EXOD169 Do not take the meat of the Pesach offering outside. When we left Egypt, Hashem uplifted us out of slavery and gave us royal status. Anything that a king requires is available to him. His meals are brought to him in his palace and he enjoys them in the company of a large group. On the night of the Exodus, we became like kings. Therefore, on the Seder night, we do not behave as poor folk who partake of large, sumptuous meals only rarely, and who send some of the bounty outside to give to their friends.

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EXOD170 No uncircumcised male shall eat of the Pesach offering. If a Jew is not circumcised because his older brothers died as a result of circumcision, he is forbidden to partake of the meat of the Pesach offering. All the more so, if a Jew simply ignores the mitzvah of circumcision and wantonly remains uncircumcised, he may not eat of the Pesach offering. (See [[EXOD167]] Exodus 12:45 settler CHINUCH 14-5.)

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EXOD174 Sanctify firstborn males. If a Jewish woman's firstborn child is a male, the child must be sanctified to Hashem. The same applies to the firstborn male of kosher animals (e.g., cows, goats, sheep) or of a donkey. We must realize that everything in existence belongs to Hashem. Whatever anyone possesses comes from Hashem, Who gives of His great bounty because of His kindness. Therefore, after a person makes great efforts and his toil finally yields fruit, although his first fruits are very dear to him, he immediately parts with them and gives them to Hashem. This reminds the person that whatever he or she possesses actually belongs to the Creator. Another reason for the mitzvah: To remind us of the great miracle that Hashem performed for us when He saved us from the Egyptians by killing their first born.

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EXOD179 Tell of the Exodus from Egypt. On the night of the 15th of Nisan, tell of the Exodus from Egypt, clearly, to the best of your ability, giving praise and thanks to Hashem for all the miracles that He performed for us then. Recall the miracles and other events that occurred to our ancestors during the redemption from Egypt and how Hashem executed judgment on the Egyptians and took vengeance on them. Anyone who is alone for the Seder must still speak of the Exodus, audibly, although no one else will hear. Speaking of these matters aloud will help him to feel the desired emotions, because the spoken word coming from one's lips has the power to arouse one's heart. Like the mitzvah of the Pesach offering, this mitzvah is intended to make us recall the great miracles that Hashem performed for us when He freed us from Egypt. It is not surprising that we have so many mitzvos to remind us of the Exodus. The liberation of bnei Yisrael from the enslavement in Egypt constitutes a pillar of the Torah. The Exodus is a central feature of the Jewish faith. A reoccurring phrase in our prayers and blessings is “A remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt,” because the manner of our liberation from Egypt is a source of great inspiration for us. The unprecedented phenomena that preceded our sudden, rapid exit from the land of our captivity completely violated the laws of nature. The miraculous events of the Exodus testify that the world was brought into being by the Creator, the First Cause of all that exists, Who sustains His Creation and can completely alter it through amazing miracles whenever He wants. For the sake of our nation, bnei Yisrael, the Almighty Creator performed unique, unparalleled wonders. These events silence all who deny that the world was brought into being by a Creator. Clear confirmation of faith in the Creator, our redemption from Egypt is a source of knowledge of Him and shows that His Providence and Powers covered not only the Creation as a whole career but also all of its parts. The Sefer HaChinuch provides reasons for the mitzvos for the sake of our young, so that when they begin to learn Torah, they will see that the mitzvos are understandable and beneficial. If the young look at the Torah as a closed book whose mitzvos cannot be understood, they are likely to be unwilling to fulfill the mitzvos and might reject the Torah and become involved in foolishness. To prevent this, I supply reasons for the mitzvos—the thoughts about them that come to mind first. Although all of the laws of the Torah are decrees, it is fitting for you to reflect upon them. Whenever you can put forth a reason for one, do so.

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EXOD183 Break the neck of the firstborn donkey that was not redeemed. One who does not want to fulfill the mitzvah of redeeming the firstborn of a donkey must kill it by breaking its neck. Since the animal was not redeemed, no one may derive benefit from it. One is forbidden to derive benefit even from its carcass. (See [[EXOD185]] Exodus 13:13 redeem CHINUCH 20).

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EXOD185 Redeem the firstborn of a donkey. If the firstborn of a donkey is a male, it cannot be used for any purpose until it is redeemed. The redemption is onto a lamb, and if the owner has no lamb he uses money instead--equivalent to the value of a lamb. So that Jews will never forget the great miracle that Hashem performed for them just prior to the Exodus from Egypt when he killed Egypt’s firstborn males. The men of Egypt are likened to donkeys.

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EXOD259 Do not go beyond the boundary of one's town on the Sabbath. ... This mitzvah reminds us that the world did not always exist. It had a beginning. In six days Hashem brought the world into being, and on the seventh day He “rested.” In order to remember this principle, it is fitting that on the seventh day of the week we rest in one place and not go far away from there.

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EXOD352 Belief in Hashem's existence. One must believe that the universe has only one God, that everything that exists, existed and will exist in all of Creation is His doing and results from His will. This one God took our nation out of Egypt and gave us His Torah. Do not let your heart entice you into thinking that our liberation from Egyptian enslavement and the plagues suffered by Egypt occurred by chance. One must know that Hashem redeemed us from Egypt. It was His Will and His doing, and every detail of it was under His supervision. He brought it about, as He had promised to our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. It is obvious to all that this principle is the focal point of the Jewish faith. Anyone who denies this principle denies all of Judaism and is not considered a part of the Jewish People. Every Jew must enter these basic beliefs into his or her consciousness, and there must be no doubt about these principles at all. When a Jew is asked about his/her religious beliefs, he/she must immediately respond that these are his/her beliefs. Never would he/she exchange these beliefs for any others, even if threatened with death. We fulfill this mitzvah in the optimal fashion when we understand in our hearts and see with our eyes that these beliefs are indisputably true and it is impossible to believe otherwise. This mitzvah is one of the six constant mitzvos, for we must be conscious of this basic belief at all times, every minute of the day and for all of our lives (See Introduction to Sefer HaChinuch, cited in the Mishnah Berurah, Siman 1, in the Biur Halachah, s.v. Hu Klal).

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EXOD360 One may not believe in any god besides Hashem. This concept, too, is a centerpiece of the Jewish religion. If someone believes in a false deity, it is as if he denies the entire Torah.

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EXOD363 Do not make any object for the sake of worshipping it, even if only others will worship it, not you. According to the Rambam (Maimonides), one is forbidden even to tell someone else to make such an object. [According to the Ramban (Nachmanides), however, one violates the prohibition only if one makes the idol with intent to worship it]. Key concept: To distance us from idol worship.

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