exploits him and sells him.’”Deuteronomy 24:7 “He must be put to death.” An unspecified death penalty in the Torah means strangulation. The wicked are called dead before God. How do we know that once someone commits an offense, he is dead before God? Scripture says, “The dead person is to be put to death.”Deuteronomy 17:6 Another interpretation. How do we know that if strangulation is impossible, he may be executed by any other method, whether lighter or more severe? Scripture’s emphatic “he must be put to death” applies in every case.

17 “One who curses his father.”Exodus 21:17 His father, rather than his father’s father. “His mother,” rather than his mother’s mother. “His father” excludes uncertain paternity. “His mother” excludes uncertain maternity. “One who curses his father and his mother must be put to death.” Could he be liable only if he curses both together? Scripture says, “Who curses his father and his mother,”Leviticus 20:9 either one of them. Why, then, does it say “one who curses his father and his mother”? Could someone conceived before his mother’s conversion but born after her conversion be liable for cursing his mother? Scripture says, “One who curses his father and his mother.” Someone liable for cursing his father is liable for cursing his mother. Someone not liable for cursing his father is not liable for cursing his mother. Could he be exempt if he curses them after their death? One might reason so. Striking, which applies to everything, brings no liability after death. Shouldn’t cursing, which does not apply to everything, bring no liability after death? Scripture says, “He has cursed his father and his mother. His blood is on him,”Leviticus 20:9 even after their death. Could he be liable even if he cursed them using a substitute divine title? Scripture says, “One who curses his father and his mother,” and it also says, “When anyone curses his God.”Leviticus 24:15 Just as the latter requires the divine name, so does this case. “He must be put to death.” We do not know the method of execution. Scripture says, “His blood is on him.”Leviticus 20:9 Elsewhere it says, “Stone them with stones. Their blood is on them.”Leviticus 20:27 Just as “their blood” there means stoning, “his blood” here means stoning. Speech therefore carries a greater severity than an action, for striking brings strangulation, while cursing brings stoning. How do we know that if stoning is impossible, he may be executed by any other method, whether lighter or more severe? Scripture’s emphatic “he must be put to death” applies in every case.

18 “When men quarrel.”Exodus 21:18 Nothing good comes from a quarrel. It likewise says, “There was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.”Genesis 13:7 What made Lot leave that righteous man? It was the quarrel. And it says, “When there is a quarrel between men.”Deuteronomy 25:1 What caused them to be flogged? It was the quarrel. “When men quarrel.” First they come to a dispute over money, then to blows, and then to punishments. “When men quarrel.” I know only of men. How do we include two women or a man and a woman? Scripture says, “The assailant will be cleared,”Exodus 21:19 whether a man or a woman. Why, then, does it say “men”? Men, rather than oxen. One might reason otherwise. Where a person is exempt for damage he causes himself, he is liable for damage caused by his ox or donkey. Here, where he is liable for damage he causes himself, shouldn’t he be liable for damage caused by his ox or donkey? Scripture says “men,” rather than oxen. “A man strikes” excludes a minor. “His fellow” excludes outsiders. “His fellow” excludes a resident alien. “With a stone or a fist.” I know only of a stone or fist specifically. How do we include any object? Scripture says, “The assailant will be cleared,” whatever the object. Why, then, does it say “with a stone or a fist”? Shimon the Timnite says, “Just as a fist can be examined by the witnesses and the court, so must any object be available for examination by the witnesses and the court.” “He does not die. He must only pay for his lost time.” If the victim dies, the assailant is exempt from payment.

19 “If he rises and walks.”Exodus 21:19 Could this mean from one bed to another? Scripture says “outside.” I know only of going outside. How do we include his courtyard and garden? Scripture says, “If he rises and walks.” If his hand or foot was cut off, I might think that “on his support” does not apply. Scripture says, “If he rises and walks outside.” What, then, does “on his support” mean? In restored health. Scripture calls his body his support. “The assailant will be cleared.” Rabbi Nehemiah says, “Otherwise, what could I have thought? That one man walks around the marketplace while the other comes to be executed? Rather, even if the victim later declines and dies from the first injury, the assailant is exempt.” “The assailant will be cleared.” Could he be cleared of everything? Scripture says, “He must only pay for his lost time.” “His lost time” means his inability to work, as it says, “On the seventh day He stopped and rested.”Exodus 31:17 I know only of lost time and injury. How do we include pain, humiliation, and healing? Scripture says, “He must pay.” “Only for his lost time.” Could we assess him as someone who earned a sela a day or two selas? Scripture says, “The assailant will be cleared. He must only pay for his lost time.” He pays for his later lost earning capacity, rather than his former earning capacity. We assess him as a lame person guarding cucumbers and gourds. If you say that justice has suffered, it has not suffered, for he has already received the value of his hand or foot. But if the blow left his hand or foot temporarily disabled, then even if he earned ten selas a day, he receives the payment due to an idle worker in that occupation. “He must only pay for his lost time and have him healed.” If sores develop because of the injury, the assailant must pay for healing and lost time. If they develop for another reason, he must pay for healing but is exempt from paying for lost time, for it is written, “He must only pay for his lost time.” His lost time, rather than lost time caused by the consequences of his lost time. “Have him healed.” He must pay for healing and then for healing again. Could this apply even if the victim disobeyed the doctor and ate honey and sweet foods, which are bad for the wound, causing the wound to become infected? Scripture says, “He must only pay for his lost time and have him healed.” Another interpretation of “have him healed.” The Torah has given the physician permission to heal.

20 “When a man strikes his male or female slave.”Exodus 21:20 Could Scripture be speaking of Hebrew male and female slaves? Scripture says “male slave” and “female slave,” slaves governed by the same rule. This excludes Hebrew male and female slaves, who are not governed by the same rule. These are the words of Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Shimon says, “It says, ‘Because he is his money.’Exodus 21:21 This excludes Hebrew male and female slaves, in whom he has no such ownership.” “When a man strikes.” I know only of a man. How do we include a woman? Scripture’s emphatic “he must be avenged” includes both a man and a woman. Why, then, does it say “a man”? To exclude a minor. “With a rod.” I know only of a rod. How do we include any object? Scripture’s emphatic “he must be avenged” includes any object. Why, then, does it say “with a rod”? To tell you that the rule of a day or two applies to a rod. But if he struck him with a knife, a sword, or something similar, and the injury was assessed as fatal, the rule of a day or two does not apply. Even if the slave dies a year later, the master is executed for him. “He dies under his hand.” Why do I need this? Even if he died ten hours later, the master would be liable. What, then, does “he dies under his hand” mean? Since it is unnecessary for the death, apply it to the ownership. From this you may say that if someone tells another, “This slave is sold to you after thirty days,” Rabbi Eliezer says, “Both are liable under the rule of a day or two. One does not own him, and the other does not have him under his authority.” “He must be avenged.” Vengeance is mentioned here, and vengeance is mentioned elsewhere, “I will bring a sword against you, avenging.”Leviticus 26:25 Just as the sword is meant there, the sword is meant here. Could a blow incapable of causing death be treated like one capable of causing death? Reason as follows. There is liability for a slave and liability for a free person. Just as liability for a free person requires a blow capable of causing death, liability for a slave requires a blow capable of causing death.

21 “A day.”Exodus 21:21 Could this mean one day? Scripture says “two days.” Could “two days” mean two full days? Scripture says “a day.” Therefore it means a day that extends over two days, a full twenty-four hours. “He survives, he will not be avenged.” The master will not be executed by the sword. “Because he is his money” excludes Hebrew male and female slaves, in whom he has no such ownership. “His money” excludes joint owners. “He” excludes someone who is half slave and half free.

22 “When men struggle.”Exodus 21:22 This treats someone acting without intent like someone acting with intent. “When men struggle and strike a woman.” Men are struggling and strike a pregnant woman. I know only that “when men struggle” treats someone acting without intent like someone acting with intent. How do we know that “when men quarrel” does the same? Scripture says “when men struggle” and “when men quarrel.”Exodus 21:18 Struggling is quarreling, and quarreling is struggling. Just as “when men struggle” treats someone acting without intent like someone acting with intent, so does “when men quarrel.” Here he pays for injury and pain, while there he pays for lost time and healing. How do we apply the provisions of each passage to the other? Scripture says “when men struggle” and “when men quarrel.” Struggling is quarreling, and quarreling is struggling. The wording applies what is said here to the other passage, and what is said there to this passage. “When men struggle.” I know only of men. How do we include two women or a woman and a man? Scripture’s emphatic “a penalty must be imposed” includes both a man and a woman. Why, then, does it say “men”? Men, rather than oxen. From this they said, “An ox that strikes a woman brings no liability for the value of the offspring.” If it had said “they strike a woman and her children come out,” I would have said that she must have two offspring and a husband. How do we include a woman with a husband but without two offspring, or with offspring but without a husband? Scripture says, “They strike a pregnant woman,” in every case. Could the entire passage apply only to a freeborn woman? How do we include a convert or a freed female slave? Scripture says, “They strike a pregnant woman,” in every case. “No fatal harm follows.” I might understand this as fatal harm to the woman or to the offspring. Scripture says, “One who strikes a person,”Exodus 21:12 excluding the unborn. What, then, does “no fatal harm follows” mean? Harm to the woman, rather than to the offspring. “No fatal harm follows, a penalty is imposed.” If fatal harm follows, no monetary penalty is imposed. “A penalty must be imposed.” Whether the assailant is a man or a woman. “A penalty must be imposed.” In money or something worth money. “As the woman’s husband imposes on him.” Could demanding a maneh entitle him to a maneh, or demanding a hundred manehs entitle him to a hundred manehs? Scripture says, “He must pay through the judges.” Why, then, does it say “as the woman’s husband imposes on him”? It teaches that the compensation for the offspring belongs to the husband. If she has no husband, it belongs to her.

23 “If fatal harm follows, you must give a life.”Exodus 21:23 If someone kills a person and an animal together, or severs one person’s head and another’s finger together, could he be liable both to death and to compensation? Scripture says, “Life for life,” rather than life for life and an animal, or life for life and an eye. But if he kills a person and then kills an animal, or severs one person’s head and then another’s finger, he is liable, as it says, “Life for life, eye.”Exodus 21:23-24 Life for life and an eye. This is the general rule. When a death penalty and compensation arise together from an offense, the offender is sentenced to death and exempt from compensation.

24 “Eye for eye.”Exodus 21:24 He pays compensation for the injury, the value of the eye. ... Ben Azzai says, “It says, ‘Wound for wound.’Exodus 21:25 Elsewhere it says, ‘One strikes his fellow with a stone or a fist.’Exodus 21:18 An injury is spoken of there. Just as the injury there requires paying for lost time and healing, so does the injury here. Injury was included in the general rule and was singled out to teach, teaching about the whole rule rather than about itself alone. Just as ‘for’ in the case of an injury means compensation, every use of ‘for’ here means compensation. Could this apply even to ‘life for life’? Scripture says, ‘Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer.’Numbers 35:31 You may not accept a ransom for a murderer’s life, but you may accept a ransom for bodily injuries.”

25 “Burn for burn.”Exodus 21:25 An injury has already been mentioned. Rather, this applies even without a wound, as when someone strikes a fingernail with a spit or a nail in a place where no wound is caused. From this you may say that someone who causes the loss of another’s limb pays for five things, injury, pain, lost time, healing, and humiliation. Injury and pain are mentioned here, lost time and healing above, and humiliation elsewhere, where it says, “She reaches out her hand and takes hold of his private parts.”Deuteronomy 25:11 Injury is assessed by how much he was worth intact and how much he is worth after losing a limb. Pain is assessed by how much a person would be willing to pay to have a hand removed under medication rather than with a knife. For lost time, we assess him as a watchman. For healing, we ask how many days recovery will take and what he needs. Humiliation depends on the person who humiliates and the person humiliated. If no limb was lost, there is no payment for injury. If there was no pain, there is no payment for pain. If no working time was lost, there is no payment for lost time. If no healing was needed, there is no payment for healing. If there was no humiliation, there is no payment for humiliation.

26 “When a man strikes his slave’s eye.”Exodus 21:26 Could Scripture be speaking of Hebrew male and female slaves? Scripture says “male slave” and “female slave,” slaves governed by the same rule. This excludes Hebrew male and female slaves, who are not governed by the same rule. “When a man strikes.” I know only of a man. How do we include a woman? Scripture says, “He must send him free,” whether the master is a man or a woman. Why, then, does it say “a man”? To exclude a minor. “His slave.” He must have intended to strike him. “The eye.” Could striking the eye immediately bring release? Scripture says, “And destroys it.” This excludes a blow that did not destroy it. Could striking near the eye and causing blindness, or near the ear and causing deafness, also bring release? Scripture says “the eye.” He must strike the eye itself.

27 “If he knocks out his male or female slave’s tooth.”Exodus 21:27 Could the slave go free as soon as his tooth is struck? Scripture says “knocks out,” requiring it to fall to the ground. How do we know that if the blow loosens the tooth and makes it unusable, the slave goes free? Scripture mentions tooth and eye. Just as the eye is ruined, the tooth must be ruined. Could this include knocking out a milk tooth? Scripture mentions eye and tooth. Just as the eye does not grow back, the tooth must be one that does not grow back. “Knocks out.” He must have intended to act on him. If the master is a physician and the slave asks him to treat his eye but he blinds it, or to work on his tooth but he knocks it out, the slave gains his freedom at the master’s expense. Although the master did not intend harm, he intended to touch the slave’s limbs. I know only of a tooth or an eye. How do we include the loss of the tip of an ear, nose, finger, or a woman’s nipple? Scripture adds “he must send him free.” Could this include cutting off a weight of flesh? Scripture mentions eye and tooth. Just as eye and tooth are specifically extremities, visible bodily defects, and do not grow back, I include only extremities whose damage is visible and which do not grow back. From this they said, “A slave goes free for the loss of one of twenty-four extremities.” They are the tips of the fingers and toes, the tips of the ears and nose, the tip of the male organ, and a woman’s nipples. From this they said, “A Canaanite slave is acquired in five ways, by money, a document, taking possession, drawing him toward oneself, or lifting him. He acquires his freedom in three ways, by money, a document, or the loss of an extremity.”

28 “When it gores.”Exodus 21:28 This excludes an animal that people have incited to gore. From this they said, “An arena ox is exempt, since it acts only under compulsion.” “An ox.” I know only of an ox. How do we include other livestock, wild animals, or birds? Scripture says “when it gores,” in every case. “When it gores.” I know only of goring. How do we include pushing, biting, lying on someone, or kicking? Here it says, “When an ox gores,” and below it says, “When an ox pushes.”Exodus 21:35 Just as pushing is treated like goring below, goring is treated like pushing here. “A man.” It must have intended to attack him. “Or a woman.” It must have intended to attack her. “A man or a woman.” I know only of a man or woman. How do we include a boy, a girl, someone whose sex is indeterminate, or someone with both male and female sexual characteristics? Scripture’s wording “a man or a woman” includes them. “He dies. The ox must be stoned.” This treats other animals like an ox. I know only of animals sentenced to death. How do we include their offspring and animals among which they have become mixed? Scripture’s emphatic “it must be stoned” includes them. “Its flesh must not be eaten.” Why do I need this? Don’t we know that it is an animal that died without proper slaughter, which is forbidden to eat? What, then, does “its flesh must not be eaten” mean? It teaches that if the animal is slaughtered after its sentence has been passed, its flesh is forbidden to eat. Could its flesh be forbidden even if it was slaughtered before sentence was passed? Scripture says, “It must be stoned, and its flesh must not be eaten.” An animal subject to stoning is forbidden to eat. An animal not subject to stoning is permitted to eat. “Its flesh must not be eaten.” I know only of its flesh. How do we treat sinews, bones, horns, and hooves like flesh? The wording “its flesh” adds them. “Its flesh must not be eaten,” even by dogs. This forbids deriving benefit from it. “The owner of the ox is clear.” Ben Azzai says, “Clear of its entire value, as someone says, ‘That person has come away clear of his property.’ He has no benefit from it at all.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says, “Clear of compensation for the offspring.” Rabbi Eliezer says, “Clear of paying half the damage.”

29 “If it is a goring ox.”Exodus 21:29 I know only of an ox that has gored while still presumed harmless. How do we know that testimony must be given about it? Scripture says, “If it is a goring ox.” “It is” requires certainty rather than doubt. “Yesterday” makes two days. “The day before yesterday” makes three. This teaches that it becomes a forewarned animal only after testimony has been given about it on three successive days. “Its owner has been warned.” Warning takes place in the owner’s presence. How do we know that it must also take place in court? Scripture says, “Or it becomes known that the ox is a goring animal.”Exodus 21:36 Known in court. “Its owner does not guard it.” I know only of the owner. How do we include a borrower, an unpaid guardian, a renter, or a paid guardian? Scripture says, “Does not guard it,” the person responsible for guarding it. Why, then, does it say “its owner does not guard it”? To exclude a borrower who borrowed it on the assumption that it was harmless, and then discovered that it was forewarned. “Does not guard it.” If he guarded it, he is exempt from ransom. “Does not guard it” requires someone capable of guarding, so those incapable of doing so are exempt from ransom. “It kills a man or a woman.” Why do I need this? It already says, “When an ox gores a man or a woman and the person dies.”Exodus 21:28 Rather, since it says, “If it is a goring ox from yesterday and the day before yesterday,” could there be liability even if it did not kill? Scripture says, “It kills a man or a woman.” “A man or a woman.” Just as compensation for a man goes to his children, compensation for a woman goes to her children. The husband does not inherit her ransom, for a husband does not inherit his wife’s property in the grave. “The ox must be stoned.” Why do I need this? It already says, “The ox must be stoned.” Rather, since it says “and its owner too,” could the owner be stoned just as the ox is stoned? Scripture says, “The ox must be stoned.” The ox is stoned, but its owner is not stoned. What, then, does “The ox must be stoned, and its owner too must die” mean? The ox’s death follows the procedure for its owner’s death. Just as the owner’s execution involves pushing, stoning, and a court of twenty-three, the ox’s execution involves pushing, stoning, and a court of twenty-three. Another interpretation of “The ox must be stoned, and its owner too must die.” The owner’s death follows the ox’s death. From this they said, “An ox with a fatal injury, or an ox owned by someone with a fatal injury, is not stoned if it kills a person.” Another interpretation of “The ox must be stoned, and its owner too must die.” The ox’s sentence is passed only in its owner’s presence. Could an ownerless ox therefore escape stoning? Scripture says, “The ox must be stoned,” in every case. Another interpretation of “Its owner too must die.” Could this mean actual execution? Its meaning is learned from its context, “If a ransom is imposed on him.”Exodus 21:30 If actual execution were meant, how could I apply “Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer”?Numbers 35:31 Rather, the penalty is death at Heaven’s hands. If he pays a ransom, he receives atonement.

30 “If a ransom.”Exodus 21:30 Could this be optional? Scripture says, “He must pay the redemption of his life,” making it obligatory rather than optional. “A ransom is imposed on him.” Could demanding a maneh entitle someone to a maneh, or demanding a hundred manehs entitle him to a hundred manehs? “Is imposed on him” is said here, and “imposes on him” is said elsewhere.Exodus 21:22 Just as the imposition there is through a court, the imposition here is through a court. “He must pay the redemption of his life.” Could this mean the life of the victim? Rabbi Ishmael son of Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka says, “Since you have made the owner liable to death and released him through ransom, it must mean redemption of the life of the person responsible for the damage.” From this they said, “If a jointly owned ox kills someone, each owner pays a full ransom, since each needs full atonement.” “Which is imposed on him” includes a boy or a girl. “Whatever is imposed on him” includes an unpaid guardian, a borrower, a renter, and a paid guardian.

31 “Whether it gores a son or gores a daughter.”Exodus 21:31 Why do I need this? It already says, “When an ox gores a man or a woman and the person dies.”Exodus 21:28 What, then, does “whether it gores a son or gores a daughter” mean? It treats children like adults. One might reason so. A person is liable for harming a person, and an ox brings liability for harming a person. Just as no distinction is made between children and adults regarding death when a person harms a person, no distinction should be made between children and adults regarding death here. Further, reason by inference. Where minors are not held liable like adults, liability for harming minors is the same as for harming adults. Here, where minors are held liable like adults, shouldn’t liability for harming minors be the same as for harming adults? No. When a person harms a person, he pays for humiliation. Can you say the same here, where there is no payment for humiliation? Scripture says, “Whether it gores a son or gores a daughter.” I know only of a forewarned ox. How do we include one presumed harmless? Reason as follows. There is liability for a son or daughter, and liability for a man or woman. Just as no distinction is made between a harmless and a forewarned animal regarding death when the victims are a man or woman, no distinction should be made when the victims are a son or daughter. Further, reason by inference. For a man or woman, whose position regarding damages is less favorable, no distinction is made between a harmless and a forewarned animal regarding death. Shouldn’t the same apply to a son or daughter, whose position regarding damages is more favorable? Is this how you reason, from the more severe case to the lighter one in order to impose a stricter rule? If the rule is strict for a forewarned animal, should we make it strict for a harmless animal? Scripture says, “Whether it gores a son or gores a daughter.” Two acts of goring are mentioned, one for a forewarned animal and one for a harmless animal. I know only of liability for the whole person. How do we include the person’s limbs? Scripture says, “Whether it gores a son or gores a daughter.” Two acts of goring are mentioned, one for death and one for injuries. “It must be dealt with according to this judgment.” The rule for a forewarned animal applies to a forewarned animal, and the rule for a harmless animal applies to a harmless animal. Five kinds of wild animals are forewarned from birth and need no warning, the wolf, lion, bear, leopard, and bardelas.

32 “If the ox gores a male or female slave.”Exodus 21:32 Could Scripture be speaking of Hebrew male and female slaves? Scripture says “male slave” and “female slave,” slaves governed by the same rule. This excludes Hebrew male and female slaves, who are not governed by the same rule. Scripture therefore speaks of Canaanite slaves. “Silver.” Could this mean one dinar? Scripture says “thirty.” Could this mean thirty dinars? Scripture says “shekels.” “Silver.” Could this mean Babylonian, Elamite, or Cappadocian coins? “Shekels” is said here, and “shekels” is said elsewhere.Leviticus 27:25 Just as the shekels there are sanctuary shekels, the shekels here are sanctuary shekels. “He must give to its master,” whether a man or a woman. “He must give to its master,” whether a minor or an adult. “He must give to its master.” Could this payment be made either through a court or outside a court? Scripture says, “He must give to its master, and the ox must be stoned.” Just as the stoning is through a court, the payment is through a court. “The ox must be stoned.” Why do I need this? It already says, “The ox must be stoned.”Exodus 21:28 What, then, does “The ox must be stoned” mean? Since it says, “If the ox gores a slave,” could goring bring liability even without causing death? Scripture repeats “The ox must be stoned,” allowing an inference from matching expressions. Just as the ox to be stoned in the other passage has killed, the ox to be stoned here has killed. Just as the rule there concerns a forewarned animal rather than a harmless one, so does the rule here. Another interpretation. Since this case was included in the general rule and was singled out for a different judgment, Scripture brings it back under the general rule. “Ox” is said seven times here. One instance concerns the case itself. The others include an ox belonging to a woman, an ox belonging to orphans, an ox under a guardian, a wild ox, a consecrated ox, and an ox belonging to a convert who died without heirs. They are all subject to death.

33 “When a man opens a pit.”Exodus 21:33 I know only of a man. How do we include a woman? Scripture says, “The owner of the pit must pay,”Exodus 21:34 whether a man or a woman. Why, then, does it say “a man”? To exclude a minor. “A man” also excludes sacred property. “When he opens.” I know only of someone who opens a pit. How do we include someone who digs one? Scripture says, “Or when he digs.” Let it mention opening, with no need to mention digging. If someone who opens a pit is liable, how much more must someone who digs a pit be liable! If it had said only this, I would have said that covering is enough for someone who opens a pit, but someone who digs one must fill it in. Let it mention digging, with no need to mention opening. If it had said only this, I would have said that someone who digs a pit must cover it, but someone who opens one need not cover it. Therefore both opening and digging are mentioned. Could someone who digs or opens a pit on his own property be liable? Scripture says, “He lets it graze in another’s field.”Exodus 22:5 Just as that case specifically occurs outside his own property, every case concerns something outside his own property. He is therefore liable only if he digs in a public place, or digs on his own property and opens it into a public place. I know only of someone who opens or digs a pit. How do we include someone who buys one or receives one as a gift? Scripture says, “The owner of the pit must pay,” in every case. Could someone who digs or opens a pit and hands it over to the public be liable? Scripture says, “The owner of the pit must pay.” This excludes a pit that has no owner. “A pit.” I know only of a pit. How do we include trenches, narrow excavations, shafts, and caves? Scripture says, “Falls into it,” anything into which a fall can occur. Why, then, does it say “a pit”? Just as a pit is deep enough to cause death, any such place must be deep enough to cause death. What depth can cause death? Ten handbreadths. “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit.” The repetition of “a man” includes a jointly owned pit, and someone who opens a pit after another digs it or after another opens it. They are liable. I know only of someone who opens or digs. How do we include a borrower, an unpaid guardian, a paid guardian, or a renter? Scripture says, “Does not cover it,” the person responsible for covering it. “Does not cover it.” If he covered it, he is exempt. “Falls into it.” It must fall in its normal direction of falling. This excludes an ox that recoils from the sound of digging, moves backward, and falls. “An ox or a donkey.” Why do I need this? If it teaches exemption for a human being, it already says, “The dead animal belongs to him,”Exodus 21:34 meaning something whose carcass belongs to him. This excludes a human body, from which benefit is forbidden. What, then, does “an ox or a donkey” mean? An ox, rather than its equipment. A donkey, rather than its equipment. From this you may say that if an ox falls in and its equipment breaks, or a donkey falls in and its equipment tears, the pit’s owner is liable for the animal’s injury but exempt for the equipment’s damage. Could he be exempt even when a person is injured? Scripture says, “He must return money to its owner,” adding liability for injuries. I know only of an ox or donkey specifically. How do we treat other livestock, wild animals, and birds like them? They said in Rabbi Ishmael’s name, “‘Ox and donkey’ is said here, and ‘your ox and donkey’ is said elsewhere concerning the Sabbath.Exodus 23:12 Just as other livestock, wild animals, and birds are treated like the ox in the Sabbath rule, they are treated like the ox in the rule for damages here.” Why does it say “an ox or a donkey”? An ox, rather than a son or daughter. A donkey, rather than a male or female slave. One might reason otherwise. An ox, which is not always classed as forewarned, brings liability for a son, daughter, male slave, or female slave. Shouldn’t a pit, which is always classed as forewarned, bring liability for a son, daughter, male slave, or female slave? No. An ox normally moves about causing damage, while a pit does not normally move about causing damage. Scripture says, “An ox or a donkey falls into it.” An ox, rather than a son or daughter. A donkey, rather than a male or female slave.

34 “The owner of the pit must pay.”Exodus 21:34 This is what we said, whether a man or a woman. Another interpretation of “the owner of the pit must pay.” This includes every hazard derived from the category of a pit. If a person is injured by it, there is liability, but there is exemption for equipment. “He must return money to its owner.” This is what we said, adding liability for injuries. “The dead animal belongs to him,” to the injured party. From this they said, “Damages are assessed by considering how much the value has fallen, and he pays that loss.” “The dead animal belongs to him.” This teaches that the responsible person must take the trouble to deal with the carcass until he makes it available to the injured party. “The dead animal belongs to him” excludes an ox disqualified from sacrificial use, whose carcass has no private owner.

35 “When one man’s ox pushes.”Exodus 21:35 I know only of pushing. How do we treat goring, biting, lying on an animal, or kicking like pushing? Reason as follows. An ox brings liability for harming a person and liability for harming an ox. Just as pushing, biting, lying on someone, and kicking are treated like goring when an ox harms a person, goring, biting, lying on an animal, and kicking should be treated like pushing here. Further, reason by inference. When an ox harms a person, action without intent is not treated like action with intent, yet pushing, biting, lying on someone, and kicking are treated like goring. Here, where action without intent is treated like action with intent, shouldn’t goring, biting, lying on an animal, and kicking be treated like pushing? No. An ox that harms a person is judged for its life, while this ox is not judged for its life. Scripture says “and it dies,” treating goring, biting, lying on an animal, and kicking like pushing. I know only of an ox. How do we treat other livestock, wild animals, and birds like an ox? The same reasoning and the same response apply. Scripture says, “They must sell the living ox,” including all living creatures. “When it pushes.” Scripture speaks of damage by the horn. “A man” excludes a minor. “A man” excludes sacred property. “His fellow” excludes outsiders. “His fellow” excludes a resident alien. Could this mean that he need not pay for a gentile’s animal and that a gentile need not pay for his, just as with sacred property, where neither side pays for damage to the other? Scripture’s emphatic “he must pay” includes an animal belonging to a gentile or a resident alien.Exodus 21:36 Could they pay half damages for a harmless animal and full damages for a forewarned animal? Scripture says, “His fellow’s ox.” This order applies to his fellow’s ox, rather than to an outsider’s ox. Of them it says, “He appeared from Mount Paran.”Deuteronomy 33:2 He revealed His face against everyone who comes into the world. “And it dies.” This is what we said, treating goring, biting, lying on an animal, and kicking like pushing. “They must sell the living ox.” This is what we said, including all living creatures. “They must sell the living ox.” This teaches that half damages are paid only from the animal itself. Therefore, if it is not worth enough, the owner says, “Here is the animal that caused you harm.” “They divide its price.” He gives the injured party half the damage from its value. Rabbi Judah says, “If an ox worth two hundred gores an ox worth two hundred, and the carcass is worth fifty zuz, one owner takes half the living animal and half the dead animal, and the other does the same, as it says, ‘They must sell the living ox and divide its price, and they must also divide the dead animal.’” Rabbi Meir said to him, “The Torah spoke of this only when the carcass is worth nothing. What, then, does ‘they must also divide the dead animal’ mean? They divide the loss in value too. He pays half the loss.” “They must also divide the dead animal.” This includes an increase in the carcass’s value. If its value increases between the goring and the court hearing, the party responsible and the injured party divide the increase. “They must sell the living ox and divide its price, and they must also divide the dead animal.” If an ox worth a maneh gores an ox worth five selas, and the carcass is worth nothing, could each owner take half the living animal and half the dead animal? One would lose five and receive fifty. Why was the forewarned animal singled out? To impose a stricter rule. Yet even its owner does not pay more than the damage it caused. Therefore the Torah spoke only of a case where the two animals are equal. Similarly, if an ox worth five selas gores an ox worth a maneh, and the carcass is worth fifty, could each owner take half the living animal and half the dead animal? The owner responsible would pay two and a half dinars and receive twenty-five. Where do we find that the party causing damage profits from it, so that he should profit here? Scripture says, “Its owner must pay.”Exodus 21:36 The owner pays and does not receive. Therefore the Torah spoke only of a case where the two animals are equal.

36 “Or it becomes known.”Exodus 21:36 In court. How do we know that it must be known in the owner’s presence? Scripture says, “Its owner has been warned.”Exodus 21:29 Warning therefore takes place only before the court and in the owner’s presence. “Goring” makes one day. “Yesterday” makes two. “The day before yesterday” makes three. It is therefore forewarned only after warnings on three days, rather than for three incidents. “Its owner does not guard it.” If he guarded it properly and it went out and caused damage, he is exempt. “Does not guard it” includes a borrower, an unpaid guardian, a paid guardian, and a renter, as above. Another interpretation of “does not guard it.” Someone capable of doing so. This excludes a deaf person unable to speak, a person lacking mental capacity, and a minor, who are not capable of guarding it. “He must pay.” This includes an animal belonging to a deaf person unable to speak, a person lacking mental capacity, or a minor. How so? Guardians are appointed for them, and testimony is given in the guardians’ presence. If the animals cause damage, payment is required. “Ox for ox.” This teaches that he pays full damages. “The dead animal belongs to him,” to the injured party. Could one say, “Give me a hundred manehs for my ox,” while the other says, “Take an ox worth five selas for yours”? Scripture says, “Ox for ox.” Just as “for” in the other passage means monetary value,Exodus 21:24 it means monetary value here. “The dead animal belongs to him.” The responsible person must deal with the carcass until he makes it available to the injured party.

37 “When a man steals.”Exodus 22:1 I know only of a man. How do we include a woman? Scripture says, “Must pay,” whether a man or a woman. Why, then, does it say “a man”? For the rule below. A man is sold for his theft, but a woman is not sold for theft. “An ox or a sheep.” I know only of an ox or sheep specifically. How do we include crossbreeds? Scripture says “or a sheep.” Could I include a koy? Scripture says, “He must pay five cattle for the ox,” and so on. It must be entirely of the sheep kind. This excludes an animal that is not entirely of that kind. “And slaughters it.” An unclean animal is excluded because it has no valid ritual slaughter. I might exclude an unclean animal, which has no valid ritual slaughter, but include a clean wild animal, which does have valid ritual slaughter. Scripture says “an ox,” rather than a wild animal. One might reason otherwise. Livestock, whose blood need not be covered, bring fourfold or fivefold payment. Shouldn’t wild animals, whose blood must be covered, bring fourfold or fivefold payment? Scripture says “an ox,” rather than a wild animal. “A sheep,” rather than birds. One might reason otherwise. Livestock, which are not subject to the commandment about a mother with her young, bring fourfold or fivefold payment. Shouldn’t birds, which are subject to the commandment about a mother with her young, bring fourfold or fivefold payment? Scripture says “a sheep,” rather than birds. “And slaughters it or sells it.” I know only of the thief himself. How do we include his agent? Scripture says, “And slaughters it or sells it.” I know only of someone who steals and sells. How do we include someone who steals and gives it as a gift, steals and transfers it on credit, steals and exchanges it, or steals and pays a debt with it? Scripture says, “Or sells it.” Could someone who steals it, then inherits it, then slaughters it, or someone who steals it, then consecrates it, then slaughters it, owe fourfold or fivefold payment? Scripture says, “When a man steals an ox or sheep and slaughters it or sells it.” Just as the theft concerns something that is not his, the slaughter or sale must concern something that is not his. This excludes something that is his. Could selling it while retaining its foreleg or hind leg bring fourfold or fivefold payment? Scripture says, “And slaughters it or sells it.” Just as slaughter involves the whole animal, the sale must involve the whole animal. “And slaughters it or sells it.” From this we learn that partners who steal are liable only if both sell or both slaughter, as it says, “And slaughters it or sells it.” “And slaughters it or sells it.” Not someone whose liability for slaughter depends only on the sale. This excludes someone who steals consecrated animals and slaughters them. Since he incurs excision for slaughtering consecrated animals outside the sanctuary, he is exempt from fourfold or fivefold payment. Could he owe double payment? Scripture says, “It is stolen from the man’s house. If the thief is found, he must pay double.”Exodus 22:7 From a man’s house, rather than from the sanctuary. “And slaughters it.” This excludes someone whose slaughter leaves the animal unfit, someone who kills without ritual slaughter, or someone who invalidates slaughter by uprooting the organs. Could I also exclude an animal with a fatal defect? Scripture says, “And slaughters it.” Slaughter that does not make the animal fit to eat is still called slaughter. “He must pay five cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.” The King’s decree. Could one say, “Give me a hundred manehs for my ox,” while the other says, “Take five oxen worth five selas each for yours”? “For” is said here, and “for” is said elsewhere.Exodus 21:24 Just as “for” in the other passage requires payment of monetary value, “for” here requires payment of monetary value.

Exodus 22

1 “If in a break-in.”Exodus 22:2 I know only of a break-in. How do we include his courtyard, garden, and enclosure? Scripture says, “The thief is found,” in every case. Why, then, does it say “in a break-in”? If the thief is struck and dies during the break-in, there is no bloodguilt for him. Once he has left the break-in, there is bloodguilt for him. Could witnesses be needed? Scripture says “in a break-in.” The break-in itself is the testimony. Why, then, does it say “is found”? For the preceding rule, “He must pay five cattle.”Exodus 22:1 Could he pay on his own admission? Scripture says “is found.” Throughout Scripture, “is found” requires witnesses. “Is struck.” By anyone. “Dies.” By any means. “There is no bloodguilt for him.” No bloodguilt for him, whether on a weekday or on the Sabbath. Elsewhere it says, “There is bloodguilt for him,”Exodus 22:3 whether on a weekday or on the Sabbath.

2 “If the sun has risen on him.”Exodus 22:3 Does the sun rise only on him? Doesn’t it rise on the whole world? Rather, just as sunrise is clear, so must the matter be clear. Just as sunrise brings him peace, so must this case be one in which peace is assured. “There is bloodguilt for him.” Whether on a weekday or on the Sabbath. Elsewhere it says, “As when a man attacks his fellow and murders him, so is this matter.”Deuteronomy 22:26 One case is like the other. Just as this case involves danger to life, so does the other. Just as in this case, if the assailant resists an attempt to stop him, you may act first and kill him, so in the other, if the assailant resists an attempt to stop him, you may act first and kill him. “There is bloodguilt for him. He must pay.” If there is no bloodguilt for him, he does not pay. Just as this case specifically treats someone acting without intent like someone acting with intent, and liability to death exempts him from payment, so in every such case, action without intent is treated like action with intent, and liability to death exempts him from payment. “If he has nothing.” This teaches that expected property is not assessed like property already possessed. “If he has nothing.” This teaches that assessment is not made from movable property. “If he has nothing.” This teaches that they do not wait for his father to die or for his ship to return from overseas. “He is sold for his theft.” He is not sold for the liability of a conspiring witness. “He is sold for his theft.” He is not sold for the double payment. “He is sold for his theft.” He is not sold and sold again for his theft. From then on, you have no further claim on him. Rabbi Eleazar says, “Only if his value is equal to his theft.” “He is sold for his theft.” A man is sold for his theft, but a woman is not sold for her theft.

3 “If the stolen property is found in his possession.”Exodus 22:4 If they saw him enter but did not find stolen property in his possession, or found stolen property in his possession but did not see him enter, he is exempt. They must see him enter and find stolen property in his possession. Since it says below, “It is stolen from the man’s house,”Exodus 22:7 Scripture teaches that liability arises only after the property is removed from the householder’s domain. Could the same apply here? How do we know that lifting it within the householder’s domain brings liability? Scripture says, “If the stolen property is found in his possession.” “From an ox.” Since we find that partners who steal, or a partner who steals from his fellow, are exempt from fourfold or fivefold payment, could the same apply here? Scripture says, “From an ox,” even part of an ox. This includes partners who steal. “To a sheep.” Since we find exemption from fourfold or fivefold payment if the thief sells the animal while retaining a foreleg or hind leg, could the same apply here? Scripture says, “To a sheep,” even part of a sheep. “From an ox to a donkey to a sheep, alive.” Let it say “ox” and “stolen property,” and everything would be included. If it had said only this, I would have said that just as an ox is specifically an animal whose firstborn is offered on the altar, I may include only another animal whose firstborn is offered on the altar. Which is that? A sheep. Scripture says “sheep,” but the sheep is already mentioned. What, then, does “stolen property” mean? It includes something else. Let it say “ox,” “sheep,” and “stolen property,” and everything would be included. If it had said only this, I would have said that just as these specifically have firstborn animals assigned to priests, I may include only another animal whose firstborn is assigned to priests. Which is that? A donkey. Scripture says “donkey,” but the donkey is already mentioned. What, then, does “stolen property” mean? It includes something else. Let it say “ox,” “sheep,” “donkey,” and “stolen property,” and everything would be included. If it had said only this, I would have said that just as these specifically are alive, I may include only something alive. Scripture says “alive,” but living creatures are already mentioned. What, then, does “stolen property” mean? It includes something else. Could someone who kidnaps his son and sells him owe double payment? One might reason so. For selling these animals there is no death penalty, yet the thief pays double. Shouldn’t kidnapping his son, whose sale carries a death penalty, bring double payment? Scripture says, “From an ox to a donkey to a sheep.” Just as he specifically has the right to sell these, this excludes his son, whom he has no right to sell. I exclude his son, whom he has no right to sell, but might still include his daughter, whom he does have the right to sell. Scripture says, “From an ox to a donkey to a sheep.” Just as he always has the right to sell these, this excludes his daughter, whom he does not always have the right to sell. I exclude his daughter, whom he does not always have the right to sell, but might still include land, which he always has the right to sell. Scripture says, “From an ox to a donkey to a sheep.” Just as these can specifically be injured, captured, or die, this excludes land, which cannot be injured, captured, or die in that way. I exclude land, which cannot be injured, captured, or die, but might still include slaves, who can be injured, captured, or die. Scripture says, “From an ox to a donkey to a sheep.” Just as guarding these is specifically your responsibility, this excludes slaves, whose guarding is not your responsibility. I exclude slaves, whose guarding is not your responsibility, but might still include documents, whose guarding is your responsibility. Scripture says, “From an ox to a donkey to a sheep.” Just as ownership of these passes completely to you, this excludes documents, in which you have only evidence of a claim. “Alive, he must pay double.” Even without an oath. One might reason otherwise. There is liability here and liability for a householder. Just as the householder pays only after an oath, the thief should pay only after an oath. Further, reason by inference. The householder, who pays an additional fifth and brings a guilt offering, pays only after an oath. Shouldn’t this thief, who pays no additional fifth and brings no guilt offering, pay only after an oath? Scripture says, “Alive, he must pay double,” even without an oath. Could an oath and his own admission bring payment? Reason as follows. There is liability here and liability for a householder. Just as the householder does not pay on his own admission, this thief should not pay on his own admission. Further, reason by inference. The householder, who pays an additional fifth and brings a guilt offering, does not pay on his own admission. Shouldn’t this thief, who pays no additional fifth and brings no guilt offering, be exempt from payment on his own admission? No. The householder pays only after an oath, while this thief pays both before an oath and after an oath. Since he pays both before and after an oath, let him pay on his own admission. Scripture says, “If it is found.” Throughout Scripture, “is found” requires witnesses.

4 “When someone causes grazing damage.”Exodus 22:5 The person causing the grazing is liable to pay. From this you may say that if thieves open a sheepfold or an enclosure and an animal goes out and causes damage, both the thieves and the householder are exempt, as it says, “He lets his animal loose.” This excludes someone who did not let it loose. If the thieves take it out, the thieves are liable and the householder is exempt, as it says, “When someone causes grazing damage, he must pay.” The person causing the grazing is liable to pay. If he closes it properly, ties it properly, makes an enclosure ten handbreadths high, and entrusts it to an elderly or sick person who has understanding, and the animal goes out and causes damage, he is exempt, as it says, “He lets his animal loose.” This excludes someone who did not let it loose. If he closes it improperly, ties it improperly, makes an enclosure less than ten handbreadths high, or entrusts it to a deaf person unable to speak, a person lacking mental capacity, or a minor, who lack understanding, and the animal goes out and causes damage, he is liable, as it says, “When someone causes grazing damage, he must pay.” The person causing the grazing is liable to pay. “A field or vineyard.” I know only of a field or vineyard specifically. How do we include anything else? Scripture says “or a vineyard.” Could I include tearing clothing or eating equipment? Scripture says “a vineyard.” Just as a vineyard specifically bears produce, every case must involve produce. Or, just as a vineyard bears fully developed fruit, could I include only fully developed fruit? How do we know that even if the animal eats seeds or young plants, the loss is assessed? Scripture says “a field.” Rabbi Shimon says, “‘A vineyard.’ Wasn’t a vineyard included in a field? What, then, does ‘a field or vineyard’ teach? If the animal eats unripe figs or unripe grapes, they are assessed as though fully developed.” “He lets his animal loose.” If an animal walking normally in a public place falls into a garden and benefits from it, and it did not enter of its own accord, payment is for the benefit received. If it entered of its own accord, payment is for the damage caused. The damage is not assessed against an area sown with a kav, because that raises the valuation, nor against an area sown with a kor, because that lowers it. Rather, an area sown with a seah in that field is assessed, comparing what it was worth before and what it is worth after. “He lets his animal loose.” I know only of the tooth eating something suitable for it. How do we include the foot breaking things while walking? Scripture says, “He lets his animal loose.” Wasn’t the tooth included in the foot, as it says, “Remove its hedge, and it will be consumed. Break down its wall, and it will be trampled”?Isaiah 5:5 I know only of these. How do we include an animal causing damage with its body as it walks, or a donkey causing damage with its load as it walks? Just as these specifically cause damage in their normal, fitting way and require full compensation, anything causing damage in its normal, fitting way requires full compensation. “He lets his animal loose.” I know only of the tooth eating something suitable and the foot breaking things while walking normally. How do we include the tooth eating something unsuitable and the foot breaking things while walking abnormally? Scripture says, “It grazes in another’s field,” including other cases. Could full compensation be paid for everything? Reason as follows. Wasn’t an ox harming its fellow included in the general rule? Why was it stated separately? To serve as a comparison. Just as an ox that causes damage in its usual manner to something unsuitable requires half damages when presumed harmless and full damages when forewarned, anything that causes damage in its usual manner to something unsuitable requires half damages when presumed harmless and full damages when forewarned. “It grazes in another’s field,” rather than the householder’s own field. Could this apply even if the householder permitted the other person to stack grain there? Scripture says, “It grazes in a field,” in every case. “He must pay from the best of his field and vineyard.” This teaches that assessment is made only from the best property. Could damage to poor land be assessed as damage to the best land? Scripture says “field.” The field has already been mentioned above. I know only of this case. How do we know that any penalty is assessed only from the best property? Scripture says, “The best of his field and vineyard.” This establishes a general principle for anyone paying a penalty. Assessment is made only from the best property. “The best of his field and vineyard.” This teaches that assessment is made only from movable property. I know only of this case. How do we know that any penalty is assessed only from movable property? Scripture says, “The best of his field and vineyard.” This establishes a general principle for anyone paying a penalty. Assessment is made only from movable property. “The best of his field” teaches that expected property is not assessed like property already possessed. “His vineyard” excludes sacred property. “He must pay.” Wherever “he must pay” is said, full damages are paid.

5 “When fire spreads.”Exodus 22:6 This treats someone acting without intent like someone acting with intent. If someone lights a fire on his own property and it spreads and consumes another’s property, he is liable. Could he be liable if it crossed a stream, a pool, a private road, a public road sixteen cubits wide, or a fence four cubits high? Scripture says, “It finds,” requiring the object to be within its reach. Could this mean only a fire that advances close along the ground? Scripture says “thorns.” Or, since thorns grow by themselves, could I include only something that grows by itself? Scripture says “a stack.” Or, since a stack is specifically detached from the ground, could I include only something detached from the ground? Scripture says “standing grain.” Or, since these can burn, could I include only something that can burn? How do we include fire scorching plowed fields, marble structures, piles of flax, or stones prepared for a kiln? Scripture says “a field.” I know only of something not already fired. How do we include something already fired, such as limekilns or potters’ kilns that the fire consumes? Scripture says, “The one who kindles the blaze.” I know only of someone who kindles a fire. How do we include someone who puts one out, extinguishing limekilns or potters’ kilns? Scripture says “the blaze.” Could this apply to someone who stacks grain in another’s field without permission? Scripture says “a stack and standing grain.” Just as the standing grain is on its owner’s property, the stack must be on its owner’s property. If someone lights a fire on his own property and it spreads and consumes another’s stack, he is liable. If utensils were inside and burned, he is liable for the stack and the utensils. These are the words of Rabbi Judah. The sages say, “The space occupied by the utensils is treated as though filled with grain. Payment is only for the value of the stack.” Rabbi Judah agrees with the sages that if someone lends another a place for stacking grain, and the borrower hides utensils in the stack and it burns, payment is only for the value of the stack. If a stack of wheat is covered with barley, or a stack of barley is covered with wheat, payment is only for the value of the stack. If an ox or donkey is tied to the stack and burns with it, there is liability. If the animals are untied, there is exemption, as it says, “A stack and standing grain.” Just as these specifically cannot escape, this excludes animals that can escape. Since we find liability for an ox entrusted to a deaf person unable to speak, a person lacking mental capacity, or a minor, could someone who sends fire through such a person be liable too? Scripture says, “The one who kindles must pay.” The person who kindles is liable to pay. If someone lights a fire on his own property and it spreads and consumes things in another’s courtyard, he is liable, since a courtyard is a place into which all kinds of things are normally brought. I know only of these cases. How do we include someone striking with a hammer and sending something out that causes damage, whether in a private or public place, or a smith putting a spark on iron that goes out and causes damage, whether in a private or public place? Just as this person specifically acts on his own property and causes damage on someone else’s and is liable, anyone who acts on his own property and causes damage on someone else’s is liable. I know only of these cases. How do we know that if one person brings wood and another brings fire, or one brings fire and another brings wood, the last person to act is liable? Scripture says, “The one who kindles must pay.” The person who kindles is liable to pay. I know only of these cases. How do we include one person bringing wood, another bringing fire, and a third fanning it, who is liable if his fanning is sufficient? Scripture says, “The one who kindles must pay.” The person who kindles is liable to pay. There are four primary categories of damage, the ox, the pit, grazing, and fire. The nature of the ox is not like the nature of grazing, and the nature of grazing is not like the nature of the ox. These two, which are alive, are not like fire, which is not alive. These, which normally move and cause damage, are not like the pit, which does not normally move and cause damage. Therefore all four are stated.

6 “When a man gives something to his neighbor.”Exodus 22:7 A minor’s transfer has no legal effect. I know this only when he deposits it as a minor and brings his claim as a minor. What if he deposits it as a minor and brings his claim as an adult? Scripture says, “The case of both parties must come before the judges.”Exodus 22:9 His status when bringing the claim must match his status when making the deposit. “A man” excludes property dedicated to God. I know this only when someone deposits something with the sanctuary. What if the sanctuary deposits something with him? Scripture says, “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 It must belong to his neighbor, not to the sanctuary. I know this when he deposits something with the sanctuary or the sanctuary deposits something with him. What if he deposits it with the treasurer and then redeems it, or deposits ordinary property and then dedicates it? Scripture says, “The case of both parties must come before the judges.”Exodus 22:9 Its status when the claim is brought must match its status when it was deposited. “His neighbor” excludes foreigners. “His neighbor” excludes a resident alien. I know this when someone deposits something with a gentile. What if the gentile deposits something with him? Scripture says, “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 I know this when someone deposits something with a gentile or a gentile deposits something with him. What if he deposits something with a gentile who later converts, or a gentile deposits something with him and then converts? Scripture says, “The case of both parties must come before the judges.”Exodus 22:9 Their status at the claim must match their status at the deposit. “Money.” Money comes from the earth. Could I therefore exclude utensils made from materials from the sea, which do not come from the earth? Scripture says, “Or utensils.” These are Rabbi Judah’s words. Since we find liability in connection with a claim and with an admission, could the claim, like the admission, involve only a perutah? Scripture says, “Money,” meaning a silver maʿah. These are the words of the school of Shammai. The school of Hillel says, “The claim must involve two silver maʿahs.” Since “his neighbor” excludes the sanctuary, could I also exclude money used to redeem the tithe? Scripture says, “Money.” “To keep,” not to destroy. “To keep,” not to distribute to the poor. “To keep,” not to throw away. “To keep,” not to give as a gift. “And it is stolen from the man’s house,” not from his rooftop. This teaches that he is liable if he does not guard it as custodians normally do. “And it is stolen from the man’s house,” not from the thief’s house. Someone who steals from a thief does not pay double restitution. Someone who slaughters or sells after a thief has stolen does not pay fourfold or fivefold restitution. “If the thief is foundExodus 22:7, he must pay double.” Why is this needed? Scripture already says, “If the stolen property is found in his possession.”Exodus 22:4 Why add, “If the thief is found”Exodus 22:7? It teaches that if the custodian pays the depositor and the thief is then found, the thief pays double, fourfold, or fivefold restitution to the second party, the custodian. Rabbi Ishmael says, “Why do I need ‘If the thief is found’Exodus 22:7? Scripture already says, ‘If the stolen property is found in his possession.’Exodus 22:4 Why add ‘If the thief is found’Exodus 22:7? If witnesses establish that the householder falsely claimed theft, he pays double restitution.” Could he pay on his own admission? Reasoning suggests otherwise. Liability is imposed here and on a thief. Just as a thief does not pay the fine on his own admission, neither should this custodian. No. A thief pays double restitution, whereas this person does not pay double restitution. Since he does not pay double restitution, perhaps he should pay on his own admission. Scripture says, “Is found.” Whenever “is found” is used, it means through witnesses. Could he pay both before and after taking an oath? Reasoning might support this. Liability is imposed here and on a thief. Just as the thief pays both before and after an oath, so might this person. There is also an argument from the less serious case to the more serious. A thief, who does not pay an additional fifth or bring a guilt offering, pays before and after an oath. Should this person, who pays an additional fifth and brings a guilt offering, not pay before and after an oath? Scripture says, “If the stolen property is found in his possession.”Exodus 22:4 When ... after the oath. Another interpretation: “Whomever the judges condemn.”Exodus 22:9 When is he called guilty? After taking the oath. Could he be liable for falsely claiming loss? Liability is imposed here and on a paid custodian. Just as a paid custodian does not incur this liability for claiming loss, neither should this person. There is also an argument from the less serious case to the more serious. A paid custodian pays for loss and theft, yet does not incur this liability for claiming loss. Surely an unpaid custodian, who does not pay for loss and theft, should not incur it for claiming loss. No. A paid custodian does not pay double restitution, whereas this person does. Scripture therefore says, “If the thief is found.”Exodus 22:7 He is liable for a claim of theft, not a claim of loss. Could he be liable if the property is lost or stolen while in his care? Liability is imposed here and on a paid custodian. Just as a paid custodian pays for loss and theft, perhaps this person should also pay for loss and theft. There is also an argument from the less serious case to the more serious. A paid custodian does not pay double restitution but pays for loss and theft. Should this person, who pays double restitution, not pay for loss and theft? Scripture says, “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 Could he pay double restitution for misappropriation? Liability is imposed here and on a paid custodian. Just as a paid custodian does not pay double restitution for misappropriation, neither should this person. There is also an argument from the less serious case to the more serious. A paid custodian pays for loss and theft but does not pay double restitution for misappropriation. Surely this person, who does not pay for loss and theft, should not pay double restitution for misappropriation. No. A paid custodian does not pay double restitution, whereas this person does. Scripture therefore says, “If the stolen property is found in his possession.”Exodus 22:4 He pays double restitution for theft, not for misappropriation.

7 “If the thief is not found.”Exodus 22:8 If witnesses do not establish that the householder falsely claimed theft. “The householder must approach the judges.”Exodus 22:8 To take an oath. Or could this mean to make payment? Scripture says, “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 Another interpretation: Approaching is mentioned here and elsewhere. Just as approaching elsewhere involves an oath, approaching here involves an oath. “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 Why is this needed? Was it not already in his possession? Why say, “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property”Exodus 22:8? If he takes utensils out of a container, or takes an animal out and rides it, he is liable. Scripture says, “Whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 Any such use is included.

8 If someone intends to misappropriate his neighbor’s deposit, the school of Shammai holds him liable and the school of Hillel exempts him. The school of Shammai cites “for every matter of wrongdoingExodus 22:9,” treating intention as action. The school of Hillel cites “whether he has misappropriated his neighbor’s property.”Exodus 22:8 This teaches that he is not liable until he acts. Why, then, does Scripture say, “For every matter of wrongdoing”Exodus 22:9? I might know this only about the custodian himself. How do I include his slave or agent? Scripture says, “For every matter of wrongdoing.”Exodus 22:9 If he tilts a barrel, takes some from it, and it breaks, he pays only for a quarter-log. Scripture says, “For wrongdoing,” meaning the amount involved in his wrongful act. If he lifts it, he pays its entire value. Scripture says, “For every matter of wrongdoingExodus 22:9,” meaning everything involved in his wrongful act. If he moves it from place to place and it breaks in his hands, he is liable if he moved it for his own purposes and exempt if he moved it for its protection. Scripture says, “Wrongdoing,” excluding someone who has done no wrong. “For every matter of wrongdoingExodus 22:9, for an ox, a donkey, or a sheep.” Could Scripture say only “ox” and “wrongdoing,” and include everything? If so, I would say that an ox is distinctive because its firstborn is offered on the altar. I would therefore include only another animal whose firstborn is offered on the altar. Which animal is that? A sheep. But Scripture already says, “Sheep.” Why, then, say, “Wrongdoing”? To include something else. Could Scripture say only “ox,” “sheep,” and “wrongdoing,” and include everything? If so, I would say that these are distinctive because their firstborn belong to the priests. I would therefore include only another animal whose firstborn belongs to the priests. Which animal is that? A donkey. But Scripture already says, “Donkey.” Why, then, say, “Wrongdoing”? To include something else. Could Scripture say only “ox,” “sheep,” “donkey,” and “wrongdoing,” and include everything? If so, I would say that these are distinctive because they are living creatures. I would therefore include only living creatures. Scripture says, “A garment.” Could land also be included? Scripture says, “For an ox, a donkey, or a sheep.” These can be injured, captured, or die. Land, which cannot be injured, captured, or die, is excluded. Would I still include slaves, who can be injured or die? Scripture says, “For an ox, a donkey, or a sheep.” These require your custody. Slaves, who do not require your custody, are excluded. I exclude slaves, who do not require your custody. Should I not still include documents, which do require your custody? Scripture says, “For an ox, a donkey, or a sheep.” These can be transferred to you outright. Documents, which give you only evidence of a claim, are excluded. Could he be liable for less than a perutah? Scripture says, “A garment.” A garment is distinctive because, when it is worth a perutah, its finder must announce it. So anything worth a perutah must be announced. If the claim is for an ox and a donkey and he admits one of them, he is liable. Scripture says, “For an ox ... or for anything lost, about which he says, ‘This is it.’” It likewise says, “For a donkey ... or for anything lost, about which he says, ‘This is it,’” and “For a sheep ... or for anything lost, about which he says, ‘This is it.’” If the claim is for an ox and he admits a sheep, or for a sheep and he admits an ox, he is exempt. Why include the first case and exclude this one? I include the first because he admits part of the claim, and exclude this one because he does not. “You owe me a mina.” “I owe you nothing,” and ... “I did owe you, but I paid you.” “You owe me a mina and clothing,” or “a mina and an animal.” He is exempt. If he admits fifty dinars of the amount, he is liable. Why include this case and exclude that one? I include ... this one because his admission concerns the same kind of property as the claim. I exclude that one because it does not. “About which he says, ‘This is it.’” Could the admission, like the denial, have to involve two silver maʿahs? Scripture says, “This is it,” even a perutah. “It must come before the judges.” If a claim is made outside court and he admits it, but then comes to court and denies it, he is liable if there are witnesses to his admission. Otherwise he is exempt. Scripture says, “The case of both parties must come before the judges,” including what they said to each other outside court. “The case of both parties must come before the judges.”Exodus 22:9 This refers to an oath. “Both parties” is said elsewhere and here. Just as it refers to an oath elsewhere, it refers to an oath here. From this they said, “Three people take an oath under the Torah: a custodian, someone who admits part of a claim, and someone made liable by a single witness.” How do we know that one judge cannot decide against someone? Scripture says, “Whomever the judges condemn.”Exodus 22:9 “Whomever the judges condemn” excludes someone who condemns himself. From this they said, “A person does not pay a fine on his own admission.” “He must pay double to his neighbor.”Exodus 22:9 Rabbi Ishmael says, “Here I read ‘he must pay double,’ and elsewhere ‘he must repay the principal and add a fifth.’Leviticus 6:5 How can both passages apply? “Someone who pays the principal owes the additional fifth. Someone who does not pay the principal is exempt from the additional fifth.” “He must pay double to his neighbor.”Exodus 22:9 To his neighbor, not to the sanctuary. To his neighbor, not to foreigners.

9 “When a man gives something to his neighbor.”Exodus 22:10 Could both passages concern a single case? Does it say “and when”? It says only “when,” marking a distinct case. The first passage concerns an unpaid custodian. The second concerns a paid custodian and a hirer. An unpaid custodian takes an oath in every case and is exempt. A paid custodian sometimes takes an oath and sometimes pays. “When a man gives.” I know this only about a man. How do I include a woman? Scripture says, “He must pay,” whether a man or a woman. Why, then, say, “A man”? To exclude a minor. “His neighbor” excludes foreigners. “His neighbor” excludes a resident alien. “His neighbor” excludes the sanctuary. No oath is required in these cases. “A donkey, an ox, or a sheep.” I know only these particular animals. How do I include other livestock? Scripture says, “Or any animal.” How do I include other movable property? Scripture says, “Any ... to keep.” Could I include documents, slaves, and land? Scripture says, “A donkey, an ox, or a sheep.” These are movable property, and only movable property is included. “And it dies, is injured, or is captured.” Could Scripture mention only death? Why mention capture and injury? If it did, I would say that death is distinctive because the animal is no longer alive. Injury and capture, when it is still alive, would be excluded. Scripture must therefore mention death, injury, and capture. Could it mention only injury? Why mention capture and death? If it did, I would say that injury is distinctive because it happens in your presence. Capture and death, which happen outside your presence, would be excluded. Scripture must therefore mention injury and capture. Could it mention only capture? Why mention injury and death? If it did, I would say that capture is distinctive because the animal remains alive. Injury and death, when it is no longer alive, would be excluded. Scripture must therefore mention death, injury, and capture. How do I include every other unavoidable event? Scripture says, “It dies, is injured, or is captured.” “And it dies,” meaning a natural death. “Or is injured,” meaning a wild animal injures it. “Or is captured,” meaning robbers capture it. I might still say that injury and capture apply whether he could have saved it or not. Scripture therefore says, “And it dies.” Just as death is something he cannot prevent, injury and capture here are things he cannot prevent. “No one seeing.” Scripture speaks of witnesses. Seeing is mentioned here and in “he is a witness, whether he saw.”Leviticus 5:1 Just as seeing there concerns two witnesses, seeing here concerns two witnesses. “No one seeing, an oath of the LORD must be between them.”Exodus 22:11 If there are witnesses, the householder is entirely exempt. Issi ben Judah says, “‘No one seeing, an oath of the LORD must be between them.’Exodus 22:11 If someone saw it, he must bring evidence and be exempt. Otherwise he must pay.” “An oath of the LORD must be between them.”Exodus 22:11 It is taken while holding a sacred object. “Between them” excludes an heir. “Both” excludes a case in which the opposing party is suspected of false oaths. “Between them.” The judge must not make him swear against his will. Rabbi Nathan says, “‘Between them’ teaches that the oath affects both parties.”

10 “An oath of the LORD must be between them.”Exodus 22:11 It never leaves the two of them. If the person swearing swears falsely, it eventually falls on him. If the person demanding the oath does so falsely, it eventually falls on him. This is why people say, “Whether innocent or guilty, keep away from an oath.” “Whether he has misappropriated it.” For his own use. Do you say for his own use, or could it be for another purpose? Reason it out. Misappropriation is mentioned here and elsewhere. Just as it means for his own use elsewhere, it means for his own use here. “Its owner must accept it.”Exodus 22:11 He accepts the oath from him. “And he need not pay.” From this they said, “The owner of the carcass must deal with his carcass.” Another interpretation of “Its owner must accept itExodus 22:11, and he need not pay”: Everyone required by the Torah to take an oath takes the oath and does not pay. Another interpretation: When Scripture says, “An oath of the LORD must be between themExodus 22:11,” we do not know which party must swear and give. Scripture says, “Its owner must accept itExodus 22:11, and he need not pay.” Once the owners accept the oath, he is exempt from payment. Could this also apply to a hired worker, a robbery victim, or an injured person? Scripture says, “Between them.” Sometimes one party swears, and sometimes the other. Another interpretation: Suppose someone lends an ox, and it commits a sexual offense against a person, or it gores a person. If the borrower returns it before its sentence is finalized, he is exempt. If he returns it afterward, he is liable. Scripture says, “Its owner must accept itExodus 22:11, and he need not pay.” This applies to something owners ordinarily accept, excluding something owners do not ordinarily accept. Conclude, then, that these are movable goods.

11 “But if it is stolen.”Exodus 22:12 I know only theft. How do I include loss? Reason it out. Theft and loss both involve inadequate custody. Since you have learned that he must pay for theft, he must also pay for loss. “From him.” Whatever is with him. Suppose someone says, “Lend me your cow,” and the owner sends it with his son, slave, or agent, and it is stolen on the way. Could the borrower be liable? Scripture says, “From him,” from the custodian’s possession. “He must pay its owner,” whether male or female, minor or adult. Another interpretation: “He must pay its owner.” Otherwise, why would I suppose he pays anyone other than its owner? If you say this is simply normal scriptural wording, Scripture has already said, “He must pay from the best of his field and vineyard,” without mentioning owners. Why, then, say, “He must pay its owner”? To its owner, not to a creditor. To its owner, not to someone owed compensation for damage. To its owner, not to a depositor. From this you say: If someone leaves a deposit or a loan in other people’s hands, to whom should they give it? Rabbi Tarfon says, “Give it to the weakest claimant.” Rabbi Akiva says, “Give it to the heirs, because heirs are exempt from taking an oath.”

12 “If it is torn by an animal.”Exodus 22:13 This means the hide, according to Rabbi Josiah. Although there is no proof, there is an indication: “Thus says the LORD: As a shepherd rescues two legs or a piece of an ear from a lion’s mouth.”Amos 3:12 “He must bring evidence.” Rabbi Johanan son of Rabbi Josiah says, “‘He must bring evidence’ means he must bring witnesses that it was torn in an unavoidable attack.” Abba Saul says, “He must bring the torn remains to court.” Likewise Scripture says, “As a shepherd rescues from a lion’s mouth.”Amos 3:12 “He must bring evidence of the torn animal.” He must lead the owners to the torn animal and be exempt from payment. Or must he nevertheless pay? Reasoning supports payment. Loss and an animal attack both involve inadequate custody. Since you have learned that he must pay for loss, he should also pay for an animal attack. Scripture says, “He need not pay for the torn animal.” Could he be exempt from paying for every animal torn by another? Scripture says, “If it is torn.” Scripture speaks of two kinds of attack. “He need not pay for the torn animal.” For some attacks he pays, and for others he does not. For which must he pay? An attack by a cat or a fox. For which is he exempt? An attack by a lion or a wolf. He is exempt for any unavoidable event, and liable for any event that was avoidable. Just as the Torah distinguishes between attacks and between accidents, distinguish also between deaths, between injuries, and between captures. How does one distinguish between deaths? If it is grazing in front of him, falls, and dies, he is exempt. If he mistreats it, starves it, or shuts a door in front of it, and it falls and dies, he is liable. How does one distinguish between injuries? If it is grazing in front of him at the city gate, falls, and is injured, he is exempt. If he takes the animals to clifftops, makes them cross together, and one pushes another so that it falls and is injured, he is liable. How does one distinguish between captures? If it is grazing in front of him at the city entrance and a raiding force comes and takes it, he is exempt. If he takes it to a place frequented by bands of animals and robbers, and a raiding force takes it, he is liable.

13 “When a man borrows.”Exodus 22:14 Scripture separates the borrower from the paid custodian and treats him as a distinct case. “A man.” I know this only about a man. How do I include a woman? Scripture says, “He must pay,” whether male or female. Why, then, say, “A man”? To exclude a minor. “From his neighbor” excludes foreigners. “From his neighbor” excludes a resident alien. “From his neighbor” teaches that he is not liable until he takes it out of the owner’s possession. “And it is injured or dies.” I know only injury and death. How do I include loss and theft? Liability is imposed here and on a paid custodian. Just as a paid custodian pays for loss and theft, this person must also pay for loss and theft. There is also an argument from the less serious case to the more serious. A paid custodian does not pay for unavoidable events, but pays for loss and theft. Surely this person, who pays for unavoidable events, should pay for loss and theft. This argument has no answer. “And it is injured or dies.” I know only injury and death. How do I include capture? Injury and death are mentioned here and elsewhere. Just as capture accompanies injury and death elsewhere, capture accompanies injury and death here. Just as injury and death elsewhere exclude slaves, documents, and land, injury and death here exclude slaves, documents, and land. “If its owner is not with him, he must pay.Exodus 22:14 If its owner is with him, he need not pay.”Exodus 22:15 Do we not already know that he pays if the owner is not with him and does not pay if the owner is with him? Rather, sometimes he is liable when the owner is with him and exempt when the owner is not with him. How so? Suppose he borrows a cow and borrows its owner’s services at the same time, hires a cow and hires its owner’s services at the same time, borrows it and hires its owner’s services, or hires it and borrows its owner’s services. Even if the owners are plowing somewhere else when it falls and dies, he is exempt. Scripture says, “If its owner is with him, he need not pay.”Exodus 22:15 But suppose he borrows it and afterward borrows its owner’s services, hires it and afterward hires its owner’s services, borrows it and afterward hires its owner’s services, or hires it and afterward borrows its owner’s services. Even if the owners are there plowing with it when it falls and dies, he is liable. Scripture says, “If its owner is not with him, he must pay.”Exodus 22:14 I know only that a borrower is exempt when the owner’s services accompany the loan. How do I include an unpaid custodian, a paid custodian, and a hirer? By an argument from the more serious case to the less serious. The borrower, who pays for everything, is exempt when the owner’s services accompany the loan. Surely an unpaid custodian, who is exempt from everything, and a paid custodian and hirer, who are exempt from unavoidable events, should be exempt when the owner’s services accompany the custody. “If its owner is not with him, he must pay.”Exodus 22:14 From this they said, “A borrower pays for everything except death during the work, provided he does not alter the agreed use.”

14 “If its owner is with him.”Exodus 22:15 Could he be exempt if the owner tells someone else, “Go and lend your services with my cow,” and that person does so? Scripture says, “Its owner is with him.” Its owner, not the owner’s agent. These are three passages for three rules. The first concerns an unpaid custodian, the second a paid custodian, and the third a borrower. An unpaid custodian takes an oath and is exempt from everything. A paid custodian takes an oath about unavoidable events and pays for events that are avoidable. A borrower pays for everything except death during the work. All of them are exempt, even for negligence, if the owner’s services accompany the arrangement. “If it is hired, it is covered by its hire.” Scripture speaks of a hirer. Do not read sakhir, “hired worker,” but sakhur, “hired.” “It is covered by its hire.” Could he take an oath and be exempt from everything? Reason it out. A paid custodian benefits the owner, and a hirer benefits the owner. Since you have learned that a paid custodian takes an oath about unavoidable events and pays for theft and loss, a hirer should likewise take an oath about unavoidable events and pay for theft and loss. But an unpaid custodian also benefits the owner and is exempt from payment. Could he not establish that a hirer, although benefiting the owner, should be exempt from payment? There is a difference. A paid custodian both receives and gives a benefit, and a hirer both receives and gives a benefit. Do not compare an unpaid custodian, who gives a benefit without receiving one. Since you have learned that a paid custodian takes an oath about unavoidable events and pays for loss and theft, a hirer likewise takes an oath about unavoidable events and pays for loss and theft.

15 “When a man persuades a virgin.”Exodus 22:16 A woman is ordinarily persuaded by a man, rather than a man by a woman. When Rabbi Eliezer reached this verse, he would say, “What a pity about this matter! “A woman is persuaded by a man, and a lesser person by a greater one. Jeremiah likewise says, ‘You persuaded me, LORD, and I was persuaded.’Jeremiah 20:7 “But what does Scripture say about our ancestors? ‘They persuaded Him with their mouths.’Psalms 78:36 Is a greater person ordinarily persuaded by a lesser one? ‘And lied to Him with their tongues.’Psalms 78:36 Does a greater person ordinarily accept falsehoods? “Rather, they persuaded themselves and lied to themselves. Nevertheless, ‘He saved them for His name’s sake.’Psalms 106:8” “A virgin” excludes someone who has had intercourse or sustained an accidental genital injury. “A virgin” excludes an adult woman and a woman who has not developed sexual maturity. “Who is not betrothed” excludes someone who was betrothed and divorced before marriage. “And lies with her.” With her knowledge and consent. “And lies with her.” Only when the intercourse is vaginal and established by witnesses. Could his persuasion itself establish the marriage? Scripture says, “He must pay the marriage payment for her as his wife.” This teaches that he must formally betroth her. Could this apply even if they may not marry? Scripture says, “He must pay the marriage payment for her as his wife,” meaning someone he may marry. This excludes a widow with a high priest, a divorced woman or a woman released from levirate marriage with an ordinary priest, a mamzeret or a Gibeonite woman with an Israelite man, and an Israelite woman with a mamzer or a Gibeonite man. Could he owe her fine whenever they may marry? Scripture says ...

16 “If her father absolutely refuses.”Exodus 22:17 This teaches that the father may refuse. If she has no father, how do we know that she may refuse? Scripture says, “Absolutely refuses.” How do we know that the prospective husband may also refuse? Scripture says, “Absolutely refuses,” in any case. “To give her to him.” If one man betroths one woman, she is betrothed. If two men betroth one woman, she is not betrothed. Another interpretation: “To give her to him” teaches that a father has authority over his minor daughter’s betrothal. “He must weigh out money.” But we have not heard how much. Reason it out. Money is mentioned here and in the case of rape. Just as the money in the case of rape is fifty, the money here is fifty. “According to the marriage payment for virgins.” What have we learned about that payment? A passage that appeared to teach something turns out to learn something. Just as the amount there is fifty, the amount here is fifty.

17 “A sorcerer.”Exodus 22:18 “A sorceress” includes both a man and a woman. Why, then, is sorcery named after women? Because most sorcery is practiced by women. “You must not let live.” This warns the court not to let a sorcerer live. “You must not let live.” Rabbi Yosi the Galilean says, “‘You must not let live’ is said here, and elsewhere ‘you must not let anything that breathes live.’Deuteronomy 20:16 Just as the punishment there is by the sword, so it is here.” Rabbi Akiva says, “‘You must not let live’ is said here, and elsewhere ‘whether animal or person, it must not live.’Exodus 19:13 Just as the punishment there is stoning, so it is here.” Rabbi Yosi the Galilean said to him, “Akiva, I compare ‘you must not let live’ with ‘you must not let live,’ but you compare ‘you must not let live’ with ‘it must not live.’” He replied, “You derive it from gentiles, whose only form of execution is by the sword. I derive it from Israelites, who have several forms of execution.” Ben Azzai says, “‘Anyone who lies with an animal must be put to death.’Exodus 22:19 Scripture places that subject beside this one. Just as that punishment is stoning, so is this one.”

18 “Anyone who lies with an animal.”Exodus 22:19 Why is this needed? A man’s intercourse with an animal is already stated, and a woman’s involvement with an animal is already stated. Why say, “Anyone who lies with an animal”? This refers to a male who brings the animal onto himself. I know only about livestock. How do I include a wild animal? Scripture says, “Anyone who lies with an animal.” “Must be put to death.” By stoning.

19 “Whoever sacrifices to gods must be destroyed.”Exodus 22:20 Could Scripture concern someone who slaughters a consecrated animal outside the sanctuary? Scripture says, “Whoever sacrifices to gods must be destroyed.” It concerns someone who sacrifices to an idol itself. I know only sacrifice. How do I include burning incense and pouring a libation? Scripture says, “Except to the LORD alone.” It gathers together all forms of worship belonging to the uniquely named God. Sacrifice is an act reserved for God, and a person is liable for performing it for an idol whether or not that is the idol’s customary worship. Likewise, for every act reserved for God, a person is liable whether or not that is the idol’s customary worship. “Whoever sacrifices to gods must be destroyed.” Could an idol worshiper’s property be forbidden for benefit? Could the idol itself be permitted for benefit? Scripture says, “You must completely detest it and completely abhor it, because it is devoted to destruction.”Deuteronomy 7:26 The idol itself is forbidden for benefit. The worshiper’s property is not forbidden for benefit. “Except to the LORD alone.” This includes someone who associates another with God. From this they said, “Anyone who associates another name with the Holy One, blessed be He, is uprooted from the world.”

20 “You must not mistreat a stranger.”Exodus 22:21 Two kinds of mistreatment are involved: financial mistreatment and mistreatment through words. “And you must not oppress him.” Two kinds of oppression are involved: financial oppression and oppression through words. “Because you were strangers.” He said to them, “If you challenge Me over the status of a stranger, a stranger can challenge you because ‘you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’” Likewise Scripture says, “Otherwise I will strip her naked and expose her.”Hosea 2:3

21 “A widow or an orphan.”Exodus 22:22 I know only about a widow or an orphan. How do I include everyone? Scripture says, “You must not mistreat.” Why, then, specify a widow and an orphan? I act more swiftly to exact punishment on behalf of a widow and an orphan than on behalf of anyone else. A woman complains to her husband, and a son complains to his father. But these have no one to whom they can complain except Me. Another interpretation: “Any widow,” even a king’s widow. “An orphan,” whether bereaved of a father or a mother. Until when are they called orphans? Until they can support themselves. “You must not mistreat.” Since Scripture says, “If you do mistreat,” could he be liable only after repeated mistreatment? Scripture says, “You must not mistreat,” even once. Why, then, say, “If you do mistreat”? To impose liability for every act of mistreatment.

22 “If you do mistreat.”Exodus 22:23 Whether someone burdens their bodies with work or their hearts with words. Could this include teaching them Torah or a trade? Scripture says, “Mistreat.” “If they cry out to Me.” Could he be liable only if they cry out repeatedly? Scripture says, “Their cry,” even one cry. Why, then, say, “If they cry out”? To impose liability for every cry. “I will certainly hear their cry.” I do not hear this person in the same way as I hear that person.

23 “My anger will burn.”Exodus 22:24 Burning anger is mentioned here and elsewhere. Just as the burning anger here involves the sword, the burning anger elsewhere involves the sword. Just as the burning anger elsewhere involves withheld rain and exile, the burning anger here involves withheld rain and exile. Another interpretation: Anger is mentioned here and elsewhere. Just as the anger elsewhere involves plague and dangerous animals, the anger here involves plague and dangerous animals. We therefore learn that wherever burning anger is mentioned, five kinds of calamity are involved: plague, the sword, dangerous animals, withheld rain, and exile. “And I will kill you with the sword.” Does the Omnipresent Himself kill them with the sword? Rather, He brings against them someone who kills them with the sword. “And their wives will be widows and their children orphans.” Once I hear that their wives will be widows, do I not know that their children will be orphans? Rather, their wives remain waiting like captives and cannot remarry. Their children remain waiting like captives and cannot take possession of the inheritance. Another interpretation: If you delay justice, eventually their wives will suffer delays in other courts, and their children will suffer delays in other households. Abba Yudan of Sidon says in Rabban Gamaliel’s name, “How do we know that a person should not say, ‘I am not worthy to pray for the Temple and the land of Israel’? Scripture says, ‘I will certainly hear their cry.’ “Which measure is greater, goodness or punishment? You must say goodness. With the smaller measure of punishment, an individual prays and the Omnipresent hears. Surely with the greater measure of goodness, an individual may pray and the Omnipresent will hear.”

24 “If you lend money.”Exodus 22:25 Could this be optional? Scripture says, “You must certainly lend to him.”Deuteronomy 15:8 It is obligatory, not optional. They said in Rabbi Ishmael’s name, “Every ‘if’ in the Torah introduces an option except three that introduce obligations. This is one of them.” “Money.” I know only money. How do I include livestock, produce, and utensils? Scripture says, “Lend.” I know only a loan. How do I include compensation for damage, half-damages, double restitution, and fourfold or fivefold restitution? Scripture says, “If money.” Why, then, say, “Lend”? From this you say, “One may increase a rental payment, but may not increase a purchase price.” How so? If someone rents out his house or field and says, “If you pay me now, it is a hundred; if later, a hundred and fifty,” this is permitted under the rules concerning interest. If he sells his house or field and says, “If you pay me now, it is a hundred; if later, a hundred and fifty,” this is forbidden as interest. Scripture says, “If you lend money to My people, to the poor person with you.” A loan is distinctive because what you receive back is not taken directly from what you give him. This excludes a case in which what you receive is taken directly from what you give him. “The poor person with you.” I know only a poor person. How do I include a rich person? Scripture says, “With you.” How do I include a woman? Scripture says, “My people.” Why, then, say, “Poor”? I act more swiftly to exact punishment on behalf of a poor person than on behalf of a rich person. “You must not act toward him as a creditor.”Exodus 22:25 If you lend to him, do not pressure him. Do not covet his field or his donkey. “You must not act toward him as a creditor.”Exodus 22:25 Do not pressure him or demand payment when you know he has nothing. “You must not act toward him as a creditor.”Exodus 22:25 If he was not accustomed to greeting the lender, he must not begin greeting him. If he was not accustomed to sending him a gift, he must not begin sending him a gift. “You must not impose interest on him.”Exodus 22:25 What is neshekh? Something that bites: a seʾah taken from a kor, or a sela taken from a mina. Neshekh means interest. Interest is severe: anyone who lends at interest has no share in the world to come. Scripture says, “He has lent at interest and taken an increase. Shall he live? He shall not live.”Ezekiel 18:13 “Shall he live?” He lives in this world. “He shall not live,” in the life of the world to come. The whole passage uses the singular: “If you lend money,” “You must not act toward him as a creditor.”Exodus 22:25 Here it uses the plural: “You must not impose interest on him.”Exodus 22:25 This teaches that many people are involved in a single loan. From this you say, “The lender, the borrower, the guarantor, and the witnesses are all liable.”

25 “If you take a pledge.”Exodus 22:26 Could someone be entitled to seize a pledge? Scripture says, “You must not enter his house to take his pledge.”Deuteronomy 24:10 Why, then, say, “If you take a pledge”? Scripture speaks of someone authorized to seize it: a court officer. “If you take a pledge.” To impose liability for every seizure. “Until sunset.” It cannot mean only until sunset, because Scripture elsewhere says, “At sunset.”Deuteronomy 24:13 Nor can it mean only at sunset, because Scripture says, “Until sunset.” Why use both expressions? This teaches that he returns daytime equipment during the day and nighttime equipment during the night. He returns the blanket at night and the plow during the day. He does not return the blanket during the day or the plow at night. “You must return it to him.” You return it to him, but you do not return it to his heirs.

26 “His covering”Exodus 22:27 means his tunic. “His garment” means his cloak. “For his skin” means his leather bedcover. “What will he sleep in?” This includes his pillow, cushion, and sheet. I know only these. How do I include other articles? Scripture says, “His covering, his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in?” Could this apply even if he has two articles and does not need one of them? Scripture says, “It is his covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in?” Ben Azzai says, “‘For his skin’ means something his skin uses, excluding a garment folded up and stored in a chest.” “And it will be.” This always means immediately. “When he cries out to Me, I will hear, because I am gracious.” Although I exact punishment on this account, I am also the One who gives a reward on this account. Rabbi Shimon used to say, “Money lovers love one another. Robbers love one another. Extortionists love one another. Lenders at interest love one another. Who is fit to exact punishment from all these? I am, because none of these traits belongs to Me.”

27 “You must not curse a judge.”Exodus 22:28 Could someone be liable for saying, “You are cursed”? Scripture says, “You must not curse a judge.” This teaches that he is liable only if he explicitly uses the divine name or a substitute name. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, “‘You must not curse God’ gives a prohibition against blaspheming the divine name.” Could he be liable if he curses them after death? Reasoning might support this. The narrower penalty applies after death. Should the broader prohibition not also apply after death? Scripture says, “You must not curse a deaf person.”Leviticus 19:14 A deaf person is distinctive in being alive. This applies only to a living person. Someone who curses the dead is exempt. “You must not curse a judge.” This teaches that someone who curses a judge violates two prohibitions: against cursing a judge and against cursing another person. “You must not curse a ruler among your people.” This teaches that someone who curses the ruler violates three prohibitions: against cursing a judge, another person, and a ruler. “You must not curse a ruler among your people.” Someone who follows your people’s practices, excluding those who have abandoned the community’s ways, such as Jeroboam son of Nebat.

28 “Your fullness and your outflow.”Exodus 22:29 “Your fullness” means firstfruits, taken from the full harvest. “Your outflow” means the priestly contribution, which is called demaʿ. “You must not delay.” Do not postpone something that should come first. This teaches that someone who separates the priestly contribution before firstfruits, the first tithe before the priestly contribution, or the second tithe before the first, violates a prohibition. Instead, separate them in order: firstfruits, then the priestly contribution, then the first tithe, and then the second tithe. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, “‘You must not delay’ means that you must not delay giving them to their owners at threshing time.” “You must give Me your firstborn sons.”Exodus 22:29 Could this mean actually giving them to Me? Scripture says, “Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons.”Numbers 3:51 I know this only for that time. How do I include later generations? Scripture says, “At the LORD’s command, as the LORD commanded Moses.”Numbers 3:51 Why, then, say, “You must give Me your firstborn sons”Exodus 22:29? Whenever you give the payment as commanded, I credit you as though you had given him to Me. Otherwise I count it as though you had deprived Me.

29 “You must give Me your firstborn sons. You must do the same with your ox and your flock.”Exodus 22:30 Just as the rule for a human firstborn applies outside Jerusalem, the rule for an animal firstborn applies outside Jerusalem. But such animals are not taken to Jerusalem. When they have a blemish, they may be eaten anywhere. Those who interpret scriptural allusions say, “‘You must not curse a judge. You must not delay your fullness and your outflow.’ If you curse a judge, you curse your own crop. “You likewise find that when justice was corrupted, the harvest diminished. Scripture says, ‘In the days when the judges judged,’ meaning that those being judged judged their judges. ‘There was a famine in the land,’ because they distorted justice. “But if you uphold justice, your harvest will be complete: ‘You must not delay your fullness and your outflow.’ If you do this, you will have sons: ‘You must give Me your firstborn sons.’Exodus 22:29 If you do this, your oxen and flocks will thrive, and blessing will be everywhere.” Since Scripture says, “On the eighth day you must give it to MeExodus 22:30,” could Israelites give a firstborn animal to the priest when it is eight days old? Scripture says, “You must give Me your firstborn sons.Exodus 22:29 You must do the same with your ox and your flock.”Exodus 22:30 Just as a human firstborn is redeemed only at thirty days, so an animal firstborn is kept for thirty days. From this you say: How long must Israelites care for the firstborn of small livestock? Thirty days. Could the same thirty days apply to large livestock? Scripture says, “You must do the same with your ox,” adding another period of care. How long must Israelites care for a firstborn? For small livestock, thirty days. For large livestock, fifty days. “It must remain with its mother seven days, and on the eighth day.” Could a firstborn be acceptable on the eighth day but unacceptable afterward? Scripture says of consecrated animals, “From the eighth day onward it will be acceptable.”Leviticus 22:27 Could they be acceptable after the eighth day but unacceptable on the eighth day itself? Scripture says, “On the eighth day you must give it to Me.”Exodus 22:30 How do we apply what is said of each case to the other? Scripture says “its mother” in both, allowing an analogy. Just as there a consecrated animal nurses from an unconsecrated mother, so here a consecrated animal nurses from an unconsecrated mother. From this they said, “Do not let consecrated animals nurse from one another.” “You must give it to Me.” This teaches that all offerings are acceptable from the eighth day. Nevertheless, an animal thirty days old or older is more desirable.

30 “You must be holy people to Me.”Exodus 22:31 Issi ben Judah says, “Whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, adds a commandment for Israel, He adds holiness to them.” “People.” I know only men. How do I include women? Scripture says, “You must be to Me.” “And meat in the field.” I know only an animal attacked in a field. How do I include an attack on a roof, in a courtyard, or in a ruin? Scripture says, “You must not eat torn meat.” Could an injury to its ear or leg make it forbidden? Scripture says, “You must throw it to the dog.” It must have been injured in flesh suitable for a dog. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says, “‘You must not eat torn meat’ gives a prohibition against an animal mortally injured by an attack.” I know only an attacked animal. How do I include flesh separated from a living animal in this prohibition? Scripture says, “You must not eat meat in the field.” How do we know that a fetus’s limb that emerges before its mother is slaughtered falls under a prohibition? Scripture says, “Meat in the field, torn.”Exodus 22:31 Once it emerges into a place that is like a field for it, I call it torn meat. How do we know that a prohibition applies to meat of most holy offerings taken outside the curtains, meat of offerings of lesser holiness taken outside Jerusalem’s wall, or Passover meat taken outside its eating group? Scripture says, “Meat in the field, torn.”Exodus 22:31 Whenever it goes outside its proper boundary, I call it “meat in the field, torn.”Exodus 22:31 “You must not eat.” An act of eating involves at least an olive’s bulk. “You must throw it to the dog.” This teaches that benefit from it is permitted. “It.” You may throw this to a dog, but you may not throw a consecrated animal that has died to a dog.

Exodus 23

1 “You must not accept a false report.”Exodus 23:1 A judge must not act as an advocate before the litigants. How do we know that a judge must not hear one party’s claim before the other arrives? Scripture says, “You must not accept a false report.”Exodus 23:1 How do we know that a person must not make a false claim? Scripture says, “You must not accept a false report.”Exodus 23:1 How do we know that a person must not present his arguments to a judge in advance? Scripture says, “You must not accept a false report,”Exodus 23:1 also read as “You must not cause a false report to be accepted.”Exodus 23:1 How do we know there is a prohibition against spreading slander or accepting slander? Scripture says, “You must not accept a false report,”Exodus 23:1 also read as “You must not cause it to be accepted.” “Do not join hands with a wicked person.”Exodus 23:1 This prohibits appointing a wicked person as a witness. How do we know that a witness who knows his fellow witness is wicked must not testify with him? Scripture says, “Do not join hands with a wicked person.”Exodus 23:1 Do not join him in testimony. “To be a malicious witness.”Exodus 23:1 Do not appoint an extortionist as a witness. From this they said, “Shepherds, robbers, extortionists, and anyone suspected of financial dishonesty are disqualified from giving testimony.”

2 “You must not follow a majority to do harm.”Exodus 23:2 How do we know that capital cases require twenty-three judges? Scripture says, “The congregation must judge,”Numbers 35:24 and “the congregation must rescue.”Numbers 35:25 A congregation condemns, and a congregation acquits: ten acquit and ten condemn. Where do the other three come from? The statement “You must not follow a majority to do harm”Exodus 23:2 implies that although you do not follow them to do harm, you do follow them to do good. Could you never follow them to do harm? Scripture says, “Follow the majority to decide.”Exodus 23:2 Conclude, then: Since the Torah says to impose death on the testimony of witnesses and on the decision of those forming a majority, just as witnesses cannot number fewer than two, those forming the majority cannot number fewer than two. A court must not have an even number, so one more is added, making twenty-three. Rabbi says, “From ‘You must not follow a majority to do harm,’Exodus 23:2 I understand that you should follow them to do good. Why, then, say, ‘Follow the majority to decide’Exodus 23:2? Your majority for acquittal must differ from your majority for conviction: one for acquittal, two for conviction.” “You must not answer in a dispute merely to follow.”Exodus 23:2 When the votes are counted, do not say, “It is enough for me to agree with so-and-so.” Instead, state what you see before you. Could this also apply to monetary cases? Scripture says, “Follow the majority to decide.”Exodus 23:2 Another interpretation: “You must not answer in a dispute merely to follow.”Exodus 23:2 In a capital case, someone who has argued for acquittal must not argue for conviction. Another interpretation: “You must not answer in a dispute merely to follow.”Exodus 23:2 From this we learn that a case is reopened for acquittal, but not for conviction. Another interpretation: “You must not answer in a dispute merely to follow.”Exodus 23:2 From this we learn that a capital case begins with arguments for acquittal, rather than conviction. Another interpretation: “You must not answer against a superior merely to follow.”Exodus 23:2 From this we learn that in capital cases the judges begin at the side, rather than with the most senior member. It is written rav, “superior.” Another interpretation: “You must not answer against a superior.”Exodus 23:2 From this we learn that a king is not seated on the Sanhedrin.

3 “You must not favor a poor person.”Exodus 23:3 Could this prohibit honoring him with financial support? Scripture says, “In his case.” Do not favor him in judgment. Do not say, “He is poor and comes from a good family. I will rule for him so he can support himself honorably.” Scripture says, “You must not favor a poor person in his dispute.”Exodus 23:3 Elsewhere it says, “You must not show partiality to a poor person.”Leviticus 19:15

4 “When you encounter.”Exodus 23:4 I know only a positive commandment. Where is the prohibition? Scripture says, “You must not see your brother’s ox,”Deuteronomy 22:1 and ignore it. I know only about your brother. How do I include your enemy? Scripture says, “Your enemy’s ox,”Exodus 23:4 in any case. Could this include foreigners? Scripture says, “Your brother.” Just as your brother is a fellow member of your people, it applies to anyone who is a fellow member of your people. If you master your inclination to turn your enemy into your friend, I promise you that I will turn your enemy into your friend. “When you encounter.”Exodus 23:4 Could this require an actual encounter? Scripture says, “When you see.”Exodus 23:5 Could it apply as soon as you see it far away? Scripture says, “When you encounter.”Exodus 23:4 How is this understood? Seeing within encounter distance: one part in seven and a half of a mil, the distance of a ris. “Wandering.” Anything behaving as though lost. From this you say: If a donkey is grazing normally, or utensils are placed normally, he need not attend to them. If a donkey is running among vineyards, or utensils lie in the middle of the road, he must attend to them. “You must certainly return it.”Exodus 23:4 Since Scripture says, “Honor your father and your mother,”Exodus 20:12 could he obey if his father and mother tell him not to return it? Scripture says, “You must certainly return it.”Exodus 23:4 If he returns it and it runs away, how do we know that he must return it again? Scripture says, “You must certainly return it,”Exodus 23:4 even a hundred times. “To him.” Return it to your brother or to property belonging to him.

5 “When you see.”Exodus 23:5 I know only a positive commandment. Where is the prohibition? Scripture says, “You must not see,” and ignore it. It is written “when you see”Exodus 23:5 and “when you encounter”Exodus 23:4: seeing within encounter distance. “Your enemy’s donkey.” This enemy is an Israelite. Is that possible? Scripture says, “You must not hate your brother.”Leviticus 19:17 Rather, this concerns someone whom he saw commit a transgression and warned, but who did not stop. There is no other witness to establish the punishment of lashes and discharge the case. It is a commandment to hate him until he reforms. Nevertheless, returning his lost property and helping him unload and reload are commandments. Scripture says, “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”Ezekiel 33:11 “Lying down,” not standing. “Under its load,” not already unloaded. “You might refrain from helping him.”Exodus 23:5 How do we know that he may not attend to it if he is a person of standing, or a priest and it is in a cemetery, or the Sabbath has begun at nightfall? Scripture says, “You might refrain from helping him.”Exodus 23:5 Sometimes you refrain, and sometimes you do not. “You must certainly help with him.”Exodus 23:5 This is the commandment to unload. Elsewhere it says, “You must certainly raise it with him,”Deuteronomy 22:4 the commandment to reload. Unloading is free; reloading may be paid. Unloading takes precedence over reloading. “You must certainly help with him.”Exodus 23:5 If the owner goes and sits down and says, “Since this is your commandment, unload it if you want, or leave it,” the helper is exempt. Scripture says, “With him.” Could this apply even to an old or sick owner? Scripture says, “You must certainly help.” “With him” includes a load on his shoulders.

6 “You must not distort the justice due to your poor person.”Exodus 23:6 Why is this needed? Scripture already says, “You must not distort justice,”Deuteronomy 16:19 for poor and rich alike. Why specify “your poor person”? This means someone poor in commandments. Do not say, “He is wicked, so he is presumed to be lying, while the other is presumed truthful. I will set justice aside against him.” Scripture says, “You must not distort the justice due to your poor person.”Exodus 23:6 Another interpretation: You must not turn aside the judgment of your poor person, but you may turn aside the judgment of a foreigner. From this they said, “If an Israelite and a gentile come to court and our rules favor the Israelite, judge by our rules and say, ‘These are our rules.’ If gentile rules favor the Israelite, judge by their rules and say, ‘These are your rules.’”

7 “Keep away from a false matter.”Exodus 23:7 ... How do we know that a judge must not hear one litigant before the other arrives? Scripture says, “Keep away from a false matter.”Exodus 23:7 How do we know that a litigant must not present his arguments to the judge before the other litigant arrives? Scripture says, “Keep away from a false matter.”Exodus 23:7 “Do not kill an innocent or righteous person.”Exodus 23:7 Otherwise, why would I consider killing innocent poor people? Rather, it refers to someone for whom there is a ground for acquittal. From this we learn that punishment is not imposed on an estimate of what happened. How do we know that he is exempt when there are witnesses but no warning, or a warning but no witnesses? Two testify that he desecrated the Sabbath. One says he gathered figs, and the other says he gathered grapes. One says he gathered black figs, and the other says he gathered white figs. Could he be put to death because he desecrated the Sabbath in any case? Scripture says, “Do not kill an innocent or righteous person.”Exodus 23:7 “Do not kill an innocent or righteous person.”Exodus 23:7 This teaches that the case is reopened for acquittal. Could it be reopened for conviction? Scripture says, “Do not kill an innocent or righteous person.”Exodus 23:7 I know only capital punishment. How do I include exile? “Matter” is said here and elsewhere. Just as “matter” elsewhere concerns exile, “matter” here concerns exile. I know only exile. How do I include lashes? “Wicked” is said here and elsewhere. Just as “wicked” elsewhere concerns lashes, “wicked” here concerns lashes. Could monetary cases also be barred from reopening against the defendant? Scripture says, “Do not kill an innocent or righteous person.”Exodus 23:7 You may not reopen against him for death, but you may reopen for money. Could someone who escapes your judgment also escape Mine? Scripture says, “I will not acquit the wicked.”Exodus 23:7 “I will not acquit the wicked.”Exodus 23:7 I do acquit him through repentance.

8 “You must not take a bribe.”Exodus 23:8 ... “Because a bribe blinds.”Exodus 23:8 ... Another interpretation: “Because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise.”Exodus 23:8 He calls something impure pure, and something pure impure. “And distorts the words of the righteous.”Exodus 23:8 He calls something forbidden permitted, and something permitted forbidden.

9 “You must not oppress a stranger.”Exodus 23:9 Rabbi Eliezer said, “Why did the Torah warn about mistreating a stranger in about thirty-six places? Because a stranger’s inclination is toward evil, to keep them from returning to that inclination.” “Because you were strangers.”Exodus 23:9 From this Rabbi Eliezer said, “Do not point out in your fellow a blemish that is in you.”

10 “You must sow your land for six years.”Exodus 23:10 How do we know that rice, millet, poppy, and sesame that took root before the New Year may be gathered in the seventh year? Scripture says, “And gather its produce,”Exodus 23:10 in the seventh year. Could this apply even if they had not taken root? Scripture says, “Six ... sow ... and gather”: six sowings and six harvests, rather than six sowings and seven harvests. Rabbi Nathan ben Joseph says, “One passage says, ‘You must sow your field for six years,’ and another says, ‘You must sow your land for six years.’Exodus 23:10 How do both passages apply? One concerns Israel’s entry into the land, and the other their return from exile.”

11 “But in the seventh year you must let it rest.”Exodus 23:11 From gathering straw. “And leave it.”Exodus 23:11 From clearing stones. Could someone appoint guards over it until the time for removal and then distribute it to the poor? Scripture says, “And leave it.”Exodus 23:11 “And the poor of your people will eat.”Exodus 23:11 I know only a poor person. How do I include a rich person? Scripture says, “The land’s Sabbath produce will be yours to eat.”Leviticus 25:6 Why, then, mention the poor of your people? Become like the poor. “And wild animals will eat what they leave.”Exodus 23:11 Do animals not eat without your permission? Why say this? As long as wild animals eat from the field, you may eat from the house. When it is exhausted in the field, remove it from the house. From this they said: If someone pickles five kinds of vegetables in one barrel, Rabban Gamaliel says, “When one kind is exhausted in the field, he must remove that kind and its proceeds from the house.” Could they all require removal together? Scripture says, “Your vineyard.” Could all regions require removal together? Scripture says, “Your olive grove.” We find that these two kinds of tree produce each have their own time for removal. Likewise, every kind has its own time for removal. Could each field require removal separately? Scripture says ... From this you say, “There are three regions for removal: Judea, Transjordan, and Galilee.” “You must do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”Exodus 23:11 Were they not already included? Why mention them separately? To establish a comparison. A vineyard is distinctive because a positive commandment applies, and violating it also transgresses a prohibition. Scripture says, “You must not harvest your untended vine’s grapes.”Leviticus 25:5 Likewise, everything subject to this positive commandment is also subject to a prohibition. How do we know that one must not fertilize, remove growth, work the soil around vines, fumigate, trim, or turn aside leaves? Scripture says, “Your vineyard.” How do we know that one must not clip, lop branches, prune, turn branches aside, or trim leaves? Scripture says, “Your olive grove.”

12 “You must do your work for six days.”Exodus 23:12 Since Scripture says, “You must labor for six days and do all your work, and the seventh day is a Sabbath,”Exodus 20:9-10 could rest apply only when you are doing all kinds of work? How do we know it applies when you are not doing all kinds of work? Scripture says, “On the seventh day you must rest,”Exodus 23:12 in every case. It compares the Sabbath to the seventh year. For the seventh year, violation of which does not carry death, one rests for thirty days beforehand. Surely for the Sabbath, violation of which carries death, one must add some ordinary time to the sacred time. “So that your ox and donkey may rest.”Exodus 23:12 This teaches that you are commanded to rest your animals, but not your utensils. “And your female slave’s son may be refreshed.”Exodus 23:12 Rabbi Yosi the Galilean says, “Let him rest.” Rabbi Akiva says, “Give him relief.” “And the stranger.” This means a resident alien employed by an Israelite as a hired worker or gatherer. The Israelite must not let him do work for him, but he may work for himself.

13 “You must take care over everything I have told you.”Exodus 23:13 A person must not rent his animal to a gentile or to someone suspected of violating the seventh year. Rabbi Eleazar ben Jacob says, “This places a prohibition alongside every positive commandment in the passage.” “You must not mention the names of other gods.”Exodus 23:13 A person must not vow or swear by an idol’s name, or cause a gentile to vow by his idol’s name. Another interpretation: “You must not mention the names of other gods.”Exodus 23:13 This prohibits prophesying in an idol’s name. Scripture says, “That prophet must die.”Deuteronomy 18:20 We have heard the punishment. Where is the prohibition? Scripture says, “You must not mention the names of other gods.”Exodus 23:13 Another interpretation: “You must not mention.” A person must not say to his fellow, “Wait for me beside such-and-such an idol, and I will wait for you beside such-and-such an idol.” Any idol named in Scripture may be mentioned, such as Peor, Bel, Nebo, and Chemosh. “It must not be heard on your lips.”Exodus 23:13 This prohibits leading a community astray or enticing an individual to idolatry.

14 “Three pilgrimage festivals.”Exodus 23:14 This excludes people with wooden legs. “Three pilgrimages.” Everything depends on a person’s feet. Someone coming from Beth Pagi is unlike someone coming from Beth Parsi. “You must celebrate a festival for Me.”Exodus 23:14 He must bring festival peace offerings. “You must celebrate a festival for Me.”Exodus 23:14 A person fulfills his obligation with a festival offering brought for its proper purpose. He does not fulfill it with one brought for another purpose. Why, then, say, “You must celebrate a festival for Me”Exodus 23:14? Whenever you celebrate as commanded, I credit you as though you had brought a voluntary offering. When you do not celebrate properly, I count it as though you had misused the Temple Mount and its courtyards. Scripture likewise says, “When you come to appear before Me, who has asked this of you, trampling My courts?”Isaiah 1:12

15 “You must observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread.”Exodus 23:15 Since Scripture says, “Observe the month of ripening grain and celebrate Passover,”Deuteronomy 16:1 could you celebrate Passover only when you have ripening grain? How do we know it applies when you have no ripening grain? Scripture says, “You must observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread.”Exodus 23:15 Another interpretation: Just as at the exodus from Egypt, even when you have no ripening grain, there is unleavened bread. How do we apply what is said of the Egyptian Passover to Passover in later generations, and what is said of later Passovers to the Egyptian Passover? Scripture says, “Eat unleavened bread for seven days, as I commanded you.”Exodus 23:15 This teaches that the year in which Israel left Egypt followed the proper calendar. “They must not appear before Me empty-handed.”Exodus 23:15 Even someone supported by charity. “They must not appear before Me empty-handed.”Exodus 23:15 Even the smallest amount suffices. The sages say, “The appearance burnt offering must be worth at least one silver maʿah, and the festival offering two silver maʿahs.”

16 “And the Festival of Harvest.”Exodus 23:16 Rabbi Ishmael says, “Whenever Shavuot falls on the Sabbath, the day for its offerings is after the Sabbath, when one brings festival offerings and harvests.” “The firstfruits of your work.” Since Scripture says, “The firstfruits of the wheat harvest,”Exodus 34:22 I know only wheat. How do I include barley? Scripture says, “What you sow in the field.” I know only what was sown. How do I include what grows by itself? Scripture says, “What is in the field.” I know only a field. How do I include a roof, courtyard, or ruin? Scripture says, “The firstfruits of everything in their land.”Numbers 18:13 Another interpretation: “The Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your work.”Exodus 23:16 This teaches that firstfruits are not brought before Shavuot. If someone brings them, they are not accepted. “And the Festival of Ingathering at the year’s end.”Exodus 23:16 Scripture says, “You must tithe all the produce of your seed that comes from the field year by year.”Deuteronomy 14:22 But I do not know when the year ends. Scripture says, “The Festival of Ingathering at the year’s end,”Exodus 23:16 and elsewhere “at the turn of the year.”Exodus 34:22 When does the year end? At a seasonal turning point. Could this mean the turning point of Tevet? Scripture says, “Festival.” Tevet’s turning point is excluded because it has no festival. Could it mean Nisan’s turning point, which has a festival? Scripture says, “The Festival of Ingathering,” requiring an ingathering. Nisan’s turning point is excluded because it has no ingathering. Could it mean Tammuz’s turning point, which has an ingathering? Scripture says, “The Festival of Ingathering at the year’s end,”Exodus 23:16 and elsewhere “at the turn of the year.”Exodus 34:22 A turning point with a festival and an ingathering, when the year ends. Which is that? Tishri’s turning point. “When you gather your work.”Exodus 23:16 You have only the ingathering. How do we know that each kind has its own ingathering? Scripture says, “When you gather your work.”Exodus 23:16 Each kind has its own ingathering. From this they said, “The first of Shevat is the New Year for trees.” These are the words of the school of Shammai. The school of Hillel says, “On its fifteenth day.” Any tree whose fruit formed before the fifteenth of Shevat belongs to the past year. After the fifteenth of Shevat, it belongs to the coming year.

17 “Three times.”Exodus 23:17 Could this mean at every pilgrimage festival? Scripture says, “In the year.” Could it mean whenever someone wishes? Scripture says, “Times.” Times means appointed occasions, as in “A foot will trample it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.”Isaiah 26:6 “He must appear.” This excludes a blind person who cannot see. “Your males” excludes women. “All your males” includes minors. This is what the school of Hillel says: Any minor who can hold his father’s hand and walk up from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount is obligated to appear. “Before the Lord.”Exodus 23:17 If you do everything stated in this passage, I turn away from all My other concerns and occupy Myself only with you. “You must not slaughter with leaven.”Exodus 23:18 I know only slaughtering. How do I include dashing the blood and pouring a libation? Scripture says, “The blood of My sacrifice.”Exodus 23:18 From this they said, “The slaughterer, the person dashing the blood, the person burning the offering, or any member of the eating group violates a prohibition if any of them possesses an olive’s bulk of leaven at the time of slaughter.” “My sacrifice.”Exodus 23:18 This is the Passover offering. Scripture likewise says, “You must say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD.’”Exodus 12:27 “The fat of My festival offering must not remain overnight until morning.”Exodus 23:18 From this they said, “Burn the fats throughout the night.” “The fat of My festival offering must not remain overnight until morning.”Exodus 23:18 We find that most holy offerings may be burned during the time allowed for eating them. Could the same apply to offerings of lesser holiness? Scripture says, “The fat of My festival offering must not remain overnight until morning.”Exodus 23:18 I know only the fats of the festival offering. How do I include the Passover offering’s fats? Scripture says, “The Passover festival sacrifice must not remain overnight until morning,”Exodus 34:25 including Passover with the festival offering. The same applies to all sacrificial portions: leaving them overnight violates a prohibition. This is the rule: Anything whose permitting rites were performed during the day may be brought up onto the altar throughout the night. Another interpretation: “The first.” “First” is said here and elsewhere. Could the firstfruits here, like the first portion there, require that some produce be left over? How do we know that someone who wishes may designate his entire field as firstfruits? Scripture says, “The firstfruits of your soil.”Exodus 23:19 Why, then, say, “The first”? To give them priority: they precede the priestly contribution. “Your soil” excludes a tenant cultivator. “Your soil” excludes a robber. “You must bring to the house of the LORD your God.”Exodus 23:19 This teaches that he must attend to bringing them until he brings them to the chosen house. “You must not cook a kid.”Exodus 23:19 Rabbi Akiva says, “Wild animals and birds are not included by the Torah. ‘You must not cook a kid in its mother’s milk’Exodus 23:19 is said three times, excluding wild animals, birds, and unclean livestock.” Rabbi Yosi the Galilean says, “Scripture says, ‘You must not eat any carcass,’Deuteronomy 14:21 and ‘You must not cook a kidExodus 23:19 in milk.’ What is forbidden as a carcass is forbidden to cook in milk. “Could a bird, which is forbidden as a carcass, be forbidden to cook in milk? Scripture says, ‘In its mother’s milk,’ excluding a bird, which has no mother’s milk.” “You must not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.”Exodus 23:19 I know only a kid in its mother’s milk. How do I include a cow in its mother’s milk? Scripture says, “A kid in milk.” Meat in milk is forbidden in every case. “You must not cook a kid”Exodus 23:19 is said here, and “you must not cook” is said elsewhere. One prohibits eating it, one prohibits benefiting from it, and one prohibits cooking it.

Exodus 31

12 “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites.’”Exodus 31:12 You yourself, rather than through an interpreter or messenger.

13 “You must observe My Sabbaths.”Exodus 31:13 Why is this said? Since Scripture says, “You must not do any work,”Exodus 20:10 I know only activities prohibited as work. How do I include activities prohibited as a Sabbath restriction? Scripture says, “Nevertheless, you must observe My Sabbaths,” including Sabbath restrictions. Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah were walking along the road. Levi the arranger and Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah’s son, were walking behind them. The question was asked: How do we know that saving a life overrides the Sabbath? Rabbi Ishmael said, “Scripture says, ‘If a thief is found breaking in and is struck and dies, there is no bloodguilt for him.’Exodus 22:2 It is uncertain whether he came to steal or to kill. “Reason from the more serious case: bloodshed defiles the land and drives away the Shekinah, yet it overrides the Sabbath. Surely saving a life should override the Sabbath.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says, “Circumcision involves only one of a person’s limbs, yet overrides the Sabbath. Surely saving the whole body should do so.” They said to him, “The very source of your argument is certain. Could this apply only to a certainty, rather than a doubt?” Rabbi Akiva says, “Scripture says, ‘Take him from My altar to die.’Exodus 21:14 Punishment for murder overrides the Temple service, which overrides the Sabbath. Surely saving a life should override the Sabbath.” Rabbi Yosi the Galilean says, “Scripture says, ‘Nevertheless,’ making a distinction. There are Sabbaths on which you rest, and Sabbaths on which you do not rest.” Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says, “Scripture says, ‘You must observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.’Exodus 31:14 The Sabbath is entrusted to you, rather than you being entrusted to the Sabbath.” Rabbi Nathan says, “Scripture says, ‘The Israelites must observe the Sabbath, to keep the Sabbath.’Exodus 31:16 Set aside one Sabbath for him so that he may keep many Sabbaths.” “Because it is a sign between Me and you,” rather than between Me and the nations. “Throughout your generations.” The practice must continue through the generations. “To know.” Why is this said? Since Scripture says, “The Israelites must observe the Sabbath,”Exodus 31:16 could this include a deaf person unable to speak, a person lacking mental capacity, and a minor? Scripture says, “To know.” I speak only of someone with understanding. “I am the LORD who makes you holy.” In this world, a foretaste of the holiness of the world to come. This teaches that the Sabbath’s holiness is a foretaste of the world to come. Scripture likewise says, “A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day,”Psalms 92:1 for the day that is entirely Sabbath.

14 “You must observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you.”Exodus 31:14 This is what Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: “The Sabbath is entrusted to you, rather than you being entrusted to the Sabbath.” “Because it is holy to you.” This teaches that the Sabbath continually adds holiness to Israel. Why is that person’s shop closed? He observes the Sabbath. Why has that person stopped working? He observes the Sabbath. He testifies before the One who spoke and the world came into being that He created the world in the six days of creation and rested on the seventh. Scripture says, “You are My witnesses, declares the LORD, and I am God.”Isaiah 43:12 “Those who desecrate it must be put to death.”Exodus 31:14 Why is this said? Since Scripture says, “Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must be put to death,”Exodus 31:15 we have heard the punishment, but not the prohibition. Scripture says, “The seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work.”Exodus 20:10 I know only the punishment and prohibition for daytime work. How do I know the punishment and prohibition for nighttime work? Scripture says, “Those who desecrate it must be put to death.”Exodus 31:14 We have heard the punishment, but not the prohibition. Scripture says, “The seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD.”Exodus 20:10 “Sabbath” is otherwise unnecessary and includes the night in the prohibition. These are Rabbi Ahi son of Rabbi Josiah’s words. Rabbi Judah ben Beteira says, “Suppose gentiles enter a town and Israelites desecrate the Sabbath. Could the Israelites say, ‘Since we have desecrated part of it, let the whole Sabbath be desecrated’? “Scripture says, ‘Those who desecrate it must be put to death.’Exodus 31:14 Even for an instant: ‘Those who desecrate it must be put to death.’Exodus 31:14” “For anyone who does work on it.”Exodus 31:14 He must perform a complete act of work. Suppose he writes one letter in the morning and one toward evening, or weaves one thread in the morning and one toward evening. Could he be liable? Scripture says, “For anyone who does work on it.”Exodus 31:14 He must perform a complete act of work. “He will be cut off.” Why is this said? Since Scripture says, “Those who desecrate it must be put to death,”Exodus 31:14 I know only someone who acts deliberately after a warning from witnesses. How do I include someone who acts deliberately in private? Scripture says, “He will be cut off,” including someone who acts deliberately in private. “He will be cut off.” Cutting off means the ending of the person’s life. “That person.” Someone acting deliberately, according to Rabbi Akiva. “From among his people.” His people remain at peace.

15 “For six days work will be done.”Exodus 31:15 Rabbi Ishmael says, “One passage says, ‘For six days work will be done,’Exodus 31:15 and another says, ‘For six days you must labor and do your work.’Exodus 20:9 How do both passages apply? “When Israel does the Omnipresent’s will, others do their work. Scripture says, ‘Foreigners will stand and tend your flocks.’Isaiah 61:5 When Israel does not do the Omnipresent’s will, they do their own work. “Not only that, but they also do others’ work. Scripture says, ‘You will serve the enemies whom the LORD your God sends against you, in hunger and thirst.’Deuteronomy 28:48” “But the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD.”Exodus 31:15 Why is this said? Since Scripture says, “These are the LORD’s appointed times, sacred assemblies,”Leviticus 23:4 could the Sabbath, like the festivals, be entrusted to the court? Scripture says, “But the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD.”Exodus 31:15 The Sabbath is entrusted to God, rather than to the court. Scripture says, “It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your settlements.”Leviticus 23:3 “Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day.” Even work on the tabernacle. “Must be put to death.” Could this be by any form of execution? Scripture says, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘The man must be put to death. Stone him.’”Numbers 15:35 You must conclude: by stoning.

16 “The Israelites must observe the Sabbath.”Exodus 31:16 This is what Rabbi Nathan says: “Set aside one Sabbath for him so that he may observe many Sabbaths.” Rabbi Eleazar says, “‘To keep the Sabbath’ refers to something over which a covenant was made. What is that? The covenant of circumcision.” Rabbi Eleazar ben Perata says, “How do we know that Scripture credits someone who observes one Sabbath properly as though he had made the Sabbath? Scripture says, ‘To keep the Sabbath throughout their generations, an everlasting covenant.’Exodus 31:16” Rabbi says, “How do we know that someone who observes one Sabbath properly is credited as though he had kept the Sabbath from the world’s creation until the dead come to life? Scripture says, ‘To keep the Sabbath throughout their generations, an everlasting covenant.’Exodus 31:16” Another interpretation: “The Israelites must observe the Sabbath.”Exodus 31:16 One must add some ordinary time to the sacred time. They compare it to a lion that makes people wary both before it and behind it. People take care for several miles before and behind a lion, although it kills only in this world. Surely they should take care for the Sabbath, which kills its desecrators in this world and the world to come. Rabbi Meir gives a parable. What is this like? Someone guarding an orchard. If he guards it from inside, it is not protected. If he guards it from outside, it is protected. Likewise, we must place protection outside the commandments. Another person gives a different parable: A sword is protected only by its sheath. Clothes are protected only by their chest. Likewise, Sabbaths and festivals are protected only by the ordinary time around them. Rabbi Isaac says, “Violation of the rules of the Levitical towns carries neither cutting off nor lashes, yet the towns need open space outside them, two thousand cubits in every direction. Surely Sabbaths and festivals need open space before and after them.”

17 “It is a sign forever between Me and the Israelites,”Exodus 31:17 rather than between Me and the nations. “It is a sign forever.” This teaches that the Sabbath will never cease among Israel, because they gave themselves for it. Anything for which Israel risked their lives remained in their possession, such as the Sabbath, circumcision, Torah study, and immersion. Because Israel risked their lives for these, they remained in their possession. Anything for which Israel did not risk their lives did not remain in their possession, such as the Temple, the courts, sabbatical years, and jubilees. Because Israel did not risk their lives for these, they did not remain in their possession. “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth.”Exodus 31:17 From what did He rest? From work, or also from judgment? Scripture says, “And was refreshed.” This teaches that judgment never ceases before Him. Scripture says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne,”Psalms 89:14 and “Cloud and thick darkness surround Him.”Psalms 97:2 Another interpretation: “He rested and was refreshed.”Exodus 31:17 He rested from the utterances of creation, and everything He desired was completed according to His own mind and heart. Therefore it says, “He rested and was refreshed.”Exodus 31:17 Great is the Sabbath, because it is one of ten things about which a covenant is stated. The rainbow: “I have set My bow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of the covenant.”Genesis 9:13 Circumcision: “My covenant will be in your flesh.”Genesis 17:13 The Sabbath: “To keep the Sabbath throughout their generations, an everlasting covenant.”Exodus 31:16 Idolatry: “And keep My covenant.”Exodus 19:5 Rabbi Akiva says, “This is the covenant concerning idolatry.” Torah study: “For according to these words I have made a covenant with you.”Exodus 34:27 Releasing slaves: “I made a covenant with your ancestors ... At the end of seven years each of you must release his Hebrew brother.”Jeremiah 34:13-14 The priesthood: “It is an everlasting covenant of salt.”Numbers 18:19 The Levites: “So that My covenant might be with Levi.”Malachi 2:4 The Davidic monarchy: “I have made a covenant with My chosen one. I have sworn to David My servant.”Psalms 89:3 The land of Israel: “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants.’”Genesis 15:18 Great is the Sabbath: an infant is not circumcised until a Sabbath has passed over him. Scripture says, “At eight days old every male among you must be circumcised.”Genesis 17:12 Great is the Sabbath: an offering is not brought until a Sabbath has passed over it. Scripture says, “On the eighth day you must give it to Me.”Exodus 22:30 Great is the Sabbath: priests are not fit for service until a Sabbath has passed over them. Scripture says, “The priest must wear them for seven days.”Exodus 29:30 Great is the Sabbath: the altar itself is not fit for service until a Sabbath has passed over it. Scripture says, “You must make atonement for the altar for seven days.”Exodus 29:37 Great is the Sabbath: a person with a skin disease, a man or woman with a discharge, a menstruating woman, a woman who has given birth, or someone defiled by a corpse cannot be purified until a Sabbath has passed over them. Scripture says seven days about all of them. Great is the Sabbath: a mourner is not comforted until a Sabbath has passed over him. Scripture says, “He observed seven days of mourning for his father.”Genesis 50:10 Great is the Sabbath: when Israel became deficient in commandments, only its merit sustained them. When they became deficient in Ahab’s days, it sustained them. Scripture says, “They camped opposite each other for seven days.”1 Kings 20:29 When they became deficient in Elijah’s days, it sustained them. Scripture says, “On the seventh time.”1 Kings 18:44 When they became deficient in Jehoram’s days, it sustained them. Scripture says, “The king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom went out and traveled around for seven days.”2 Kings 3:9 Great is the Sabbath: the Holy One, blessed be He, gave it as a test to distinguish sincere converts. Out of the six hundred and thirteen commandments, He singled out only the Sabbath. Scripture says, “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to serve Him, to love the LORD’s name, and to be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it and holds firmly to My covenant.”Isaiah 56:6 From this they said, “An apostate Israelite who observes the Sabbath in public is an Israelite in every respect. One who does not observe the Sabbath in public is a gentile in every respect.”

Exodus 34

12 “Take care not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land.”Exodus 34:12 This prohibits making a covenant with idol worshipers.

13 “You must tear down their altars.”Exodus 34:13 This is a positive commandment to destroy idols, everything used to serve them, and everything made for their sake.

14 “For you must not bow down to another god.”Exodus 34:14 This imposes liability for bowing down even when that is not the idol’s customary worship.

15 “Otherwise you may make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they will be unfaithful with their gods and sacrifice to their gods.”Exodus 34:15 Since He warns against eating their sacrifices, you learn that their sacrifices are forbidden. From this they said, “An animal slaughtered by a gentile is a carcass and transmits impurity when carried.”

16 “And you take their daughters for your sons.”Exodus 34:16 Since He warns against marrying them, you learn that they are forbidden. Elsewhere it says, “You must not intermarry with them.”Deuteronomy 7:3

17 “You must not make cast-metal gods for yourself.”Exodus 34:17 If someone eats their sacrifices, he will marry their daughters. They will mislead him, and he will worship idols. “You must not make for yourself.” Even for decoration. “You must not make cast-metal gods for yourself. You must observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread.”Exodus 34:18 From this they said, “Anyone who treats the festivals with contempt is as though he had attached himself to idolatry.”

18 “You must observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread.”Exodus 34:18 This teaches that work is forbidden on the festival’s intermediate days. Not every kind of work is forbidden, but enough to keep those days from being ordinary weekdays in every respect. “At the appointed time in the month of ripening grain.”Exodus 34:18 Could you celebrate Passover only when there is ripening grain, but not otherwise? Scripture says, “You must observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread,”Exodus 34:18 whether or not you have ripening grain. Why, then, say, “At the appointed time in the month of ripening grain”Exodus 34:18? Scripture makes the ripening grain its sign. From this we learn that a month is added to the year on account of the ripening grain.

19 “Every first issue of the womb belongs to Me.”Exodus 34:19 Could this include a female? Scripture says, “The males of all your livestock.” Just as an animal firstborn is male rather than female, a human firstborn is male rather than female. “All your livestock.” Could this include a camel or horse? Scripture says, “The firstborn of ox and sheep.”Exodus 34:19 This is a general statement followed by a specific statement. The general includes only what the specific states. Another interpretation: Rabbi Joshua ben Korḥa says, “‘Every first issue of the womb belongs to Me’ is a general statement. Could it include what belongs to foreigners? Scripture says, ‘Your livestock.’ “Could it include a female? Scripture says, ‘The males.’ Could it include a wild animal? Scripture says, ‘The firstborn of ox and sheep.’Exodus 34:19 This is a general statement that needs its specific statement.”

20 “You must redeem a firstborn donkey with a sheep.”Exodus 34:20 “A firstborn donkey” occurs twice: both the mother and the offspring must be donkeys. “You must redeem with a sheep.” Any sheep, male or female, unblemished or blemished, young or old. Another interpretation: “With a sheep,” rather than a calf, a wild animal, a mortally injured animal, a hybrid, a koy, or a disqualified consecrated animal. Scripture says of disqualified consecrated animals, “Like the gazelle and the deer.”Deuteronomy 12:15 Just as one does not redeem with a gazelle or deer, one does not redeem with a disqualified consecrated animal. Another interpretation: “You must redeem with a sheep.” How do we know that someone who has no sheep may redeem the donkey at its value and give the money to the priest? Scripture says, “You must redeem with a sheep,” in any case. The Torah specifies a sheep to make things easier, rather than harder. If someone has a firstborn donkey worth ten selaʿs, he may redeem it with a sheep worth even one dinar. “You must redeem with a sheep. If you do not redeem it, you must break its neck.”Exodus 34:20 The commandment of redemption takes precedence over the commandment of breaking its neck. “You must break its neck.” Neck-breaking is mentioned here and elsewhere. Just as there it is done with a cleaver from behind and benefit from the animal is forbidden, so here it is done with a cleaver from behind and benefit is forbidden. “You must redeem all your firstborn sons.”Exodus 34:20 This teaches that someone with five sons by five wives, all firstborn, must redeem all of them. Another interpretation: “You must redeem all your firstborn sons.”Exodus 34:20 If the father fails to redeem him, he must redeem himself when he grows up. “You must redeem all your firstborn sons,Exodus 34:20 and they must not appear before Me empty-handed.”Exodus 34:20 If someone must redeem his son and bring an appearance burnt offering, but cannot afford both, redeeming his son comes first. Scripture first says, “You must redeem all your firstborn sons,”Exodus 34:20 and afterward, “They must not appear before Me empty-handed.”Exodus 34:20

21 “You must work for six days, and rest on the seventh. You must rest from plowing and harvesting.”Exodus 34:21 Were plowing and harvesting not already included among all kinds of work? Why were they singled out? To teach you that just as plowing and harvesting are primary categories of work, with separate liability for each, all other primary categories of work carry separate liability for each. Another interpretation: “You must rest from plowing and harvesting.”Exodus 34:21 Rabbi Shimon ben Eleazar says, “This implies that there is a commanded harvest that overrides the Sabbath. Which is it? The omer harvest.” Rabbi Ishmael says, “Could plowing for the omer override the Sabbath? Scripture says, ‘From plowing and harvesting.’ The harvest has a fixed time. Plowing, which has no fixed time, is excluded.” Rabbi Judah says, “‘You must rest from plowing and harvesting.’Exodus 34:21 Plowing whose harvest is forbidden means plowing before the seventh year. Harvesting whose plowing is forbidden means harvesting after the seventh year.” Rabbi Shimon says, “Rest from plowing at harvest time, and rest from harvesting at plowing time.”

22 “You must celebrate the Festival of Weeks.”Exodus 34:22 This is the festival of Shavuot. “The firstfruits of the wheat harvest.”Exodus 34:22 From this we learn that firstfruits are not brought before Shavuot. “And the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.” Elsewhere it says, “At the year’s end.”Exodus 23:16 Which festival has ingathering and a seasonal turning point, when the year ends? You must say: Tishri’s festival.

23 “Three times in the year.”Exodus 34:23 Times means appointed occasions. “All your males must appear.” This includes a minor. From this they said, “Any minor who can hold his father’s hand and walk up from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount must be brought up by his father.” “Before the Lord, the LORD.”Exodus 34:23 I am Lord over everyone in the world. Could you be just like them? Scripture says, “The God of Israel.” Could I be God only over you? Scripture says, “Before the Lord, the LORD.”Exodus 34:23 How is this understood? I am God over everyone in the world, and My name rests on you.

24 “For I will drive out nations before you, and no one will covet your land.”Exodus 34:24 The Torah addresses the inclination to worry, so that Israelites will not say, “How can we leave our land, houses, fields, and vineyards to go on pilgrimage? Others might come and occupy our places.” The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore guaranteed them: “No one will covet your land when you go up to appear.”Exodus 34:24 Not only that, but no harmful creature is permitted to harm you. Someone once left his pile of grain and returned to find lions surrounding it. Someone once left his chicken coop and returned to find torn cats in front of the chickens, fulfilling “No one will covet your land.”Exodus 34:24

25 “You must not slaughter with leaven.”Exodus 34:25 The slaughterer, the receiver of the blood, the person dashing the blood, the person burning the offering, or any member of the eating group violates a prohibition if any of them possesses an olive’s bulk of leaven when the Passover offering is slaughtered. “The Passover festival sacrifice must not remain overnight until morning.” From this we learn that anyone who leaves the sacrificial portions overnight violates a prohibition.

26 “The first of your soil’s firstfruits.”Exodus 34:26 “First” is said here and elsewhere. Just as the firstfruits elsewhere come from the seven kinds, the firstfruits here come from the seven kinds. “Your soil” excludes a tenant cultivator and a robber. “You must bring to the house of the LORD your God.”Exodus 34:26 This teaches that he must attend to them until he brings them to the chosen house. “You must not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.”Exodus 34:26 This prohibits cooking it, and all the more so eating it. I know only a kid and its mother’s milk. How do I include an ox in milk? Scripture says, “You must not cook ... in milk.” Rabbi Isaac said, “‘You must not cook a kid in its mother’s milk’Exodus 34:26 is written in three places: once in its own context, once concerning Torah, and once concerning tithes. “In its own context, what is written? ‘The first of your soil’s firstfruits.’Exodus 34:26 What follows? ‘I am sending an angel before you.’Exodus 23:20 “Concerning Torah, what is written? ‘The first of your soil’s firstfruits.’Exodus 34:26 What follows? ‘The LORD said to Moses, “Write these words for yourself.”’Exodus 34:27 “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, ‘While your sandal is on your foot, tread down the thorn.’ From ‘You must not cook a kid in its mother’s milk,’Exodus 34:26 proceed to ‘Write these words for yourself.’Exodus 34:27 “Concerning tithes: ‘You must not cook a kid in its mother’s milk,’Exodus 34:26 immediately followed by ‘You must certainly tithe.’Deuteronomy 14:22 “He said to him, ‘Do not cause Me to cook kids in their mothers’ wombs. If you do not occupy yourselves with Torah and separate your tithes properly, I will send out an east wind that scorches them.’ Scripture says, ‘Blighted before it has grown.’2 Kings 19:26”

Exodus 35

1 Moses assembled - Why is this stated? Since it says , "Let them make me a sanctuary,Exodus 25:8" one might infer that they should do so whether on a weekday or on the Sabbath. And yet, how do I fulfill "whoever does work on it shall be put to death"Exodus 31:14 ? Is it to be understood as applying to all other forms of work except the construction of the Tabernacle, or even to the construction of the Tabernacle? And how do I reconcile "Let them make me a sanctuary" with the prohibition of work? Is it on all other days, excluding the Sabbath, or even on the Sabbath? But logic dictates: Since "work" is called "work", and the preparations for work are also called "work", if I derive the law from the "work" that pushes off the Sabbath, all the more so should the preparations for work push off the Sabbath. Moreover, another logical argument: from the work that only comes about through preparations, the work pushes off the Sabbath. As for the preparations for this work, how do I know that if the horn of the altar was damaged, or the knife was damaged, that one may repair them on the Sabbath? The Scripture says, "Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them...” to indicate that the work of the Tabernacle should be on a weekday and not on the Sabbath. And he said to them - Rabbi says this introduces the 39 categories of work that were orally communicated to Moses.

2 Six days shall work be done - This is consistent with Rabbi Ishmael's statement. One verse says, "Six days shall work be done", and another says , "Six days you shall labor and do all your workExodus 20:9". How can both these verses be upheld? When Israel does God's will, their work is done by others, as it says , "Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocksIsaiah 61:5". But when Israel doesn't do God's will, not only do they do their own work, but they also do the work of others, as it says , "You shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against youDeuteronomy 28:48". But the seventh day shall be holy to you - Why is this said? So that the priests won't say, "Since we are permitted to do work in the Temple, we are also permitted outside in the rest of the country.” The Scripture says, "But the seventh day shall be holy to you" - it is holy for you, but secular for the Temple. A sabbath of complete rest for the LORD - It is entrusted to God, not to the court. Anyone who does any work on it shall be put to death - Not on this Sabbath and another such as Yom Kippur. Suppose someone wrote two letters, one on the Sabbath and one on Yom Kippur, or wove two threads, one on the Sabbath and one on Yom Kippur. Would he be liable for each individually? The Scripture says, "Anyone who does any work on it shall be put to death", meaning not on this Sabbath and another. Just as the laws of Sabbath and Yom Kippur are before him and he did work during twilight, could he be liable? The Scripture says, "Anyone who does any work on it" meaning until the day is established. I only know about the primary forms of prohibited work and their derivatives. How do I know to also prohibit rabbinic decrees? The Scripture says , "any workExodus 20:10". Could one be liable for a sin offering for violating a rabbinic decree? The Scripture says "work", referring to the specific work for which one is liable, and not for violating a rabbinic decree. How do I know that the prohibition includes buying and selling, lending, and deposits, which are called "work"? The Scripture says , "If he did not lay hands on his neighbor's propertyExodus 22:7". How about legal cases, claims, appeals, and all matters of the court, which are termed "work"? The Scripture says , "Beniniah and his sons were in charge of the external affairs over Israel, for officers and judges1 Chronicles 26:29". How about betrothals and divorces, which are called "work"? The Scripture says , "But there are many people, and it is the rainy season; we cannot stand outside, and the work cannot be done in a day or twoEzra 10:13". What about calculations, which are termed "work"? It is written , "He entered the house to do his workGenesis 39:11".

3 You shall not kindle a fire - Why is this said? Since it says , "You shall cease from plowing and harvestingExodus 34:21", meaning cease from plowing during the harvest and cease from harvesting during plowing. I only know about the prohibition to work from the eve of the seventh year to the seventh year, how about from the eve of the Sabbath to the Sabbath? By logic: since the seventh year sabbatical year is for the sake of God's name and the Sabbath is for the sake of God's name, if one ceases from the eve of the seventh year to the seventh year, then one should also cease from the eve of the Sabbath to the Sabbath. Another argument: Just as the seventh year, for which one is not liable to court-imposed death, requires one to rest from the eve of the seventh year to the seventh year, the Sabbath, for which one is liable to court-imposed death, should also require rest from the eve of the Sabbath to the Sabbath. Or perhaps one cannot light his lamp, or make a bonfire, or warm his hot water on the eve? The Scripture says, "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day". On the Sabbath day, you shall not kindle a fire, but you can kindle one on the eve of the Sabbath for the Sabbath. Another interpretation: You shall not kindle a fire - Why is this said? Since it says , "A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar, not to go outLeviticus 6:6", one might think this applies both on weekdays and on the Sabbath. How then do I fulfill "whoever does any work on it shall be put to death"Exodus 31:14 ? Is it referring to all other forms of work except arranging the wood on the altar, or even arranging the wood? How do I fulfill "not to go out" with the prohibition of work? Is it on all other days, excluding the Sabbath, or even on the Sabbath? The Scripture says, "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings". In your dwellings you shall not kindle a fire, but you can kindle one in the Temple. A student of Rabbi Ishmael said: You shall not kindle a fire - Why is this said? Since it says , "If a man is guilty of a capital offense and is put to deathDeuteronomy 21:22", I might think the law applies both on weekdays and on the Sabbath. How then do I fulfill "whoever does any work on it shall be put to death"Exodus 31:14 ? Is it referring to all other forms of work except the death penalty imposed by the court, or even the death penalty imposed by the court? How do I reconcile "and he is put to death and you hang him" with the prohibition of work? Is it on all other days, excluding the Sabbath, or even on the Sabbath? The Scripture says, "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings". This refers to the dwelling of the court. Burning was included in the general prohibition. Why was it singled out? To draw an analogy from it: Just as burning is one of the four death penalties imposed by the court and it does not override the Sabbath, so too the other death penalties do not override the Sabbath. Hence, penalties are not imposed on the Sabbath. Rabbi Jonathan says: You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings - Why is this said? Since it says , "Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, 'These are the things'Exodus 35:1", I might think that one is not liable unless he violates all 39 primary categories of work. The Scripture says , "You shall cease from plowing and harvestingExodus 34:21", or perhaps one is not liable unless he violates two categories, otherwise he is not liable. The Scripture says, "You shall not kindle a fire". Kindling was included in the general prohibition. Why was it singled out? To draw an analogy from it: Just as kindling is one of the 39 primary categories of work and one is liable for it individually, so too for the other 39 primary categories of work, one is liable for each one individually. Rabbi Nathan says: You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings - Why is this said? Since it says , "But whatever everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by youExodus 12:16", I might think that one is not allowed to light his lamp or make a bonfire or warm his hot water on the eve of the Sabbath. The Scripture says, "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day". On the Sabbath day, you shall not kindle a fire, but you can kindle one on a festival.