Second Chances

The lesson derived from Pesach Sheni is: “It is never too late.” Even if one was “impure,” or on “a distant path”—his situation is not “lost.”

When one wishes to correct a missed opportunity, he cannot suffice by giving it the same energy that was originally demanded of him—he must double it. Where in the laws of Pesach Sheni do we see this principle of doubling one’s investment to make up for a shortcoming?

On Passover, so long as there is leaven present in the home, one cannot eat matzah there, for on Passover, matzah and leaven are a contradiction—matzah representing humility, and leaven representing ego . . . On Pesach Sheni, however, matzah and leaven coexist. This teaches us that even in a deficient spiritual state—even whilst matzah and leaven are intermingled—a person can take a positive step forward in his service of G‑d, for “it is never too late.”