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Ramban on Exodus 12:43/רמב"ן על שמות י״ב:מ״ג

אוַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן זֹאת חֻקַּת הַפָּסַח בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן נֶאֶמְרָה פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י"ב:מ"ג). וְכֵן הַדָּבָר, שֶׁהֲרֵי כָּתוּב בְּסוֹפָהּ (שמות י"ב:נ') "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה'", לְלַמֵּד עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁנִּמּוֹלוּ הֵם וְעַבְדֵיהֶם. וְאִם כֵּן הָיָה בַּדִּין לְהַקְדִּים הַפָּרָשָׁה הַזֹּאת קֹדֶם "וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה" (שמות י"ב:כ"ט). אֲבָל הַטַּעַם, כִּי פָּרָשַׁת הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם נֶאֶמְרָה בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ, וּבוֹ בַּיּוֹם מִיָּד עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ, "וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לְכָל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם" (שמות י"ב:כ"א), צִוָּה אוֹתָם בְּחֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח וְהִבְטִיחָם שֶׁיִּגָּאֲלוּ בְּלֵיל חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר, וְהֵם הֶאֱמִינוּ, "וַיִּקֹּד הָעָם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ" (שמות י"ב:כ"ז). וְסָמַךְ הַכָּתוּב לָזֶה "וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה" לוֹמַר שֶׁקִּיֵּם לָהֶם הַבְטָחָתָם, וּכְשֶׁהִשְׁלִים זֶה חָזַר לְעִנְיָן רִאשׁוֹן לְהַשְׁלִים חֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח:
וְהוֹסִיפָה זֹאת הַפָּרָשָׁה מִצְוֹת רַבּוֹת, אִסּוּר בֶּן נֵכָר וְעָרֵל, וְהוֹצָאָה מִן הַבַּיִת, וּשְׁבִירַת עֶצֶם, וּפֶסַח הַגֵּר, וְהֵן מִצְוֹת מִיָּד וְלַדּוֹרוֹת, וְהִשְׁלִים בָּהּ כִּי עָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל זֶה וְעָשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה'. וְאָמַר בְּכָאן, "כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", לְבָאֵר שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בָהֶם אֶחָד עוֹבֵר אֶת פִּי ה' בְּכָל אֵלֶּה וּבְכָל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה בְּדִינֵי הַפֶּסַח בְּכָל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת. ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות י"ב:מ"ג) כִּי זֹאת הַפָּרָשָׁה בְּפֶסַח דּוֹרוֹת נֶאֶמְרָה אַחֲרֵי פֶּסַח מִצְרַיִם, וְאָמַר "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" עַל פֶּסַח מִדְבָּר שֶׁעָשׂוּ בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית, וְנִכְתַּב בְּכָאן עִם הַצַּוָּאָה, כְּדֶרֶךְ "וַיַּנִּיחֵהוּ אַהֲרֹן לִפְנֵי הָעֵדֻת לְמִשְׁמָרֶת" (שמות ט"ז:ל"ד). וְזֶה שִׁבּוּשׁ, כִּי לֹא נִצְטַוּוּ בְּכָל הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הָאֵלּוּ אֶלָּא בְּפֶסַח מִצְרַיִם וּבְפִסְחֵי הָאָרֶץ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמַעְלָה (שמות י"ב:כ"ה), "וְהָיָה כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ" וְגוֹ', אֲבָל פֶּסַח מִדְבָּר מִצְוָה שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בָּהּ בְּאוֹתוֹ הַפֶּרֶק:

1AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES AND AARON: THIS IS THE ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER. “This chapter was related to them on the fourteenth day of Nisan.” Thus the language of Rashi. This is correct, since at the end of this chapter it is written, Thus did all the children of Israel, as the Eternal hath commanded,³⁴⁰ attesting concerning them that they and their servants were circumcised, [as this is a prerequisite for eating the Passover-offering].³⁴¹ But if so, Scripture should have logically mentioned this chapter before the section, And it came to pass at midnight.³⁴² But the reason [the section of the ordinance of the Passover is placed here] is as follows: The chapter of This month shall be unto you the beginning of months³⁴³, Verse 2. was said on the first of the month.³⁴⁴ Immediately on that day, Moses fulfilled his mission, [as it states], Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them,³⁴⁵ meaning that he commanded them concerning the ordinance of the Passover [mentioned here], and he assured them that they will be redeemed on the night of the fifteenth day [of Nisan]. They believed, and the people bowed the head and worshipped.³⁴⁶, Verse 27. To this account Scripture adjoined the section, And it came to pass at midnight,³⁴² in order to state that He fulfilled the promise He made to them. On finishing this section, Scripture then reverts to the first theme in order to complete the ordinance of the Passover.This chapter adds many commandments [concerning the Passover-offering]: the prohibitions of an alien or an uncircumcised Israelite eating thereof, the prohibitions of removing the flesh thereof from where it is eaten and of breaking any of its bones, and the law of the Passover-offering of a proselyte. These commandments applied immediately and for all generations.³⁴⁷ Then Scripture completed the section by saying that the children of Israel did all this; as G-d commanded… so did they.³⁴⁰ It uses the expression, all the children of Israel,³⁴⁰ in order to explain that there was not one person who transgressed the command of G-d concerning all these matters [mentioned here in the section beginning, This is the ordinance of the Passover], as well as all He commanded regarding the laws of the Passover mentioned in the sections above.Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that this chapter dealing with the Passover of the generations, [as distinguished from the Passover of Egypt], was said after the Passover of Egypt, and the verse, Thus did all the children of Israel,³⁴⁰ refers to the Passover in the wilderness, which they observed in the second year after the exodus.³⁴⁸ [Although it should logically precede the Passover in the wilderness, according to Ibn Ezra] it is written here because of the general commandment [on the Passover here], the case being similar [to that of the jar of manna which Aaron was to put up before the Testimony in the Tabernacle, of which Scripture says], And Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, for a charge.³⁴⁹ [This account should logically follow that of the building of the Tabernacle, but instead it was mentioned in the chapter dealing with the manna in order to complete the subject.]This opinion [of Ibn Ezra here] is a mistake. The commandments in all these chapters deal only with the Passover of Egypt and the Passovers which they were to observe in the Land of Israel, as it is said above, And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the Land, etc.³⁵⁰ The Passover in the wilderness, however, was a commandment only for that particular time.³⁵¹

בכָּל בֶּן נֵכָר שֶׁנִּתְנַכְּרוּ מַעֲשָׂיו לְאָבִיו שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֶחָד גּוֹי וְאֶחָד יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמַּשְׁמָע. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות י"ב:מ"ג) מִמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן). וְהַכָּתוּב לֹא הֻצְרַךְ אֶלָּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות י"ב:מ"ג) כָּל בֶּן נֵכָר "כָּל בַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִשְׁתַּמַּד", שֶׁהִתְנַכֵּר לְאָחִיו וּלְאָבִיו שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם בְּמַעֲשָׂיו הָרָעִים, וְהוּא מְשֻׁמָּד שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ חֲכָמִים בְּכָל מָקוֹם, וּפֵרוּשׁוֹ מְנֻכָּר, וְשִׁעוּרוֹ מְשֻׁמְדָּע, מִלְּשׁוֹן וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע יוֹסֵף לַאֲחוֹהִי וְאִנּוּן לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעוּהִי (בראשית מב ח), וְחִסְּרוּ הָעַיִ"ן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִבְלִיעוּהָ בְּמִלּוֹת רַבּוֹת, וְאָמְרוּ מִדָּם בִּמְקוֹם מִדָּעַם (עי' ערוך ערך מדעם) דּוֹר קְטִי (כתובות י:), דּוֹר קְטִיעַ. בָּקִי, בָּקִיעַ (סנהדרין ה:):

2THERE SHALL NO ‘BEN NEICHAR’ (ALIEN) EAT THEREOF. “This means one whose actions are estranged from his Heavenly Father, and applies both to a non-Israelite and an Israelite.”³⁵² Thus the language of Rashi quoting from the Mechilta.³⁵³ The verse of course is needed only for the case of an [apostate] Israelite. And so did Onkelos translate: “There shall no ‘ben neichar’ eat thereof, i.e, any Israelite who has become an apostate,” meaning he has estranged himself from his brethren and from his Heavenly Father through his evil deeds.This is the word neichar, mentioned by the Sages in all places, which means estranged, and the purport thereof is m’shumad, one who is a known [opponent to the Torah]. The usage of the word is similar to the Aramaic expression, ‘ve’isht’moda’ (And) Joseph (knew) his brethren, but they ‘isht’modei’ (knew) him not.³⁵⁴ In the case of the word m’shumad, it is missing the letter ayin, just as it is absorbed in many [Aramaic] words: midam (anything) in place of mida’am; dor kati in place of dor katia (a chopped generation),³⁵⁵ baki in place of b’kia (expert).³⁵⁶