וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֮ אֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת֒ כִּ֗י בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶת־צִבְאוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֞ם אֶת־הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֛ה לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶ֖ם חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃
You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.
ושמרתם את המצות. שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹאוּ לִידֵי חִמּוּץ; מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ תָּפַח תִּלְטֹשׁ בְּצוֹנֵן, רַבִּי יֹאשִׁיָּה אוֹמֵר אַל תְּהִי קוֹרֵא אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת, אֶלָּא אֶת הַמִּצְווֹת – כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאֵין מַחֲמִיצִין אֶת הַמַּצָּה, כָּךְ אֵין מַחֲמִיצִין אֶת הַמִּצְוָה, אֶלָּא אִם בָּאָה לְיָדְךָ, עֲשֵׂה אוֹתָהּ מִיָּד (שם):
ושמרתם את המצות AND YE SHALL WATCH THE UNLEAVENED BREAD that it shall not reach the stage of becoming leavened; hence the Rabbis said, if it (the dough) is rising (a sign that the leavening process is setting in) she (the woman kneading the dough) polishes it with cold water (i. e. she slaps the dough with hands dipped in cold water). Rabbi Josiah said: Do not read “את המַּצּוֹת”, the unleavened bread, but את הַמִּצְוֹת “[ye shall watch] the commandements” — just as we may not cause the unleavened bread to become leavened by letting the dough remain in its raw state too long so we may not let the commandment become “leavened” by waiting too long before we perform it; but if it (a commandment) comes to your hand, perform it immediately (Mekhilta).
ושמרתם. הנה צוה להיות המצות שמורים מימות הקציר.
AND YE SHALL OBSERVE. God here commanded that the matzot be watched from the time of the harvest.
ושמרתם את המצות. המורות על מהירות בלי המתנת חמוץ:
ושמרתם את המצות, which are called such to reflect the speed with which they have been baked without giving the dough a chance to ferment and rise.
ושמרתם את המצות י״מ שלא תפסוק מכם אכילת מצות לדורי דורות דוגמא תשמרו להקריב לי במועדו.
ושמרתם את המצות, “you shall observe the commandment to eat unleavened bread on these days for the future.” We find this formulation being use in this sense also in Numbers 28,2 in connection with the daily communal offering where the Torah writes: תשמרו להקריב לי במועדו, ”make sure that you offer it at the time appointed for it.”
ושמרתם את המצות וגו'. פי' כשם שאני שמרתי היום ולא אחרתי יום אחד ובעצם היום הזה הוצאתי אתכם לטעם זה אתם גם כן לא תאחרו המצה עד שתחמיץ.
ושמרתם את המצות, "You shall guard the unleavened breads, etc." G'd told us that just as He had carefully guarded that date and had not redeemed us a single day later than the timetable He had planned, so we should be careful not to allow the dough for the unleavened bread to remain inactive a minute too long ; otherwise it might begin to rise.
ושמרתם את המצות. זה שמור משעת קצירה שלא יבואו עליו מים, וגם שמור משעת לישה שלא יבא לידי חמוץ. ודרשו רז"ל ושמרתם את המצות קרי ביה המצות, כשם שאין מחמיצין את המצה כך אין מחמיצין את המצות שאם באה מצוה לידך אל תחמיצנה אלא עשה אותה מיד.
ושמרתם את המצות, “guard the unleavened bread (flour) from the time it is being harvested (against it becoming moist).” You are to watch it again at the time of kneading the dough so that it will not become chametz (leavened). Our sages (Mechilta 9) read the word המצות as if it had both been spelled with the vowel patach under the letter מ, and had again been spelled with the vowel chirik under the letter מ. The message is that just as one does not let a commandment (mitzvah) become soured through procrastinating in its performance, so one must not allow the dough for the unleavened bread to stand around too long for the same reason.
מִשּׁוּם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יב יז) "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת" כְּלוֹמַר הִזָּהֲרוּ בַּמַּצָּה וְשִׁמְרוּ אוֹתָהּ מִכָּל צַד חִמּוּץ. לְפִיכָךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים צָרִיךְ אָדָם לִזָּהֵר בְּדָגָן שֶׁאוֹכֵל מִמֶּנּוּ בַּפֶּסַח שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹא עָלָיו מַיִם אַחַר שֶׁנִּקְצַר עַד שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה בּוֹ שׁוּם חִמּוּץ. דָּגָן שֶׁנִּטְבַּע בַּנָּהָר אוֹ שֶׁנָּפַל עָלָיו מַיִם כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָסוּר לְאָכְלוֹ כָּךְ אָסוּר לְקַיְּמוֹ אֶלָּא מוֹכְרוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמוֹדִיעוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁיֹּאכְלֶנּוּ קֹדֶם הַפֶּסַח. וְאִם מְכָרוֹ לְנָכְרִי קֹדֶם הַפֶּסַח מוֹכֵר מְעַט לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּכְלֶה קֹדֶם הַפֶּסַח שֶׁמָּא יַחֲזֹר הַנָּכְרִי וְיִמְכְּרֶנּוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל:
[Exodus 12:17] states: "Keep watch over the matzot" - i.e., be careful of the matzot and protect them from any possibility of becoming chametz. Therefore, our Sages declared: A person must be careful regarding the grain which he eats on Pesach and [make sure] that no water has come in contact with it after it has been harvested, so that it will not have become chametz at all.
Grain which sunk in a river or came in contact with water, just as it is forbidden to eat from it [on Pesach], it is forbidden to keep [possession of] it. Rather, he should sell it to a Jew [before it becomes prohibited] and inform him [about its nature], so that he can eat it before Pesach. If he sells it to a gentile before Pesach, he should sell a small amount to a number of individuals, so that it will be finished before Pesach, lest the gentile go and sell it to [another] Jew.
Grain which sunk in a river or came in contact with water, just as it is forbidden to eat from it [on Pesach], it is forbidden to keep [possession of] it. Rather, he should sell it to a Jew [before it becomes prohibited] and inform him [about its nature], so that he can eat it before Pesach. If he sells it to a gentile before Pesach, he should sell a small amount to a number of individuals, so that it will be finished before Pesach, lest the gentile go and sell it to [another] Jew.
מצווה לשמור את המצות שלא יחמיצו, שנאמר (שמות יב, יז): "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת". והכוונה למצות שאוכלים לשם מצווה בליל פסח, שנאמר בפסוק הבא: "בָּעֶרֶב תֹּאכְלוּ מַצֹּת". ודין שאר המצות שאוכלים בפסח כדין שאר המאכלים, שכל זמן שעל פי כללי ההלכה אין מקום לחשוש שיש בהם חמץ – מותר לאוכלם. אבל את מצות המצווה שאוכלים בליל הסדר נצטווינו לשמור באופן מיוחד בשמירה יתירה, והן נקראות 'מצות שמורות'.
The Torah states, “And you shall observe (u-shemartem) the matzot” (Shemot 12:17). The Sages interpreted this to mean that the matza must be guarded from becoming ḥametz. This refers specifically to the matzot eaten on the Seder night in fulfillment of the mitzva, for the very next verse states, “in the evening you shall eat matzot.” The other matzot one eats on Pesaḥ are like any other food: they may be eaten as long as there is no concern that they may have become ḥametz. However, we have been commanded to guard carefully the matza used for the mitzva on Seder night from becoming ḥametz. Such matza is called “shmura” matza.
בשבת חמישי שהוא כ"ט באדר מוציאין שני ספרים באחד קורא פרשת השבוע ובשני החדש הזה לכם ומפטיר בראשון באחד לחודש:
4. On the fifth Sabbath, which is the twenty-ninth of Adar, we take out two [Torah] scrolls — in one [the Reader] reads the weekly portion, and in the second he reads "This month shall be for you..." [Exodus 12:1–20] and the haftarah is "In the first [month], on the first of the month..." [Ezekiel 45:18–46:15]
"וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת". רַבִּי יֹאשִׁיָּה אוֹמֵר: אַל תִּקְרָא כֵן, אֶלָּא 'וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת הַמִּצְווֹת'. כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאֵין מַחְמִיצִין אֶת הַמַּצָּה, כָּךְ לֹא יַחְמִיצוּ אֶת הַמִּצְוָה, אֶלָּא אִם בָּאת מִצְוָה עַל יָדָךְ, עֲשֵׂה אוֹתָהּ מִיָּד!
"And you shall watch over the matzoth": R. Yoshiyah says: Read it not "And you shall watch over the matzoth," but "And you shall watch over the mitzvoth." Just as matzoth are not permitted to become chametz (i.e., to sour), so mitzvah should not be permitted to become chametz, but if the opportunity of a mitzvah presents itself to you, perform it immediately.
איתא במדרש כי לא בחפזון תצאו, דבמצרים הלכו בלילה ולעתיד ביום. ולכאורה יפלא מאד דהא מקרא מלא כתיב דיצאו ביום דכתיב בעצם היום הזה כו'. אפס דרמזו שיצאו בלילה שהיה חושך מהשכל דלאו מצד זכותם יצאו כמאמר חכמינו ז"ל דקטרג השר מה נשתנו כו', רק מצד רחמי השם יתברך יצאו. אמנם לעתיד יצאו ביום שיאיר שכלם שכבר יש להם תורה שקיימו מצותיו ומצד זכותם יגאלו. וזה שמסיים בהאי קרא ומאספכם אלקי ישראל, כי מחמת זכות אז מיחד הבורא שמו עליהם לקרוא אלקי ישראל:
Sh’mot Rabbah 19,6 comments on Isaiah 52,12 כי בחפזון יצאת ממצרים, “for you left Egypt in haste,” i.e. during the night, contrasts this with the promise of the prophet that the redemption in the future will not be in haste or at night, like thieves feeling during the night. On the face of it, this Midrash appears to directly contradict the statement of the Torah that the Israelites did not depart during the night but בעצם היום הזה: “in the middle of this day, i.e. in full daylight.” (Exodus 12,17) The Midrash, however was not concerned with the physical darkness or daylight, but with the mental state of the Jewish people, who, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, were as if in spiritual darkness. (Compare to the scenario painted by the prophet Isaiah of how spiritually enlightened the Jewish people in the future would be when the redemption would come).
We also read in the Yalkut Reuveni on this portion, [who subscribes to the optimistic view that the redemption in the future will be due to our having accumulated the necessary merits. Ed.] that there will not be an opportunity for the protective angel of the people oppressing us to accuse us of worshipping idols, as did the protective angel of the Egyptians at the time of that Exodus. This is why the above quoted verse from Isaiah concludes with the words: ומאסיפכם אלוקי ישראל, “and the Lord your G’d, will gather you in.”
We also read in the Yalkut Reuveni on this portion, [who subscribes to the optimistic view that the redemption in the future will be due to our having accumulated the necessary merits. Ed.] that there will not be an opportunity for the protective angel of the people oppressing us to accuse us of worshipping idols, as did the protective angel of the Egyptians at the time of that Exodus. This is why the above quoted verse from Isaiah concludes with the words: ומאסיפכם אלוקי ישראל, “and the Lord your G’d, will gather you in.”