AND EVERY FIRSTLING OF AN ASS THOU SHALT REDEEM WITH A LAMB, AND IF THOU WILT NOT REDEEM IT… THOU SHALT BREAK HIS NECK. The ass and the lamb symbolize the evil and the good inclinations. The very evil can be turned into good by repentance: the “ass” must be redeemed by a “lamb”. In other words, even if a man is an “ass”, a spiritual ignoramus, he can be redeemed from the exile of darkness and be included in the redemption of Israel, “the scattered sheep” (Jer. 50, 17). But if he does not repent, “thou shalt break his neck”, meaning, he belongs to the stiffnecked ones who will be blotted out from the Book of Life, for concerning such unrepentant sinners it is written: “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Ex. 22, 33).
(ויקרא כ' ע"א) (שמות י״ג:י״ג) וְכָל פֶּטֶר חֲמוֹר תִּפְדֶּה בְשֶׂה וְגוֹ'. (פקודא להביא קרב וכו') פִּקּוּדָא דָּא לִפְדּוֹת פֶּטֶר חֲמוֹר, וְלַעֲרוֹף פֶּטֶר חֲמוֹר, אִם לֹא יִפְדֶּה לֵיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְאִם לֹא תִפְדֶּה וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ. וְרָזָא דָּא יֵצֶר הָרָע, יָכוֹל לְאַחְזְרָא בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא, (ס"א ולבתר יצר הטוב וכו') וּלְבָתַר לְאַחְזְרָא יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, אִם זָכָה עֵזֶר, אִם לֹא זָכָה כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. בְּגִין דְּאִינּוּן דִּיּוּקְנָא, חַד דְּשֶׂה, וְחַד דַּחֲמוֹר, וְאִי זָכָה לְאַחְזְרָא בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ חֲמוֹר עַם הָאָרֶץ, תִּפְדֶּה מִן גָּלוּתָא בְשֶׂה, דְּאִיהוּ (ירמיהו נ׳:י״ז) שֶׂה פְזוּרָה יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִי לָא הֲדַר בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא, וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ, שָׁוֵי לֵיהּ עַם קְשֵׁה קְדָל, דַּעֲתִידִין לְאִתְמָחֲאָה מִן סֵפֶר חַיִּים, דְּעָלַיְיהוּ אִתְּמַר, (שמות ל״ב:ל״ג) מִי אֲשֶׁר חָטָא לִי אֶמְחֶנּוּ מִסִּפְרִי.
AND EVERY FIRSTLING OF AN ASS THOU SHALT REDEEM WITH A LAMB, AND IF THOU WILT NOT REDEEM IT… THOU SHALT BREAK HIS NECK. The ass and the lamb symbolize the evil and the good inclinations. The very evil can be turned into good by repentance: the “ass” must be redeemed by a “lamb”. In other words, even if a man is an “ass”, a spiritual ignoramus, he can be redeemed from the exile of darkness and be included in the redemption of Israel, “the scattered sheep” (Jer. 50, 17). But if he does not repent, “thou shalt break his neck”, meaning, he belongs to the stiffnecked ones who will be blotted out from the Book of Life, for concerning such unrepentant sinners it is written: “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Ex. 22, 33).