 | Mishpatim |  |
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| | 23:19 |
Bring your first fruits to the Temple of God your Lord. Do not cook meat in milk, [even] that of its mother.
Reshit bikurey admatecha tavi Beyt Adonay Eloheycha lo-tevashel gedi bachalev imo. |
| 23:20 |
Sixth Reading
I will send an angel before you to safeguard you on the way, and bring you to the place that I have prepared.
Hineh anochi shole'ach mal'ach lefaneycha lishmorcha badarech velahavi'acha el-hamakom asher hachinoti. |
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Commentary:
Bring your first fruits...
See Deuteronomy 26:2 f. Also see Exodus 26:2, 34:22,26, Leviticus 2:14, 23:17, Numbers 18:13.
| meat
Literally, 'kid,' denoting any young animal (Hirsch; cf. Chullin 114a; Midrash HaGadol).
| in milk
See Exodus 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21. This commandment forbids us to eat meat cooked in milk (Sefer HaMitzvoth, Negative Commandment 187; Yad, Maakholoth Assuroth 9:3). One reason for this law is that meat represents death (the slaughter of the animal), while milk represents new life, and it is not proper to mix life and death (Recanti; Tzeror HaMor; Zohar 2:124b). It is also forbidden because eating meat cooked in milk was an idolatrous practice, especially on festivals (Moreh Nevukhim 3:48; Ralbag).
| even
(Cf. Chullin 114a, Ramban ad loc.; Hirsch).
| angel
See Joshua 5:14 (Shemoth Rabbah 32:3; Rashbam; Abarbanel). Some say that this angel was necessary since all prophets other than Moses could only receive their prophecy through an angel (Moreh Nevukhim 3:34). Others say that the 'messenger' here denotes a prophet (Ralbag). See Exodus 32:34.
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