After offering the Passover sacrifice, the Israelites receive guidance on how to prepare the meat and when they may leave Jerusalem to return to their homes. An apparent contradiction arises regarding the preparation method. While the Torah explicitly forbids boiling the Passover offering in water and mandates roasting it over a fire, the instruction here uses a term typically associated with boiling. One approach explains that the root of this word broadly refers to bringing food to completion and making it ready to eat [חזקוני, הכתב והקבלה, חתם סופר]. Therefore, roasting over a fire is both linguistically and legally categorized under this general term of cooking [רש"י, רשב"ם, ברטנורא, שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective suggests that the instruction encompasses not only the roasted Passover offering but also the accompanying festival sacrifices, which were traditionally boiled in pots. The Torah simply employs an inclusive verb that covers both types of offerings [אור החיים, העמק דבר, הכתב והקבלה, מלבי"ם, משכיל לדוד, באור יש"ר]. Beyond the practical preparation, there is a spiritual message here: the Torah asks individuals to sanctify even the most physical, everyday actions, such as cooking and eating, elevating them to the level of serving God [רש"ר הירש].
Regarding the exact time of departure, the instruction to head back in the morning requires clarification. The primary approach among commentators is that this refers not to the morning of the first festival day, but to the second morning, which is the first intermediate day of the holiday [רש"י, מזרחי, רבינו בחיי]. This delay is necessary because traveling outside the city limits is forbidden on the first festival day [מזרחי, הכתב והקבלה]. Furthermore, every pilgrim has an obligation to appear in the Temple courtyard to offer the required festival sacrifices during the holiday itself [הכתב והקבלה, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה, משכיל לדוד]. Conversely, a minority view suggests that pilgrims may indeed leave on the first morning, provided their movement is restricted to returning to a tent or inn located strictly within the borders of Jerusalem [אבן עזרא, פענח רזא].
From this directive, the sages derive the law of the overnight stay, which dictates that anyone bringing a sacrifice to the Temple must remain in Jerusalem for that night and cannot return to their home city immediately [תורה תמימה, שטיינזלץ]. This mandatory stay allows the individual to internalize the profound spiritual impressions absorbed in the Temple before heading back into the routine of daily life [רש"ר הירש]. The specific instruction to leave in the morning teaches proper conduct. Traveling at night poses risks, and one should wait for daylight to avoid danger; even those engaged in fulfilling a Commandment must not rely on miracles for protection [תורה תמימה]. Departing in the morning also reflects a sense of promptness and respect for the holy site [רלב"ג].
The directive to return to one's tent clarifies that, unlike other festivals, there is no obligation to remain in Jerusalem for the entire seven days of Passover [רשב"ם, באור יש"ר]. Commentators explain that a swift return home was particularly emphasized for this holiday due to the geographical realities of the land. Because the festival of Shavuot follows shortly after Passover, pilgrims living in the most distant regions of Israel had to begin their long journey back immediately after the first festival day. This allowed them just enough time to reach their homes, stay for a brief period, and then immediately travel back to Jerusalem for Shavuot [רבינו בחיי, ריב"א, תולדות יצחק]. Finally, these words carry an underlying promise: a person who travels to fulfill a Commandment is assured a safe return, finding their home and property completely intact, exactly as they left them [תורה תמימה].