שמות, פרק י״ב, פסוק מ״ג

Right before the devastating plague of the firstborn and the imminent departure from Egypt, the narrative pauses. It briefly interrupts the unfolding drama to establish the boundaries of the community permitted to participate in the Passover sacrifice. Formulated with brief, legal precision to aid memory, these rules serve as an enduring guide for future generations, clearly defining who belongs to God's covenant and who remains outside [קאסוטו].

Commentators present different views regarding exactly when God communicated these instructions. One perspective suggests these laws were given exclusively for future observances of the Passover, serving as a supplement to the rules already outlined for the original Egyptian Passover [אבן עזרא, ספורנו]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that God conveyed these instructions to Moses and Aaron on the fourteenth of Nisan, on the very eve of the Exodus, meaning they applied immediately to that generation as well as to all future ones [רמב״ן, רש״י, מזרחי, ברטנורא]. God intentionally waited until the last possible moment rather than sharing these laws earlier with the rest of the Passover commandments to spur the Israelites into immediate action [משכיל לדוד]. Alternatively, this delay was designed to prompt them to circumcise themselves on the actual night of the Exodus, allowing the blood of the circumcision to mix with the blood of the Passover sacrifice [גור אריה]. An additional tradition suggests that God caused the scent of the Garden of Eden to emanate from Moses's sacrifice. When the Israelites eagerly asked to taste it, Moses declared that participation was strictly conditional upon fulfilling the requirement of circumcision [אור החיים].

A fundamental condition for partaking in the sacrifice is that an alienated outsider may not participate. In a literal sense, this refers to anyone who is a gentile and a stranger to the people of Israel [שד״ל, חזקוני]. Yet, according to traditional interpretation, this concept extends to anyone whose actions have alienated them from their Father in Heaven [רש״י, רמב״ן, ביאור יש״ר]. The concept of a foreigner in this context does not merely indicate family lineage, but rather a character trait. It refers to an individual in whom the traits of denial and heresy are deeply ingrained [הכתב והקבלה]. Consequently, the commentators agree that the restriction is not limited to gentiles alone but also excludes an apostate Jew who has abandoned his faith or denied God. The traditional term for an apostate inherently denotes alienation and a lack of recognition, describing someone who has made himself a stranger to God [רמב״ן, שד״ל, הכתב והקבלה].

Commentators disagree on the degree of alienation required to disqualify a Jew from eating the Passover sacrifice. Some maintain that this exclusion applies only to someone who has abandoned the faith for idolatry [ברכת אשר, נתינה לגר]. Others emphasize that a Jew who rebels by consistently committing even a single specific sin is considered alienated by his actions and is therefore disqualified [מזרחי, דברי דוד]. This specific restriction is necessary even though the uncircumcised are also explicitly forbidden from eating the sacrifice. It addresses complex situations that a lack of circumcision alone does not cover, such as a gentile who is circumcised but not for the sake of a true conversion, a sincere convert who was properly circumcised but later returned to his former ways, or a circumcised Jew who became an apostate [מזרחי, לבוש האורה, גור אריה].

Although the instruction is phrased as a prohibition against the alienated person eating the sacrifice, the Torah does not issue commandments to gentiles. Instead, it serves as a warning to the Israelites not to feed the Passover meat to anyone who is unworthy of it. The prohibition is actually directed at the Israelite who provides the food [רלב״ג, הכתב והקבלה, תורה תמימה]. Furthermore, this strict exclusion applies specifically to the Passover sacrifice. Unlike other holy portions, such as tithes and offerings where apostasy does not necessarily prevent a person from partaking, abandoning the faith specifically disqualifies an individual from participating in the Passover meal [תורה תמימה].