Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Exodus 12:27/ספורנו על שמות י״ב:כ״ז
אזֶבַח פֶּסַח הוּא. זֶה הַזֶּבַח נַעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׁבִיל הַפְּסִיחָה שֶׁהָיְתָה עֲתִידָה לְהֵעָשׂוֹת בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה שֶׁל אַחֲרָיו, וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין זֶבַח בַּלַּיְלָה הֻצְרַךְ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ בָּזֶה הַזְּמַן הַנִּמְשָׁךְ אַחַר הַלַּיְלָה שֶׁל אַחֲרָיו בְּעִנְיַן הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת. וְהֻצְרַךְ כָּל אֶחָד לְהַקְרִיב, כִּי הַנֵּס נַעֲשֶׂה לְכָל יָחִיד בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ וְלֹא לַצִּבּוּר בִּכְלָל.
1זבח פסח הוא, this offering commemorates the skipping over by G’d of each individual Jewish home, something that occurred at midnight. Accordingly, the offering should really have been brought after midnight when the Jewish firstborn had already experienced that G’d saved him. As a result it really would have been at night. However, since we have a rule that offerings must not be brought on the altar at night, it had to be brought at a time which is closely associated with the impending night, i.e. the period described here as בין הערבים.