Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 12/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 12

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Korban Pesach

The laws of the Pesach sacrifice are spoken of in both Shemot 12 and Devarim 16.

Tools

• Makbilot Bamikra points out parallel passages in the Torah that describe the Korban Pesach. In addition to Shemot 12, the most extensive discussion of Korban Pesach is in Devarim 16.

Articles

• See הפסח וסיפור יציאת מצרים, by R. Yehuda Rock, for a comparison and contrast of the requirements of Korban Pesach as set forth in Parashat Bo and Parashat Re’eh.  R. Rock suggests that the two passages reflect two different aspects of what Korban Pesach is meant to symbolize and commemorate. Parashat Bo emphasizes how the sacrifice is an expression of belief in God and a rejection of Egyptian culture and religion, while Parashat Re'eh views it as a thanksgiving offering to God for the redemption of Israel.

Pesach Mitzrayim and Pesach Dorot

Shemot 12 contains two separate sections about the Pesach sacrifice: verses 21-22 discuss the Pesach offering to be brought in Egypt, while verses 43-49 set forth the requirements of the eternal mitzvah of Korban Pesach.

Articles

• See Purpose of the Pesach for an examination of the nature and goals of the original Korban Pesach and its relation to the eternal mitzvah of Korban Pesach, from the perspectives of a vast range of commentaries. Some view the original sacrifice as an apotropaic bood rite, others as a demonstrative act against idolatry, and yet others as a thanksgiving offering. The yearly Pesach might either simply commemorate the original or serve as a continued expression of thanksgiving.
• See Pesach Mitzrayim -- A Commitment to God, by R. Moshe Aberman, for analysis of the significance of Pesach Mitzrayim.  R. Aberman suggests that the purpose of the original Pesach was to dissociate from Egyptian culture and demonstrate allegiance to Hashem, while the annual Pesach is part of the educational experience of Seder night, also meant to strengthen Jewish identity. 

Korban Pesach in Later Biblical Stories

Tanakh describes the bringing of a Pesach sacrifice during several periods of Jewish history, in the times of Yehoshua, Chizkiyahu, Yoshiyahu, and Ezra. This leads one to wonder as to the specific symbolism and significance of the Pesach in these various historical contexts.

Tools

• See Makbilot BaMikra for links to sources which describe each of the celebrations of Pesach mentioned above.

Articles

• See The Meaning of the Korban Pesach, by R. Amnon Bazak, for analysis of the significance of many aspects of the Korban Pesach and its relevance to the other narratives in which a Pesach offering is brought.  R. Bazak suggests that throughout these narratives, the Pesach sacrifice serves as part of the renewal of the covenant between the collective Jewish people and Hashem.
• See The Korban Pesach -- Sacrifice or Feast, by Prof. Yonatan Grossman, for an interpretation of the Korban Pesach as representing the sanctity of the Jewish home and its centrality to redemption.  Prof. Grossman (like R. Bazak above) suggests that the Pesach sacrifice appears in the subsequent stories as well because they represent moments of national renewal and re-commitment to the covenant.

Sedom and Egypt

There are numerous parallels between the stories of the destruction of Sedom and of divine retribution against Egypt at the time of the Exodus.

Articles

• In Lot’s “Pesach” And Its Significance (or the Hebrew version פסח מצרים ופסח סדום), R. Yoel Bin-Nun points out the many commonalities between the stories of Lot’s salvation from Sedom and the Children of Israel’s salvation from Egypt. These include: the divine destruction of a corrupt society and the escape of one group of people, the centrality of the home as the safe place within that society, the need for haste in escaping, and the preparation of matzot. These parallels emphasize and explain the significance of the home and family within these stories of salvation and our own commemoration and celebration of Pesach.

Rapid Redemption

The noun "חִפָּזוֹן" (haste) appears three times in Tanakh, in Shemot 12:11, Devarim 16:3, and Yeshayahu 52:12, all in the context of redemption. In the first two verses, the word refers to the haste of the Exodus. In the last, interestingly, Hashem promises that the ultimate redemption will not be in haste. Exploring these stories and the concept of "haste" in general makes one both ponder the necessity of redeeming Israel in haste and question what were the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.

Tools

• Concordance – Use the concordance to explore usage of the noun "חפזון" and the related verbal root "חפז".  While the former appear in the context of redemption, all of the appearances of the verb in Tanakh are associated with an undignified rush.¹ These usages indicate a duality associated with the concept of haste; it seems to reflect Hashem’s miraculous salvation in the story of the Exodus, but a lack of dignity and forethought in other contexts.

Articles

• See Hippazon - Rapid Redemption, by R. Alex Israel, for analysis of the nuances of the notion of "חִפָּזוֹן", which includes both a connotation of panic as well as of Hashem’s instantaneous salvation.   R. Israel explores the symbolism and significance of the concept of "חפזון" through the writings of a range of Jewish thinkers. He notes that sometimes change takes time and haste is dangerous, but that simultaneously a rush of energy and passion might be necessary to kick-start a colossal religious and national transformation.

Matzah and Chametz

The command to eat matzah and prohibition to eat leavened bread are mentioned several times in Tanakh, with different reasons given for the law in different verses.

Tools

• See Makbilot BaMikra for links to verses discussing the command to eat Matzah and corresponding prohibition of  leavened bread. There is a seeming tension between the reasons for the mitzvah that are given by the Biblical verses: Shemot 12:20 sets forth a command to eat matzah that precedes the Exodus, whereas Shemot 12:34 and 12:39, as well as Devarim 16:3, characterize matzah as a result of the hurried departure from Egypt, which did not give enough time for the Jews’ bread to rise. Shemot 13:6-7 prescribes the command of matzah without giving the reason of the hasty Exodus.

Articles

• See Chametz and Matzah in Pesach Mitzrayim for an overview of commentators’ approaches to this issue.  One position maintains that the commandment of eating matzah and prohibition of chametz on Passover were given before the Exodus and that the Jews in the Exodus story were obligated in them, another suggests that these laws emerged only after the Exodus as a form of commemoration, while yet a third proposes that chametz was prohibited only on the day of the Exodus itself. 

Great Wealth

The fact that the nation of Israel left Egypt with great wealth is mentioned in several places in Tanakh. The repetition highlights the centrality of the event and the significance that Hashem attached to it., but also the moral question of whether "despoiling Egypt" was just.

Tools

• Makbilot BaMikra – Makbilot BaMikra points out that the promise of leaving Egypt with great wealth (Shemot 12:35-36) echoes the promise to Avraham (Bereshit 15:14), and is mentioned as well in Shemot 3:21-22, Shemot 11:2-3 and Tehillim 105:37.

Articles

• For analysis of the morality of taking wealth from Egypt with discussion of the approaches of a wide range of commentators to the question, see Reparations and Despoiling Egypt. Many exegetes suggest that the vessels were given as gifts and not as loan, obviating the moral question. Others view them as renumeration for years of slavery, compensation for expropriated property, or as spoils of war.

• For another analysis of the purpose of leaving Egypt with wealth, see R. Yaakov Beasley’s Slavery for Profit? R. Beasley discusses several of the above mentioned interpretations² and also explores the possibility that taking the vessels served as a means for the Israelites to achieve emotional closure.

Duration of the Exile

The length of the exile in Egypt is discussed both in this chapter and in Bereshit 15, in the Covenant Between the Pieces.  The two sources, though, conflict regarding the length of the sojourn, with this chapter (verse 41) mentioning 430 years and Bereshit 15:13 mentioning just 400.

Tools

• Makbilot BaMikra  – Makbilot BaMikra provides links to the various verses which discuss the length of the Jews’ sojourn in Egypt, highlighting the contradiction.

Articles

• See Duration of the Egyptian Exile for an analysis of commentators’ approaches to reconciling these two verses, along with other sources that imply a much shorter period of servitude. Some exegetes suggest that the nation was in Egypt for a full 430 years, reinterpreting verses which imply otherwise. Others suggest that the nation was in Egypt for just four generations (anywhere between 210-240 years), and suggest that the 400 or 430 years mentioned does not begin with the descent to Egypt but with some other event such as Avraham's journey to Israel, the Covenant of the Pieces, or the birth of Yitzchak. A compromise approach suggests that though the original plan was for a full 400 year exile in Egypt, Hashem changed his mind and shortened the stay.

¹ In some cases this leads to misguided conclusions (for example, see Tehillim 31:23 and 116:11).

² He, too, notes that the wealth might have represented a gift, an exchange for Israelite property that they left in Egypt, or compensation for their work.