Torah Portion: Bo
You shall not eat it partially roasted or cooked in water; only roasted over fire (Shemos 12:9).
It is a negative commandment to not eat the meat of the Passover offering when raw or cooked in water, but it must be roasted on fire, as it says: You shall not eat it partially roasted [“na”] or cooked in water; only roasted over fire. The prohibition against eating it “na” refers to eating from the Passover offering before it was fully cooked, even if it was roasted. For the word “na” means that the fire had begun to affect the meat and it became partially roasted but it is still inedible. However, if it is totally raw, and the fire did not affect it all, then the prohibition of “na” does not apply [it is nevertheless forbidden by the Torah, since it lacks the requirement of being “roasted over fire”]. The meaning of “cooked” is that it was cooked in water or some other liquid or fruit juice.
Among the roots of this commandment is to remember the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt. And the reason for the commandment to eat it specifically roasted is that it is the way of royalty and high officials to eat roast meat, which is a good and tasty food. But other people can only eat the meager amount of meat which they can afford when it is cooked, in order to fill their stomachs. But we, who eat the Passover [offering] as a remembrance of our going out into freedom—to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation—should surly behave in a manner of [high] freedom while eating [its meat]. Another reason: Eating it roasted alludes to the haste in which they went out of Egypt; that they could not stay long enough for it to cook in a pot.
This commandment applies to men and women, when the Temple existed.
