This portion contains 9 positive and 11 negative commandments.

The first commandment in this portion, which is the fourth commandment of the Torah, is the need to sanctify the moon each month and to arrange for leap-years when necessary.

Commandment 5 deals with the slaughter of the Passover lamb on the 14th of the month of Nissan in the afternoon.

Commandment 6 requires the eating of this lamb by all Israelites on the evening of the 14th to the 15th of Nissan, since the Torah says: "They shall eat the meat during this night."

Commandment 7 deals with eliminating all leavened matters on the 14th of this month; the Torah writes: "But on the first day you must destroy all leavened things, etc."

Commandment 8 requires us to eat unleavened bread on the evening of the 14th to the 15th; the Torah says: In the evening you shall eat unleavened bread."

Commandment 9 requires the sanctification of the first-born male Israelites and the first-born males of the pure animals; the Torah says: "Sanctify unto Me all the first-born, whatsoever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast, it is Mine."

Commandment 10 enjoins us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nissan. The Torah says: "You shall tell your son."

Commandment 11 demands the redemption of a first-born male donkey. The Torah says: "And every firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb."

Commandment 12 enjoins us to break the neck of such a firstling of an ass if it was not redeemed. The Torah says: "If you do not redeem it, you must break its neck."

Commandment 13 is the prohibition of eating the meat of the Passover sacrifice either raw or boiled in water, but to eat it only roasted on the fire. The Torah says: "Do not eat of it raw or boiled in water, etc."

Commandment 14 is the prohibition of leaving any part of the Passover sacrifice until the morning of the 15th of Nissan. The Torah says: "Do not let anything remain of it until the morning."

Commandment 15 enjoins that no leavened matter must be found in our possession during all the seven days of the Passover holiday. The Torah says: "For seven days nothing leavened must be found in your houses."

Commandment 16 prohibits consumption of foodstuffs containing any leavened matter, even if the Chametz part is only a minor ingredient in such food. The Torah says: "כל מחמצת," anything containing something leavened (you must not eat)." Our sages explain and Maimonides rules, that it is a violation of a Biblical commandment to consume any food containing sufficient leavened matter so that -if one ate from that food for a length of time it would take to consume the equivalent of four eggs- one would thereby eat an amount of חמץ equivalent to the size of an olive. The penalty for that transgression is 39 stripes, not כרת, premature death at the hands of Heaven, as is the case when one consumes undiluted חמץ knowingly. If the amount of חמץ contained in the mixture described is less than can be consumed during the time it takes to eat four eggs, no Biblical prohibition has been breached, but one is subject to being flogged by Rabbinic authority for having transgressed a Rabbinic ordinance. According to Maimonides, the whole reason the Torah repeats the prohibition of כל מחמצת לא תאכלו is to inform us that the penalty for transgressing this prohibition is less than that of eating שאור.

Nachmanides is of the opposite opinion; he does not consider the verse just quoted as a prohibition as such, i.e. as one of the 613 commadments, but as one of the many prohibitions mentioned in connection with the whole subject-matter of חמץ. He understands this verse as speaking of matters which turned into חמץ by themselves, without any human input, as well as חמץ prepared by a Gentile. Without the verse in question I would have concluded that only חמץ under the control of a Jew is prohibited. He does not consider that there was a need to prohibit חמץ found in a mixture, but considered this included in previously mentioned legislation, though not subject to a penalty administered by the Court. This is the majority view in the Talmud. The subject matter is discussed in Pessachim 43.

Commandment 17 forbids the participation of a Jewish heretic in eating of the Passover sacrifice. The Torah says: כל בן נכר לא יאכל בו, "Anyone who has become estranged must not eat of it."

Commandment 18 prohibits us from feeding a stranger or even a resident stranger [one who observes the basic Noachide laws] from the Passover lamb. The Torah says: "A resident or hired hand must not eat of it."

Commandment 19 prohibits anyone from taking part of the meat of the Passover lamb outside the house in which the group to which it has been assigned consumes it. The Torah says: "Do not take any of its meat outside."

Commandment 20 prohibits the breaking of any of the bones of the Passover sacrifice. The Torah says: "You must not break any of its bones."

Commandment 21 prohibits any uncircumcised person from eating of the Passover lamb. The Torah says: "Any uncircumcised person must not eat of it."

Commandment 22 prohibits consumption of חמץ on Passover. The Torah says: "חמץ must not be eaten."

Commandment 23 forbids the visible presence of חמץ in all our dwellings during all the seven days of the holiday. The Torah says: "Neither Chametz nor Se-or shall be found in all your territory for seven days."