Why does the Torah compare the six days of Pesach to the seventh day?
Chagigah, 18a: To teach us that, just as Melachah is prohibited on the seventh day, so too, is it forbidden during the six days. On the other hand, the prohibition canot be equal, since the Torah specified "u'va'Yom ha'Shevi'i Atzeres ... ". Consequently, we must say that the Torah differentiated between the seventh day and the other days - prohibiting all kinds of Melachah on the seventh and leaving it to the Chachamim to decide how to divide the other six day and which Melachos to declare prohibited. 1
See Torah Temimah, note 34.
How will we reconcile the current Pasuk "Sheishes Yamim Tochal Matzos" with Pasuk 3 and with the Pasuk in Bo Sh'mos, 12:15, which writes "Shiv'as Yamim Tochal [alav] Matzos"?
Rashi #1: Seven days from the old grain, and six from the new. 1
Rashi #2: The current Pasuk teaches us that one is not obligated to eat Matzah on the seventh day of Pesach, and since the seventh day is included in the seven days mentioned in the other Pesukim, all seven days are not obligatory 2 - with the exception of the first night, 3 about which the Torah wrote (in Sh'mos 12:18) "ba'Erev Tochlu Matzos!" 4
Since Chadash is Asur until they bring the Omer on the second day of Pesach. See Sifsei Chachamim and Torah Temimah, note Menachos, 66a.
Rashi: Due to the principle that whenever part of a K'lal is singled out to give it a special Din, that Din extends to the entire K'lal. See Mizrachi.
Others maintain that eating Matzah all seven days is a Mitzvah. See Targum Yonasan and Na?ar Yonasan in Pasuk 3
See Torah Temimah, note 32, who elaborates.
What are the connotations of "u'va'Yom ha'Shevi'i Atzeres la'Shem Elokecha ... "?
Rashi: #1: It means 'Hold yourselves back from doing work'.
Rashi #2: It means 'Gather together to eat and drink!' 1
Ramban #1: It teaches us that one is required to eat Matzah (and not Chametz) on the seventh day of Pesach as well. 2
Ramban #2 (DH 've'Al Derech ha'Emes', according to Kabalah): Atzeres is Keneses Yisrael. Shemini Atzeres is an independent Yom-Tov, but the seventh day of Pesach is not - it is part of Pesach.
Seforno: It refers to K'ri'as Yam-Suf, which took place on the seventh day of Pesach, when Yisrael gathered to sing Shirah. 3
Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: It means 'Gather together before Hashem your G-d (in order to praise Him - Targum Yonasan)!'
Chagigah 9a #1: Based on the Gezeirah Shavah "Atzeres" "Atzeres" from Shemini Atzeres, in Pinchas, Bamidbar, 29:36, we equate Pesach and Sukos 4 regarding Tashlumin (to allow bringing a Korban Chagigah and Re'iyah until the last day of Yom Tov).
Chagigah, 9a #2: "u'va'Yom ha'Shevi'i Atzeres" teaches us that the seventh day of Pesach is eligible to serve as Tashlumin for the other six. 5
Rashi: As in Shoftim, 13:15 "Na'atzrah Na osach".
Seforno: And that is the only reason that the Torah forbids performing Melachah on the seventh day of Pesach. If not for that, it would not be included in the aspect of 'Mikra Kodesh' of the first day, just like the seventh day of Sukos is not a Yom Tov.
The Gemara does not explain which one we learn from which. Rashi there explains that even though Shemini Atzeres is a separate Yom-Tov, we learn from Pesach that Shemini Atzeres is like Sukos for Tashlumin. However, in Chagigah 17a, he implies that we learn Pesach from Sukos! The Ramban learns Tashlumin during Pesach from Bo Sh'mos, 13:6. Refer to Sh'mos 13:6:1:1. See also Chidushei ha'Gaon Rav Y.S. Elyashiv, 9a.
See Toah Temimah, note 36.
Why does the Torah not mention the prohibition against working on the first day of Pesach, on Shavu'os and on Sukos, nor the Mitzvah of Lulav on Sukos, and why does it omit Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipur altogether?
Ramban: Refer to 16:1:0.1:1.
Seforno: Refer to 16:1:4:2 - with regard to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipur.
Bearing in mind that the seventh day of Pesach is a Yom-Tov, why does the Torah need to mention the Isur Melachah with regard to it?
Ramban: Because (it did not mention it in Emor, and) we would otherwise have thought that the seventh day is only subject to eating Matzah, since the Torah writes "Atzeres Hi" immediately after "Sheishes Yamim Tochal Matzos". 1
Seforno: Refer to 16:18:2:4*.
Refer to 16:8:2:3. Ramban: This is similar to Shemini Atzeres, about which Vayikra 23:36 adds the Isur Melachah after stating "Atzeres Hi" in connection with the Korban Musaf.
Rashi (in Sh'mos 12:15) writes that this is a 'Davar she'Hayah bi'Chlal, Veyatza min ha'Kelal" But the Torah did not mention Matzah on the seventh day?
Refer to Sh'mos 12:15:152:2-3 & Sh'mos 12:15:151:2 and note.
Rashi (in Sh'mos 12:15) writes that this is a 'Davar she'Hayah bi'Chlal, ve'Yatza?". But the K'lal and P'rat need to be similar, whereas here, the K'lal is Isur and the Prat is Heter?
Refer to Sh'mos 12:15:152:1-4 and note.
How will we reconcile the current Pasuk "Atzeres la'Hashem" with the Pasuk in Pinchas Bamidbar, 29:35 "Atzeres Tih'yeh lachem"?
Refer to Bamidbar 29:35:151:1 & 2. 1
See also Torah Temimah, Vayikra, 23:3 note 10, who cites the Yerushalmi and elaborates.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes that one may eat seven days from the old grain, and six from the new. But we already know this from "Lechem ve'Kali? ad Etzem ha'Yom ha'Zeh" (Emor, Vayikra, 3:14)?
Riva (citing R. Yosef of Nikole): If not for "six days", we might have thought that "ba'Erev Tochlu Matzos" (Sh'mos 12:18) overrides the La'av of Chadash (if one cannot obtain Matzah from old grain). "Six days" is like an Isur Asei ['Eat Chadash Matzah for six days, and not seven' 1 ], and the Asei of "ba'Erev Tochlu Matzos" cannot override a Lo Sa'aseh and an Asei.
Sifsei Chachamim: Rashi is teachin us here tht if one wats to eat Matzah throughout Pesach from the old grain, one may do so.
The Riva did not say this explicitly, but this must be his intention. This is a great Chidush; the Pasuk did not mention Chadash! Moreover, it does not concur with Tosfos (Kidushin 38a), who citing the Yerushalmi (Chalah 2:1), explains that an Asei is only Docheh a Lo Sa'aseh if it is written next to it, or we were commanded about both at the same time). Alternatively, the Chachamim decreed to forbid it, in case one eats a second k'Zayis. (Our text of the Yerushalmi brings only the first answer there; see Yerushalmi to match Temurah 3 ? PF.)
Rashi writes that just like six days are R'shus, so are all seven days, and only the first night is Chovah. But based on the fact that, when there are two ways to learn, one takes the stringent one, we ought to say that just like the first night is Chovah, all six days are Chovah?
Refer to Sh'mos 12:15:153:1 & 2 and note.
