“Go to Pharaoh” [10:1]. King Solomon, of blessed memory, said. “Happy is the man who is anxious always” [Proverbs, 28:14]. Happy is the man who is anxious always, with all of his deeds, so that no evil comes from it. Therefore, the verse says “man.” That is to say, it is good for man who is created from the earth. It is similarly good that he has his intelligence and always thinks to do the good, like when he wants to eat and drink. His intention should be that he wants to give pleasure to his body, but his intention should be that the body should be strong to serve the Holy One. “He who hardens his heart falls into misfortune” [Proverbs, 28:14]. He who hardens his heart against God, he falls into much evil. When Pharaoh hardened his heart against God, many bad troubles befell him. Since he made his heart hard himself at first, therefore the Holy One also made his heart hard, in the expectation that He would punish him for his evil. Where the person wants to go, there is he led by the Holy One. If it is for good, then God helps him. If he wants to do evil, God also helps him, in the expectation that he will punish him.1Bahya, Exodus, Bo Introduction.
Therefore, the Holy One said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh” [10:1]. Come to Pharaoh and warn him, how long will he not send Israel and does not want to recognize the wonders that I do, and does not want to be humble before Me? Therefore, I will send locusts that will cover the whole earth and will eat all the trees and everything that grows in the ground. Your houses will be full so that your parents have never seen such a large number of locusts on the earth.
Bahya writes. The Holy One had warned Pharaoh once at the water; since he made himself important and said that he created the water. He warned him the next time in his house. He held himself very high and boasted that he had a beautiful house. Therefore, the Holy One warned him in these two places and made him humble. The same thing happened with Nebuchadnezzar who made himself a god. The Holy One made him humble. He became a cow for seven years and ran around in the wilderness and ate grass like a cow.2Bahya, Exodus, 10:1.
Bahya writes. The plagues in Egypt followed each other in the following way. On the fifteenth of Nisan, the Holy One came to Moses at the thorn bush and told him that he should go to Pharaoh. On the twenty-first day of Nisan, Moses went to his father-in-law to ask if he could leave the land of Midian, since Moses had sworn to Jethro that he would not leave the land of Midian without his permission. Therefore, he had to go to Jethro that he should release him from his vow, so that he could go to Egypt. Moses came before Pharaoh and warned him that he should send out the Israelites. This lasted eight days until the end of the month of Nisan. For three months, Iyyar, Sivan and Tammuz, Moses was in hiding from Pharaoh and away from the Israelites. Thus, the plague of blood began on Rosh Hodesh Ab and lasted for seven days. For three weeks, Pharaoh had a respite between each plague, so that the plagues extended until Rosh Hodesh Nisan. The locusts came on the month of Nisan and lasted for seven days in Nisan. Then came the plague of darkness that also lasted for seven days. This was fourteen days in Nisan and on the fifteenth day of Nisan the plague of the firstborn occurred. Thus, all the plagues lasted for twelve months, a full year. Moses came the first time in Nisan and warned Pharaoh about the plague of the firstborn. This was as if the plagues began in Nisan and lasted until the following Nisan.3Bahya, Exodus, 10:5. Just like the evildoer is in Gehenna for twelve months,4B. Shabbat, 33b. so were Pharaoh and his people in troubles and plagues for twelve months.
“He turned and left Pharaoh’s presence” [10:6]. Moses angrily went out from Pharaoh. He had warned him about the plague of locusts, expecting that they would discuss sending out Israel. The locusts were greatly feared in Pharaoh’s eyes. They would eat up all the grain on the ground. Therefore, Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron that they should return to him. Pharaoh’s servants said to him: how long will this people Israel be an evil to us, that God afflicts us with all of these plagues? Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them. Go and worship your God, but tell me who will go. Moses said: we must all go, women and children, since we have a holiday. This is Shavuot, that we have a holiday to receive the Torah. Pharaoh responded: what will the children do? Let the men go, since you said, to bring a sacrifice. The men bring the sacrifice and not the women or children. I see that you want to run away into the wilderness. It will be bad for you. I see a star in the wilderness that relates to you. This only means blood that you will die in the wilderness. This star is called evil, because it causes much evil for people. In truth, Pharaoh did see a star of blood over Israel. This means that Israel afterwards in the wilderness, the star alluded to the Golden Calf. They were supposed to have been destroyed because of that sin, but Moses prayed. Then the Holy One changed the blood into the blood of circumcision that Israel performed in the wilderness. Joshua said that Israel should be given the land of Israel. Therefore, Moses says in his prayer, “Let not the Egyptians say, it was with evil intent that he delivered them” [Exodus, 32:12]. That is to say, the Egyptians will say that You, God, took Israel out of Egypt in order to destroy them with the star that is called evil. Thus, all Your wonders and signs that You performed in Egypt will be forgotten and will be meaningless.5Rashi, Exodus, 10:10; Bahya, Exodus, 10:10. Pharaoh chased Moses out of his house.
“Hold out your arm over the land of Egypt for the locusts” [10:12]. The Holy One said to Moses: Hold out your hand over the land of Egypt and locusts will come over the land of Egypt. Moses held out his hand and God caused a great wind to blow from the east for a whole day and night. The wind brought the locusts over the whole land of Egypt and there were so many locusts that they covered the whole land of Egypt. It was dark because of so many locusts. They ate all the vegetation and grain. Therefore, locusts are mentioned seven times in the Torah portion, since there were all sorts of locusts, large and small, red, black, white, green and brown.6Bahya, Exodus, 10:14.
“I stand guilty before the Lord your God and before you” [10:16]. Pharaoh said: I have sinned against your God and to you in that I have sent you away and chased you out of my house. Therefore, ask God that He should remove the locusts, this bitter death.
Bahya writes. The locusts ate out the eyes of the Egyptians and this killed them. That is why they said: remove this death from us. Moses prayed and a wind carried away the locusts into the sea.7Bahya, Exodus, 10:17.
Imre Noam writes. Why into the sea? The explanation is that the locusts were sent back into the sea, in the expectation that the kings would run after Israel into the sea and the locusts would return and hurt the Egyptians. At the sea, each of the plagues was repeated. The same plague afflicted the Egyptians at the sea.8Imre Noam, Exodus, 10:19.
“Not a single locust remained” [10:19]. All the locusts flew away, even the locusts that the Egyptians had gathered in barrels, in order to eat the locusts, came back to life and flew out to the sea, in the expectation that they should not derive any benefit from the locusts.9Exodus Rabbah, 13. 7.
Bahya writes. Moses’ prayer helped forever, from that time onwards. When Moses expelled the locusts from Egypt, no locusts have come into the land of Egypt. Yet, locusts sometimes come to the land of Israel. However, they are never found in the land of Egypt, and if they travel through the land of Egypt to the land of Israel, they do not damage the land of Egypt. Similarly, Moses told the frogs to remain in the water. There remained one large frog in the water. Occasionally, it goes out on to the dry land and it eats three people at one time. Spears and arrows cannot hurt him. He also has a powerful poison within him. Even when one strikes him in the stomach and kills him, yet when a person touches him after his death, the person dies.10Bahya, Exodus, 10:19.
“A darkness that can be touched” [10:21]. God said to Moses: hold out your hand against the sky and a great darkness will come. This darkness will begin when the darkness of the night will end. Therefore, the Holy One said: let the dawn begin; the whole world should see that it is day and the darkness begins again. Thus, they will see that it is a plague from the Holy One.11Rashi, Exodus, 10:21.
Hizkuni and Imre Noam ask a question. Why did Moses not warn Pharaoh, if you will not send out Israel, I will darkness upon you? The explanation is that if the Egyptians had been warned they would have hidden all their gold and silver and Israel would not have been able to borrow from them. Therefore, there was the darkness.12Hizkuni, Exodus, 10:21; Imre Noam, Exodus, 10:21.
If an Israelite came to an Egyptian and asked to borrow a silver goblet or a gold chain, the Egyptian said that he did not have these things that he was asked to be borrowed. The Israelite responded: I see them there, all the things that I desire. Of all the vessels, I desire these. The Egyptians said: since you see in the darkness and I do not see, nonetheless, I will give it to you.13Exodus Rabbah, 14. 3.
Rashi gives another explanation. The darkness was because there were many Israelite evildoers who did not want to leave Egypt. The Holy One killed them all during the darkness, so that the Egyptians should not see and should not say that they were killed. So too, were the Israelites also killed. Therefore, the Holy One made the darkness and they buried the evildoers.14Rashi, Exodus, 10:22.
The darkness was so thick that when an Egyptian sat down, he was not able to stand up again. The thick darkness would not allow him to stand up. The darkness lasted for six days when each of the other plagues lasted for seven days. However, the seventh day, when it should have been dark in Egypt, that day was dark at the sea for the Egyptians.15Hizkuni, Exodus, 10:22.
“Light in their dwellings” [10:23]. Hizkuni asks a question. Why is it not written that the light was in the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived and by the other plagues it is written? The explanation is that therefore it is written that there was light only where an Israelite sat down. That is to say, when an Israelite went to an Egyptian’s house, there was light there. It was light for him there, but at the same time it was dark for the Egyptian. Therefore, the Torah did not say that the light was only in the land of Goshen, since it was light for the Israelites in all the cities wherever they were.16Hizkuni, Exodus, 10:23.
“Only your flocks should be left behind” [10:24]. Pharaoh said: you Israelites go into the wilderness to worship God, but your flocks should remain behind in Egypt was a pledge. Moses responded: you must give us even your flocks, since we do not know how many sacrifices the Holy One will desire from us that we should offer. Pharaoh did not want to send out the Israelites and said to Moses: Go from me and do not let yourself be seen before me again. Moses responded: you have spoken at the right time; you will not see me again before you. The Holy One said to Moses: I will bring my plague upon Pharaoh and afterwards he will send Israel quickly.
Therefore, say to Israel that each one should borrow silver and gold from the Egyptians and should go out of Egypt with the gold, since I have promised Abraham that they would leave Egypt with much money, because they have served, let them lend you silver and gold.17Rashi, Exodus, 11:2.
“Toward midnight” [11:4]. Moses said to Pharaoh: when midnight will come, the Holy One will kill all the firstborn of Egypt, whether they are the firstborn of a man or a woman, whether of a noble or a king, and also the firstborn of the animals, since they worshiped the animals.18Rashi, Exodus, 11:5. There was a great outcry at night, since there was a firstborn in every house. However, Pharaoh remained alive so that he should see the wonders at the sea and tell them to the other nations. Moses said to Pharaoh: your servants will come to you and will plead that I should take Israel out of Egypt. Moses angrily went away from Pharaoh.
“In the land of Egypt” [12:1]. God spoke to Moses outside the city of Egypt, since the city was full of foreign gods. Therefore, the Holy One did not want to command him to fulfill a commandment in the city.19Rashi, Exodus, 12:1. The Holy One said: you should go out of the city, because I want to command a commandment that you should sanctify the month, when the moon appears every month. Our sages say: if Israel would have no more than the commandment to sanctify the month, the new moon, every month, it would have been enough that they had received, just like when one greets his Lord with love. This is what we do when we sanctify the new moon. Therefore, we must stand and not sit when we sanctify the new moon, since the moon shows us that the Holy One created the world.20B. Sanhedrin, 42a.
“Not a dog shall no snarl” [11:7]. Imre Noam writes. The dogs did not bark at the Israelites because there were no corpses among the Jews, but among the Egyptians there were many corpses because the firstborn had been killed. Therefore, they barked at the Egyptians. Therefore, the Talmud says that when dogs frolic together in the streets, this means that Elijah the prophet had come to the city.21B. Baba Kamma, 60b. The prophet Elijah had killed four hundred false prophets and fed their flesh to the dogs. Therefore, when dogs see the prophet Elijah coming, they think that he will again give them meat to eat. That is why they were rejoicing.22Imre Noam, Exodus, 11:7.
“A lamb to a family” [12:3]. The Holy One commanded to take a sheep for a Paschal sacrifice on the tenth day of Nisan and they tied up that sheep for four days until the fourteenth day of Nisan, which is the eve of Passover. All of Israel slaughtered a sheep as a Paschal sacrifice. The Holy One said: when a householder has a small household and a sheep is too much for them, then he should take a sheep with his neighbor for a Paschal sacrifice. From here we learn that the Torah teaches us that a person should not spend excessively, when he does not need it.23Rashi, Exodus, 12:4.
Bahya writes. They were commanded to slaughter a sheep because in the month of Nisan the zodiac sign in the sky is called sheep. Therefore, the Holy One commanded that they should slaughter a sheep so that Israel should not think that the zodiac sign in the sky for the month of Nisan, which is called sheep, helped them, but the Holy One Himself took them out of Egypt.24Bahya, Exodus, 12:7.
They also slaughtered a sheep because the Egyptians worshiped a sheep and considered it a god. Therefore, the Holy One commanded that they should roast the sheep and not boil it, in the expectation that the odor would carry and the Egyptians would not be able to do anything. Therefore, you should also not break the bones of the sheep so that the Egyptians should recognize that this had been a sheep, one of their gods. Therefore, they roasted the whole sheep on a spit over the fire. The whole world should see that it was a sheep and you should eat the Paschal sacrifice in Egypt. You should be prepared for the journey, girded with your belt, your shoes on your feet and your staffing your hand. That is to say, you should eat the Paschal sacrifice on your way out of Egypt.
“I will mete out punishments to all the gods of Egypt” [12:12]. The Holy One said: I will kill the firstborn, and I will devastate their gods. A wooden god will rot and their iron or gold gods will be molten and dissolve in their temples. The Torah teaches us that when it wrote this together, the destruction of their idols and the death of their firstborn. This teaches us that when the Holy One himself destroyed the gods in the temples, the Egyptians did not know about this, since they did not come to their temples often. Therefore, the Holy One killed the firstborn the same night. The Egyptians had to bury their firstborn and they used to bury their dead in their temples. Thus, they would also see that their gods had been destroyed in their temples.25Bahya, Exodus, 12:12.
The Holy One commanded that you should eat unleavened bread for seven days. You should clean out the leaven from your houses. Whoever will not do this, his years will be cut off from the world; he must die. The Holy One said: you should dip into the blood of the sheep and should spread it over the door lintel and the doorposts. No Israelite should go out of their house on that night, when I will kill the firstborn. I will see the blood on the door and I will pass over, so that none of the Israelites inside should be killed.
Bahya writes here. It was not the blood that saved them, but because Israel publicly put a sign on the outside of their house with blood and did not fear Pharaoh. How can one slaughter a god and also smear the blood on the house and Pharaoh will do nothing to us? Nonetheless, because Israel relied on God in heaven, therefore they were worthy that they remained alive that night.26Bahya, Exodus, 12:23.
“There was no house where there was not someone dead” [12:30]. There was no house in Egypt. There was a corpse in every house in Egypt, even if there was no firstborn in it. In that case, the oldest one was killed.27Rashi, Exodus, 12:30. That is why the oldest one in each house used to fast on the eve of Passover.
“He summoned Moses and Aaron in the night” [12:31]. Pharaoh went from house to house and called for Moses and Aaron. He said: go with all your household and flocks and worship God.28Rashi, Exodus, 12:31.
Hizkuni writes. “Not a dog shall no snarl” [11:7]. It is customary that dogs bark after midnight. You Israel will go straight out of Egypt and each Israelite will have a staff in his hand and the dogs would not bark. It is customary that when a person walks with a staff the dogs bark, particularly at night.29Hizkuni, Exodus, 11:7. The Holy One paid the dogs that one should give them the animals of Israel found not to be kosher or when a wolf or other wild animal kills an animal.
Bahya writes. The Holy One brought the ten plagues for the evil things that the Egyptians did to the Israelites. First, they made the Israelites draw water to water their flocks, fields and vineyards. Therefore, the Holy One caused that the water changed into blood and they could not drink. The second one, they made the Israelites get up from their beds at night to work, to do heavy labor. The Israelites sighed in their hearts because of the heavy labor. Therefore, the Holy One brought frogs into the beds of the Egyptians, so that they could also not sleep in their beds, just like they did to Israel and not let them sleep in their beds. The third one, they did not allow the Israelites to go to the baths to wash themselves. Thus, the Israelites became full of lice. Therefore, the Holy One brought lice upon Egypt. The fourth one, the Egyptians commanded that the Israelites had to catch wild animals, like lions and bears. Therefore, the Holy One sent many wild animals to Egypt and they destroyed them. The fifth one, The Israelites had cattle in the field. Therefore, the Holy One sent pestilence on their cattle that they should die. The sixth one, the Egyptians made the Israelites warm water for them. Therefore, the Holy One sent mange on the Egyptians. The seventh one, the Egyptians threw stones when they saw a Jew. Therefore, the Holy One brought hail and stones from heaven upon the Egyptians. The eighth one, the Israelites had to carry manure to their fields. Therefore, the Holy One brought locusts that ate up everything in the fields. The ninth one is that the Egyptians placed the Israelites in prisons and dark pits. Therefore, the Holy one brought darkness upon the Egyptians. Tenth, the Egyptians wanted to destroy the Israelites who are called the Holy One’s firstborn. Therefore, the Holy one killed the firstborn of the Egyptians. The Midrash writes that the Holy One brought the plagues like a king who wants to conquer a land. When the king comes before the city, he takes away the water that flows into the city, in the expectation that the city would have no water to drink. They would soon surrender because of the water. So also did the Holy one. First he made the water of Egypt into blood, so that they could not drink the water. Afterwards, the king makes a big commotion with people and with horses so that the people in the city should become afraid. So too did the Holy One. He brought many frogs with a great noise, so that all the Egyptians all became afraid. Then the king brings the people who shoot with arrows and muskets. So too did the Holy One. He brought lice that stick the body like arrows. Then the king sends many nations, to run at the city and conquer it. So too, the Holy One sent all the wild animals to Egypt. Afterwards, the king sends wild horses that kill the cattle with their feet. So, the Holy One sent the pestilence on the cattle and they killed the cattle. Afterwards, the king captured some people from the city and tortured them on their bodies with fire so that they should tell how once could conquer the city. So, when the Holy One sent boils upon the Egyptians, which burned on their skin like fire. Afterwards, the king sends large catapults to throw down the walls. So too, the Holy One sent large stones from heaven and killed many people and cattle. Afterwards, the people come into the city. So too, the Holy One sent locusts into Egypt and they ate up everything. When the king comes to the city, he captures the people. So too, the Holy One brought darkness, just like a prison, upon Egypt. Afterwards, he kills the king and the leaders of the city. So too, the Holy One killed the first-born. All the plagues that were in Egypt, the Hoy One will again bring them upon the gentiles in the days of the Messiah.30Bahya, Exodus, 12:29.
“The Egyptians urged the people on” [12:33]. The Egyptians had to send Israel out of Egypt, because the Egyptians had been afflicted with ten plagues. Pharaoh said to Moses: Who is your God, since all the gods have written me letters, but your God I do not know, since He has not written me a letter. Pharaoh called all of his wise men and they said: we have heard say that your God of Israel is a son of wise men. The Holy One responded: you call Me a son of wise men and you call yourselves wise men? Your wisdom will soon be removed and destroyed. You Pharaoh said: I do not know your God; you will soon shout that God is right. You say: I will not send out Israel; you will beg Israel to leave your land. A parable. A king says to his servant: go and buy me a fish. The servant goes and buys a dead fish that stinks. The king gets very angry and says to the servant. I will impose one of three things on you. First, eat the fish yourself. If you do not want to eat it, I will beat you with one hundred lashes. The servant responded: I will eat the dead fish. He started to eat, but could not eat any more and had to stop eating, so they beat him. When they had given him several lashes, he started shouting that they should stop; he would pay. He would rather give one hundred gulden; he was afraid that he would die. Thus, he did all three things. He ate the dead fish, was beaten, and had to give one hundred gulden. So too, Pharaoh was afflicted with the plagues and Israel took their money and they freely left Egypt. His evil heart caused all of this.31Bahya, Exodus, 12:33.
“Upon their shoulders” [12:34]. The Israelites took their dough on their shoulders wrapped in a sheet. How is it that the Israelites had many cattle and they could have put the dough on the animals? The Israelites loved the matzot very much and that is why they carried the dough on their shoulders.32Rashi, Exodus, 12:34.
“Objects of silver and gold and clothing” [12:35]. The Israelites took the Egyptians’ golden vessels and beautiful clothes. Bahya writes here. The clothing was more valuable that the gold. Therefore, silver is written first, then gold and then the clothing. It is known that gold is much more valuable than silver. The Torah first wrote silver and then gold. This teaches us that what is written last is the most valuable. The clothes are written after gold, thus they must be more valuable than gold.33Bahya, Exodus, 12:35.
Hizkuni writes. “On the tenth day of this month” [12:3]. They took a lamb for the Paschal sacrifice on the tenth day of the month of Nisan. This time the same day was on a Sabbath and they tied the lamb to the bedpost on the Sabbath, not with a permanent knot, because one is not supposed to tie a permanent knot on the Sabbath. Similarly, there was a miracle that the lamb did not tear itself away, but remained standing. The other miracle was that the Egyptians could not say anything against Israel that they had tied their god to the bed, in a lowly place, to slaughter it. Therefore, the Sabbath before Passover is called the Great Sabbath, because of the great miracle that the Egyptians did not say anything.34Hizkuni, Exodus, 12:3; Pesikta de Rav Kahana, 5.17.
“Your lamb shall be without a blemish” [12:5]. One should take a lamb without a blemish so that the Egyptians should not say that they took a lamb with a blemish because it is not appropriate for the foreign gods. Therefore, we have nothing to be angry about at the Israelites. Therefore, it is written, “a yearling male” [12:5]. That is, a male lamb that is one year old, which is certainly appropriate for the foreign gods, so that the Egyptians could not speak against Israel. The lamb was tied for four days, in the expectation that the Egyptians should hear their god making noise and they should not say anything.35Hizkuni, Exodus, 12:5.
“All the assembled congregation of the Israelites” [12:6]. They should all slaughter together, in the expectation that no Jew should be able to explain to an Egyptian and say, I did not slaughter your god. Nobody needs to do this.36Hizkuni, Exodus, 12:6.
“At twilight” [12:6]. They should slaughter it at sunset when all the people come from their work to see that their god is being slaughtered. They should sprinkle the blood on the door to show the whole world. Therefore, they sprinkled it on the lintel and the two sides of the door. This looked like the letter het. That is to say, the het points to life.37Life in Hebrew is Hayyim, which begins with the letter het. That is to say, life to Israel. They should roast the lamb so that the aroma would spread and the Egyptians did not say anything. They should eat it with bitter herbs. That is to say, make it disgusting to the Egyptians.38Hizkuni, Exodus, 12:6–8.
“There was no house where there was not someone dead” [12:30]. There was a corpse in every house. One asks a question. Was there a living firstborn in every house? Perhaps he had died long ago. The explanation is that when a firstborn died in Egypt, they used to paint his face on the wall in order to remember him forever. However, on the night when the firstborn were killed, the Holy One caused that these images and paintings of their firstborn were erased. This was as if that firstborn had now died. Therefore, there was no house where someone was not dead. Another explanation is that the Egyptians used to bury their firstborn in their houses. That night, when the firstborn were being killed, dogs came and dug up the dead firstborn and dragged them from their house. It appeared to the Egyptians that they had also been killed that night. Therefore, there was no house where there was no corpse.39Pesikta de Rav Kahana, 7.6.
“Upon their shoulders” [12:34]. They carried it on their shoulders because their donkeys were heavily loaded with silver and gold. They could not load any more on them.40Hizkuni, Exodus, 12:34.
“You shall not break a bone of it” [12:46]. You should break no bone of the lamb that you ate with satiety. If one would break the bone to take out the marrow, then it seems as if he had not eaten enough of the meat, like a glutton who is not satiated.41Hizkuni, Exodus, 12:46.
“Nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves” [12:39]. Israel did not take provisions. They relied on God, Blessed be His Name, who will feed them, even in the wilderness where nothing grows.42Rashi, Exodus, 12:39.
“Consecrate to Me every firstborn” [13:2]. The Holy One commanded to take and make holy the first child that is a male of every woman to be a firstborn. Bahya asks a question here. Why did the Torah write to take a firstborn of the mother? Why did the Torah not write to also make the firstborn of the father, since in Egypt even the firstborn of the father was killed? The explanation is that one does not know with certainty if this is the first drop of semen of the father, that this should be his firstborn. He may have secretly had children previously from illicit relations. However, with a woman it can be known that this is her first son from her body.43Bahya, Exodus, 13:2.
“Into the land of the Canaanites” [13:11]. The Holy One said: you should keep My commandments when I will bring you into the land of Israel. Bahya asks a question here. There were seven nations in the land of Israel. Why was the land called after the Canaanites and not another nation? The explanation is that the Canaanites were cursed to be eternal servants. That is to say, because the Canaanite was called a servant, the land of Israel was not sold to him. A servant cannot buy anything, since it all belongs to his master. That is to say, Israel immediately took it away from the Canaanite, who was a servant.44Bahya, Exodus, 13:5.
Hizkuni gives an explanation. The children of Het honored Abraham and thus they became aware that the Holy One had given the land of Israel to the children of Abraham. The Canaanites left the land of Israel eventually and left the land for Israel. The Holy One said: since you left the land of Israel by yourself, I will give you a better land, which is called Africa and I will call this land Israel. That is to say, it should not be called the land of Canaan forever.45Hizkuni, Exodus, 13:11.
“Every firstling ass” [13:13]. When an ass will have a firstborn, you should redeem it with a sheep. Why was only the firstborn of an ass holy and not a horse or other unclean domestic animal? The explanation is that asses helped carry much money and goods out of Egypt to Israel, since each Israelite had had ninety asses who carried silver and gold to Israel, in the wilderness.46Bahya, Exodus, 13:13.
“A sign upon your hand” [13:16]. You should place the phylactery on your left hand, since the right hand does all work and is smeared with all sorts of uncleanness and disgusting things. Therefore, the phylactery should be placed on the left hand.47Hizkuni, Exodus, 13:16.
Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish said: whoever dons the phylacteries every day will live long.48B. Menahot, 44a.