IN THE FIRST MONTH ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH. R. Hiya adduced here the verse: “I was asleep but my heart waked, it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh”, etc. (S.S. 2, 2). ‘Says the Community of Israel: I was asleep in the captivity of Egypt, when my children were sore oppressed, but my heart was awake to preserve them so that they should not perish under the oppression. “The voice of my beloved”, the Holy One, blessed be He, saying,
Open to me an opening no bigger than the eye of a needle, and I will open to thee the supernal gates. “Open to me, my sister”, because thou art the door through which there is entrance to Me; if thou openest not, I am closed.
Thus it was that when the Holy One, blessed be He, slew the firstborn in Egypt, at that very time Israel entered into the covenant of the holy sign, and linked themselves with the Community of Israel, by means of the blood which they displayed on the door-the blood of the paschal lamb and the blood of the circumcision, one on one side and one on the other, and one between, to show their faith.
On the fourteenth day, too, they removed the leaven and Israel emerged from the sphere of an alien power and clung to the unleavened, which is a holy bond, and later they became linked to a still higher realm of faith called “heaven”.
(ויקרא כ״ג:ו׳) וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח, (שיר השירים ה׳:ב׳) אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה וְלִבִּי עֵר קוֹל דּוֹדִי דּוֹפֵק וְגוֹ'. אָמְרָה כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה בְּגָלוּתָא דְּמִצְרַיִם, דַּהֲווֹ בָּנַי בְּשִׁעְבּוּדָא דְּקַשְׁיוּ. וְלִבִּי עֵר, לְנַטְרָא לְהוּ דְּלָא יִשְׁתֵּיצוּן בְּגָלוּתָא. קוֹל דּוֹדִי דּוֹפֵק, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּאָמַר (שמות ו׳:ה׳) וָאֶזְכּוֹר אֶת בְּרִיתִי.
IN THE FIRST MONTH ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH. R. Hiya adduced here the verse: “I was asleep but my heart waked, it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh”, etc. (S.S. 2, 2). ‘Says the Community of Israel: I was asleep in the captivity of Egypt, when my children were sore oppressed, but my heart was awake to preserve them so that they should not perish under the oppression. “The voice of my beloved”, the Holy One, blessed be He, saying,
פִּתְחִי לִי פִּתְחָא כְּחִדוּדָא דְּמַחֲטָא, וַאֲנָא אַפְתַּח לְךָ תַּרְעִין עִלָּאִין. פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחוֹתִי, דְּהָא פִּתְחָא לְאַעְלָא לִי, בָּךְ הוּא, דְּלָא יֵיעֲלוּן לְגַבָּאי בָּנַי אֶלָּא בָּךְ, אַנְּתְּ הוּא פִּתְחָא לְאַעְלָא לִי (בך), אִי אַנְתְּ לָא תִּפְתַּח פִּתְחָךְ, הָא אֲנָא סָגִיר. דְּלָא יִשְׁכְּחוּן לִי. בְּגִין כַּךְ, פִּתְחִי לִי. פִּתְחִי לִי וַדַּאי. וְעַל דָּא אָמַר דָּוִד, כַּד בָּעָא לְאַעֲלָא לְמַלְכָּא, אָמַר (תהילים קי״ח:י״ט-כ׳) פִּתְחוּ לִי שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק, אָבֹא בָם אוֹדֶה יָהּ. זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַיְיָ', דָּא הוּא פִּתְחָא וַדַּאי לְאַעֲלָא לְמַלְכָּא. זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַיְיָ', לְאַשְׁכְּחָא לֵיהּ, וּלְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בֵּיהּ, וְעַל דָּא פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחוֹתִי רַעְיָתִי שֶׁרֹאשִׁי וְגוֹ'. בְּגִין לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא עִמָּךְ, וּלְמֶהֱוִי עִמָּךְ בִּשְׁלָם דְּעָלְמִין.
Open to me an opening no bigger than the eye of a needle, and I will open to thee the supernal gates. “Open to me, my sister”, because thou art the door through which there is entrance to Me; if thou openest not, I am closed.
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה קָטִיל לְבוּכְרֵי דְּמִצְרָאֵי, כָּל אִינּוּן דְּקָטַל בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא, וְאָחִית דַּרְגִּין מֵעֵילָּא לְתַתָּא. בֵּיהּ שַׁעֲתָא עָאלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּקִיּוּמָא דְּאָת קַדִּישָׁא, אִתְגְּזָרוּ וְאִשְׁתָּתָּפוּ בִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִתְאַחֲדוּ בָּהּ. כְּדֵין הַהוּא דָּמָא אַחְזִיאוּ לֵיהּ עַל פִּתְחָא. וּתְרֵין דָּמֵי הֲווֹ, חַד דְּפִסְחָא, וְחַד דָּמָא דְּאִתְגְּזָרוּ. וַהֲוָה רָשִׁים עַל פִּתְחָא, רְשִׁימָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, חַד הָכָא וְחַד הָכָא וְחַד בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וְהָא אִתְּמַר, (שמות י״ב:ז׳) וְנָתְנוּ עַל שְׁתֵּי הַמְזוּזוֹת וְעַל הַמַּשְׁקוֹף, בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה מְהֵימְנוּתָא.
Thus it was that when the Holy One, blessed be He, slew the firstborn in Egypt, at that very time Israel entered into the covenant of the holy sign, and linked themselves with the Community of Israel, by means of the blood which they displayed on the door-the blood of the paschal lamb and the blood of the circumcision, one on one side and one on the other, and one between, to show their faith.
וּבְאַרְבָּעָה (נ"א ובחמשה) עֲשָׂר, הָא אִתְּמַר, דְּהָא כְּדֵין מְבַטְּלִין חָמֵץ וּשְׂאוֹר, וְאִסְתַּלָּקוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵרְשׁוּתָא אָחֳרָא, וְאִתְעֲקָרוּ מִנֵּיהּ, וְאִתְאַחֲדוּ בְּמַּצָה, קִשּׁוּרָא קַדִּישָׁא. בָּתַר דְּאִתְגְּזָרוּ, עָאלוּ בָּהּ, עַד דְּאִתְפְּרָעוּ, וְאִתְגַּלְיָיא רְשִׁימָא דִּלְהוֹן, וּכְדֵין יָהַב לְהוֹן קִשּׁוּרָא, בַּאֲתַר עִלָּאָה, בְּקִשּׁוּרָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, בַּאֲתַר דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ט״ז:ד׳) הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם, מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם דַּיְיקָא, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ.
On the fourteenth day, too, they removed the leaven and Israel emerged from the sphere of an alien power and clung to the unleavened, which is a holy bond, and later they became linked to a still higher realm of faith called “heaven”.