Comments | zevabe: Parsha questions

zevabe

Parsha questions

Jan 30, 2009 00:09

In the course of attempting to go through the parsha twice, and read a commentary or translation once, I often find things which leave me with open questions. When I can, I'd love to put them here to provoke thought in others ( Read more... )

parsha

Comments 2

cellio February 1 2009, 18:13:59 UTC

This would mean it was the 14th of Nissan, the day preceding the Seder in Egypt, and the Exodus.

But in 12:6 it says they keep the lamb "until the fourteenth day of the month...and kill it in the evening". This timing has long puzzled me too, but I figured that they're saying to keep the lamb through the 14th and then kill it that night (the beginning of the 15th).

It is clear that this occured at the beginning of the month of Nissan (1 Nissan, aka Rosh Chodesh). Not necessarily. "This month" doesn't have to mean "this month that's starting now"; it can mean "the month we're in". That said, we know the 10th is in the future at this point because that's when the lamb instructions start. But it's not necessarily out of order; in 11 God tells Moshe his plans for the plague, but nothing has happened yet. So: God tells Moshe, Moshe relays instructions, (intermission for holiday commandments), then the people do as they're told and the plague hits. Am I missing something ( ... )

zevabe February 2 2009, 04:21:51 UTC

I meant that 11:4 seems to have been the 14th, because Moses tells Pharaoh (he hadn't left Pharoah until 11:8, and he never went back, so this was still in front of Pharaoh) that at about midnight there will be a plague. "About midnight" seems more likely to mean tonight than in 2-3 weeks from now.

People tend to read "HaChodesh hazeh lachem rosh chadashim" as occuring on Rosh Chodesh b/c it is the source for declaring the new moon by beit din and so on (from prior to the calendar of Hillel II).

they didn't have time for their bread to rise when they finally left?I am unsuere of the source of this widespread (mis)conception. I noticed this year that Rashi repeatedly says the reason they brought matza w/ them is because they loved the mitzva. Even those who mention the "chipazon" (hurriedness) must account for the command to leave at night, and actual leaving by day. Bread certainly has time to rise over half a night ( ... )