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Pesach Sheni
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| Introduction | |
| A year after the Exodus, G‑d instructed the people of Israel to bring the Passover offering on the afternoon of the fourteenth of Nissan, and to eat it that evening, roasted over the fire, together with matzah and bitter herbs, as they had done the previous year just before they left Egypt. “There were, however, certain persons who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body, and could not, therefore, prepare the Passover offering on that day. They approached Moses and Aaron . . . and they said: ‘. . . Why should we be deprived, and not be able to present G‑d’s offering in its time, amongst the children of Israel?’” (Numbers 9:6–7). |
In response to their plea, G‑d established the 14th of Iyar as a “Second Passover” (Pesach Sheni) for anyone who was unable to bring the offering on its appointed time in the previous month. The day thus represents the “second chance” achieved by teshuvah, the power of repentance and “return.” In the words of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, “The Second Passover means that it’s never a ‘lost case.’”
It is customary to mark this day by eating matzah, shmurah matzah if possible.
The following articles discuss some of the practical, timeless lessons we can learn from this holiday.
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We all appreciate a statement like “There’s always a second chance.” It fits quite nicely on the December 31 page of an Inspirational Sayings Calendar. But how does it mesh with real life?
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The “Second Passover” is observed on the fourteenth of Iyar. The origin of this semi-holiday is quite fascinating . . .
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When a person's contact with death evokes in him a striving for life he would never have mustered without that experience, then the contact with death is transformed into a more intense involvement with life.
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A group of Jews had found themselves in a state which, by divine decree, absolved them from the duty to bring the Passover offering. Yet they refused to reconcile themselves to this
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There are many differences between the observance of the First and Second Passovers. Is there one common thread which can explain all these differences?
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Nowadays we commemorate the Second Passover by making sure to indulge in some matzah, but simultaneously we are permitted bread and other chametz on the table.
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Video | 32:01
Pesach Sheni
The story of Pesach Sheni (the Second Passover) and its timeless lesson for us.
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Audio | 54:27
Pesach Sheni gave a second chance to offer the Passover lamb to all those that were ritually impure and unfit to offer it on Pesach: Why was this option given only to the Pesach lamb, and not other festive offerings?
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The “Second Passover” from the perspective of a recovering alcoholic
Some might think it odd when they hear an alcoholic in recovery say something like “Being an alcoholic is the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”
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Video | 3:44
In response to complaints by those who missed their chance to bring the Passover offering, the Jewish people were given a new holiday: the Second Passover. Therein lies a powerful lesson.
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G-d never promised that we won't fall off, but he will help us climb back on again.
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