10654. Verses 18-23 You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat the unleavened bread that I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt. All that opens the womb ¹ is Mine, and of all your cattle you are to give the male, whatever opens [the womb] among oxen and small cattle ² . And whatever opens [the womb] among asses ³ you shall redeem with [one of] the small cattle; and if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And My face shall not be seen empty-handed ⁴ . Six days you shall work, and on the seventh day you shall rest; in ploughing and in harvesting you shall rest ⁵ . And you shall keep the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the end ⁶ of the year. Three times in the year all your males shall be seen at the face of the Lord, Jehovah, the God of Israel.

'You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread' means worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of deliverance from evil and from the falsities of evil. 'Seven days you shall eat the unleavened bread' means a holy state then, and making Divine Truth, purified from evil and from the falsities of evil, one's own. 'That I commanded you' means in accordance with Divine order. 'At the appointed time in the month of Abib' means a new state. 'Because in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt' means because then there was deliverance from hell. 'All that opens the womb is Mine' means that all the good of innocence, charity, and faith is to be ascribed to the Lord. 'Of all your cattle you are to give the male' means which is imparted by means of truth. 'Whatever opens [the womb] among oxen and small cattle' means present in the external and internal man. 'And whatever opens [the womb] among asses you shall redeem with [one of] the small cattle' means that merely natural faith must not be ascribed to the Lord, [only the truth of innocence present within it.] 'And if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck' means that if the truth of innocence is not present within it, it is to be separated and cast aside. 'All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem' means that the truths of faith devoid of good are not to be ascribed to the Lord. 'And My face shall not be seen empty-handed' means the reception [of what is given] out of mercy, and thanksgiving. 'Six days you shall work' means the first state of regeneration, when a person is in possession of truths and at that stage is engaged in conflicts. 'And on the seventh day you shall rest' means the second state of regeneration, when a person is governed by good and at this stage experiences peace. 'In ploughing and harvesting you shall rest' means so far as the implanting of truth in good and the reception of that truth are concerned. 'And you shall keep the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest' means worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of the implanting of truth in good. 'And the feast of ingathering at the end of the year' means [the worship of a thankful mind on account of the implanting of good after that, and so on account of] regeneration and complete deliverance from damnation. 'Three times in the year all your males shall be seen at the face of the Lord, Jehovah, the God of Israel' means the Lord's constant appearance and presence in the truths of faith as well.

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