First Strike!

Leah Blum and Aviva Novick ask:

Regarding Makat Bechorot - we do pidyon haBen in order to make up for the fact that Hashem saved our bechorot in makat bechorot. But part of the makka was specifically to target the Egyptians, and not Bnei Yisroel. Why are we making up for something that would never have happened? And if we are supposed to do this, why don’t we dedicate our light in some way to Hashem for sparing us from choshech, (or any other of the makkot)?

Although this question is related to last week’s parsha, I felt that the issues related to answering your question are themselves timeless.

You are correct, there is indeed a connection between Makkat Bechorot and Pidyon Ha’Ben; the Torah explicitly says so:

במדבר ג:יג- כִּי לִי, כָּל-בְּכוֹר--בְּיוֹם הַכֹּתִי כָל-בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּי לִי כָל-בְּכוֹר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵאָדָם עַד-בְּהֵמָה: לִי יִהְיוּ, אֲנִי יְהוָה.

The Torah’s description of Makkat Bechorot and the state of devastation it left its victims in is quite shocking:

שמות יב:כט-ל- וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה, וַיהוָה הִכָּה כָל-בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם... וַתְּהִי צְעָקָה גְדֹלָה, בְּמִצְרָיִם: כִּי-אֵין בַּיִת, אֲשֶׁר אֵין-שָׁם מֵת

This final blow to the Egyptians was not just meant to put an end to a very sad chapter in Jewish history, which came as a result of Hashem’s finally bringing our enemies to their knees, but this makka would literally create a new reality for those who were not even directly affected by it themselves- the Jews.

Immediately following the story of Makkot Bechorot the Torah describes the new role of firstborn Jewish male children and the role they would now have as leaders of the Jewish people:

שמות יג:א-ב- וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. קַדֶּשׁ-לִי כָל-בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר כָּל-רֶחֶם, בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--בָּאָדָם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה: לִי, הוּא.

שמות יג:יא– יב- וְהָיָה כִּי-יְבִאֲךָ יְהוָה, אֶל-אֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי, כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לְךָ, וְלַאֲבֹתֶיךָ; וּנְתָנָהּ, לָךְ. וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ כָל-פֶּטֶר-רֶחֶם, לַיהוָה; וְכָל-פֶּטֶר שֶׁגֶר בְּהֵמָה, אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה לְךָ הַזְּכָרִים--לַיהוָה.


Why though were the firstborn sons of Jewish families singled out for distinction, their lives were in no more jeopardy than any other Jew, after all, wasn’t this makka aimed at the Egyptians? It would seem though, that Jewish families were also at risk of casualties resulting from this devastating makka, why else would Jewish households be commanded to spread the blood of the Korban Pesach on their doorposts?:

שמות יב:כב- וּלְקַחְתֶּם אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב, וּטְבַלְתֶּם בַּדָּם אֲשֶׁר-בַּסַּף, וְהִגַּעְתֶּם אֶל-הַמַּשְׁקוֹף וְאֶל-שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת, מִן-הַדָּם אֲשֶׁר בַּסָּף; וְאַתֶּם, לֹא תֵצְאוּ אִישׁ מִפֶּתַח-בֵּיתוֹ--עַד-בֹּקֶר.


Wasn’t the purpose of this to distinguish them from their Egyptian neighbors?:

שמות יב:כג - וְעָבַר יְהוָה, לִנְגֹּף אֶת-מִצְרַיִם, וְרָאָה אֶת-הַדָּם עַל-הַמַּשְׁקוֹף, וְעַל שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת; וּפָסַח יְהוָה, עַל-הַפֶּתַח, וְלֹא יִתֵּן הַמַּשְׁחִית, לָבֹא אֶל-בָּתֵּיכֶם לִנְגֹּף.


The implication seems to be that anybody who did not do so was at equal risk of a potentially fatal outcome, despite the fact that they were Jewish. After all, isn’t this why the Jewish people required extra protection on that night? It was because of this extra protection that the Jews received from Hashem on the night of Makkat Bechorot that it is referred to as "לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים":

שמות יב: מב - לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַיהוָה, לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: הוּא-הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה לַיהוָה, שִׁמֻּרִים לְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְדֹרֹתָם.

But why? Why did the tenth makka specifically target the entire land and not just the Egyptians, as the previous makkot had? Would the Jewish people really have fallen victim to this makka if they didn’t properly identify their homes? Did Hashem need a reminder lest he run the risk of knocking on the wrong door?!

Rashi points out, יג:ב that the reason why Hashem specifically asked the Jewish people קַדֶּשׁ-לִי כָל-בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר כָּל-רֶחֶם- “sanctify to me every first born” is because he in a sense “acquired” them after the tenth makka. Since He did not kill them along with the Egyptian’s firstborn they now belonged to Him. In other words, he spared them and now they owed him. What becomes clear is that the first nine makkot were targeted against the Egyptians, but the tenth was aimed specifically at bechorim everywhere, regardless of their nationality. (This is not to say that the Jews necessarily risked the same kind of casualties as the Egyptians, but rather that they too had to demonstrate that they fully understood the message Hashem was sending through makkat bechorot in order to deserve their salvation).

What was Hashem’s gripe with those who happened to also be firstborn children? Once we understand this we can also begin to understand why the decree of makkot bechorot extended to the children of slaves, captives and even animals, (ה:יא, יב:כט, יג:טו).

Egypt was a nation of slaves and there was a hierarchy there which existed amongst all classes of people. This social tiering was even present amongst the animals to some extent, and even the Jews themselves. The Talmud Yerushalmi uses this notion to explain the following possuk:

שמות ו: יג - וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל-אַהֲרֹן, וַיְצַוֵּם אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֶל-פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם--לְהוֹצִיא אֶת-בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.

Although one would instinctively translate the phrase, “וַיְצַוֵּם אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל” to mean that Moshe and Aharon spoke with Paaroh concerning the Jewish people, the Meshech Chochma uses this Talmud Yerushalmi to offer a novel idea. He explains that the Jewish people, like Paaraoh, were also commanded to free their slaves, and thus Paaroh was not just to be spoken to concerning them, but that the Jews themselves were to be commanded to free their own slaves!

In order for the Jewish people to prepare themselves for their new post-slavery identity, a people whose identity would now and forever be defined by their commitment to Hashem and His Torah and whose stature in the world would come only as a result of their spiritual standing, a crash course involving vivid and graphic imagery would be necessary. If they were to transcend they too had to understand that what makes one great and what defines is his spiritual strivings. Once they could demonstrate that they understood this important concept then they no longer had to worry that Hashem would confuse them with the Egyptians, a people where everyone and everything was someone else’s master, even if he did not deserve this right. This directive came from the top, from a leader who thought he was a god.

From Makkat Bechorot forward a new precedent was to be set; man would have to earn the respect of other’s because of whom he was and what he represented. No longer could he simply demand respect. From here on in it would be earned. The Torah is also clear whose initiative this would have to be “קַדֶּשׁ-לִי כָל-בְּכוֹר.” We were told by Hashem to actively be mekadesh the firstborn because kedusha comes through effort and is neither granted nor freely possessed.

Although the privilege of serving in the Mikdash was originally reserved for bechorot, the natural leaders and those who would best be suited to inspire and help guide the Jewish people, this privilege was stripped from them after Chet Ha’Egel, (Rashi, במדבר, ג: (יג. As a result of their failure to remain apart during the Chet Ha’Egel and because they did not seize the opportunity to positively influence others, the mantle of leadership was passed on to the Leviim and the privilege of serving in the Mikdash was given to them. As a result of this transfer of responsibility, and since bechorot have an elevated status, which from then on would be supplanted by the Kohanim from the tribe of Levi, a Jewish father must redeem his firstborn son for five silver coins in a ceremony called a Pidyon Ha’Ben:

במדבר פרק ג:יב,מא - וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה לָקַחְתִּי אֶת-הַלְוִיִּם, מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, תַּחַת כָּל-בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם, מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְהָיוּ לִי, הַלְוִיִּם. וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת-הַלְוִיִּם לִי אֲנִי יְהוָה, תַּחַת כָּל-בְּכֹר בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל;