(ט) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (י) דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֣ישׁ אִ֣ישׁ כִּי־יִהְיֶֽה־טָמֵ֣א ׀ לָנֶ֡פֶשׁ אוֹ֩ בְדֶ֨רֶךְ רְחֹקָ֜הׄ לָכֶ֗ם א֚וֹ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְעָ֥שָׂה פֶ֖סַח לַיהֹוָֽה׃ (יא) בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֜י בְּאַרְבָּעָ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר י֛וֹם בֵּ֥ין הָעַרְבַּ֖יִם יַעֲשׂ֣וּ אֹת֑וֹ עַל־מַצּ֥וֹת וּמְרֹרִ֖ים יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ׃ (יב) לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ עַד־בֹּ֔קֶר וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֣א יִשְׁבְּרוּ־ב֑וֹ כְּכׇל־חֻקַּ֥ת הַפֶּ֖סַח יַעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃ (יג) וְהָאִישׁ֩ אֲשֶׁר־ה֨וּא טָה֜וֹר וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ לֹא־הָיָ֗ה וְחָדַל֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת הַפֶּ֔סַח וְנִכְרְתָ֛ה הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מֵֽעַמֶּ֑יהָ כִּ֣י ׀ קׇרְבַּ֣ן יְהֹוָ֗ה לֹ֤א הִקְרִיב֙ בְּמֹ֣עֲד֔וֹ חֶטְא֥וֹ יִשָּׂ֖א הָאִ֥ישׁ הַהֽוּא׃ (יד) וְכִֽי־יָג֨וּר אִתְּכֶ֜ם גֵּ֗ר וְעָ֤שָֽׂה פֶ֙סַח֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה כְּחֻקַּ֥ת הַפֶּ֛סַח וּכְמִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ כֵּ֣ן יַעֲשֶׂ֑ה חֻקָּ֤ה אַחַת֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְלַגֵּ֖ר וּלְאֶזְרַ֥ח הָאָֽרֶץ׃ {ס}
(1) יהוה spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, on the first new moon of the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, saying: (2) Let the Israelite people offer the passover sacrifice at its set time: (3) you shall offer it on the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, at its set time; you shall offer it in accordance with all its rules and rites. (4) Moses instructed the Israelites to offer the passover sacrifice; (5) and they offered the passover sacrifice in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai. Just as יהוה had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.
(6) But there were some householders who were impure by reason of a corpse and could not offer the passover sacrifice on that day. Appearing that same day before Moses and Aaron, (7) those householders said to them, “Impure though we are by reason of a corpse, why must we be debarred from presenting יהוה’s offering at its set time with the rest of the Israelites?” (8) Moses said to them, “Stand by, and let me hear what instructions יהוה gives about you.”
(9) And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (10) Speak to the Israelite people, saying: When any party—whether you or your posterity—who is defiled by a corpse or is on a long journey would offer a passover sacrifice to יהוה, (11) they shall offer it in the second month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, (12) and they shall not leave any of it over until morning. They shall not break a bone of it. They shall offer it in strict accord with the law of the passover sacrifice. (13) But if any party who is pure and not on a journey refrains from offering the passover sacrifice, that person shall be cut off from kin, for יהוה’s offering was not presented at its set time; that party shall bear the guilt. (14) And when a stranger who resides with you would offer a passover sacrifice to יהוה, it must be offered in accordance with the rules and rites of the passover sacrifice. There shall be one law for you, whether stranger or citizen of the country.
From ' Lit' by Chaya Lester
Let’s try this again.
To connect the daats
– to know each other
Biblically, mythically,
with all of our incompletes.
Let’s bring back the mystic,
because I missed-it
a month ago
in all the madness
of the Exodus.
I just flat-out missed it.
I was too bloody tired
and you were strained
and the table was painted
with the sweat and toil of slavery
though we played like we were free
for the sake of the children,
didn’t we? – Masterfully.
We were as distant as
planets spinning
in their usual orbits
– light years between us. ‘Do not worry, we will loop
back around
to eclipse each other again’
– I said.
You can bring the charoset
for sweetness between us
and I will bring the marror
to memorialize the distance.
We will sandwich them
just like the sages.
Forgive me.
I was lost in my own loss,
my own trauma.
I carried the old bones
of Joseph, you know.
Like a mother who buries
her priestly sons
in silence,
I lost my chance
to celebrate you.
But I won’t lose my chance
to beg forgiveness
and to press with compassion
that eternal reset button
on our friendship.
So let’s try this again.
With no pomp and circumstance.
No children, no guests, no friends.
Just a page of matza
and four open palms
between us.
“And with a strong hand
we were brought out of Egypt.”
You are my Exodus.
My strong hand.
Your forgiveness
is my freedom.
Our love is my holy land.
Let’s leave Egypt
again.
Pesach Sheni comes exactly one month after Pesach, on the 15th of Iyar. It is a quiet, often overlooked holiday. And yet, it is a ritual that offers a lot of strength to those who need it. I, for one, always seem to need it…
Passover is sometimes hard on me. Hard on my faith, my body, my nerves. Hard on my marriage, too. I can’t seem to make it to Seder night without a resounding chorus of my own low moans of protest. Protest against the toil of it all. The cleaning. The cooking. The taking care of everyone and everything…again. Another round of exhausting rites and ritual, long nights and a few too many fights. I inevitably seem to miss out on God along the way.
So I am particularly appreciative of Pesach Sheni. The Second Passover. The Holiday of Second Chances. This is the replay holiday, reserved for those who were unable to partake in the Pascal lamb on time. Exactly one month later, thankfully, we get another chance to re-tackle this whole freedom march, this time from a place of a little less stress and a lot more perspective. Just get out a piece of matza and sit down with whoever you lost along the way. Ask for a second chance; from God, your spouse, your self, your friend. After all, second-chances have their own particular flavor of freedom. It’s richer, more subtle and complex than the first taste could ever have been.
יוֹם זֶה לְכׇל דוֹרוֹת בְּחֹדֶשׁ זִיו וְאוֹר;
יֻחַד כְּחָג שֶׁנִי בִּשְׁבִיל אֶפְשָׁר לִזְכּוֹר!
צַדִּיקֵי הָאֲנַשִׁים טֻמְּאוּ בִּשְׁבִיל נָבוֹן.
(צָפוּ כׇּל עַצְמוֹתָיו כִּי אִתָּם פָּקַד לִטְמוֹן.)
צָרְפוּ אַחַר חֲצוֹת, אַךְ יֵשׁ לָהֶם רָצוֹן –
צֶדֶק בְּעֵינֵיהֶם אֶת חָג לָאֵל לִשְׁמוֹר!
יוֹם זֶה…
חָנוּן בְּרֹב חַסְדּוֹ יָעַד לָהֶם מֹעֵד;
חָגִיגָה לְכׇל הָיָה טָמֵא לְהִוָּעֵד,
חוֹזֵר אִם בָּרָחוֹק כׇּל אִישׁ יָעִיד בָּעֵד,
חוֹק לְעֹלָם וָעֶד, מִכָּרֵת אֵל יִפְטֹר!
יוֹם זֶה…
קָרֵב הַיּוֹם הָהוּא, בְּאֶרֶץ קׇדְשְׁךָ,
קׇרְבָּנְךָ יֻקְרַב, בְּמַעֲמָדְךָ!
קָרָא לְאִישׁ אָמַר, ”עִמְדוּ וְאֶשְׁמְעָה“–
”דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר׃“
Yom Zeh l’Khol Dorot, a piyyut for Pesaḥ Sheni by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
This day for all generations, in the month of shining light[1]
Designated for a second festival so it can be remembered.
The righteous of the people were impure for the sake of the intelligent one[2]
(As all his bones floated up,[3] since with them he swore to be buried)
They were purified after midnight,[4] but they still have a desire –
Righteous in their eyes to observe the festival of God!
This day...
The Merciful, in great lovingkindness, set for them a time
A small festival, for all who were impure, to be designated
Returning, if far away, every man will testify as a witness
A law forever and ever, from being cut off God will exempt![5]
This day...
It draws near – that day, in the land of Your holiness,
Your offering we will offer, in Your presence!
Who called to the man[6] that said, “Stand, and let me listen” –
“Speak to the children of Israel and say…”[7]
This day...
1] Ziv – Biblical name for the month of Iyyar. See I Kings 6:1
2] Namely, Joseph. Sukkah 25b records a tradition that the men in the Numbers 9 passage were carrying his coffin.
3] A tradition in the Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 13:19 and Sotah 13a records that Joseph’s coffin was made of metal, and sunk in the Nile, but when Moses reminded him that the time to fulfill the oath of Genesis 50:25 had arrived, the coffin floated up to the top of the river.
4] By which point one is no longer allowed to consume the Pesaḥ sacrifice
5] See the Mishnah, Pesaḥim 9:1
6] Moses, in the original source for Pesaḥ Sheni – Numbers 9:8
7] Numbers 9:10 – the introduction to the laws of Pesaḥ Sheni
Haggadah for Pesaḥ Sheni by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
There are three things that differ between this table and the table of the First Pesaḥ, and these are they: the beet, the potato, one matza.
Lift the beet so all participants can see it:
In the place of the shankbone there is a beet (seleq). And why is this? For we are removed (m'sullaqim) from our land and our Holy House, and we pray that all of our sins are removed (y'sullqu) from our hearts. And may it be Your will, our God and God of our ancestors, that the juice of this red-as-blood beet be mixed with the juice of this white-as-snow beet, and the latter will serve the former.
Lift the potato so all participants can see it:
In the place of the egg and also in the place of the karpas there is a boiled potato. And why is this? For boiling water hardens the egg, and softens the potato. And may it be Your will, our God and God of our ancestors, that You soften our hearts rather than harden them, so that we may do repentance and return to You.
Lift the one piece of matza so all participants can see it:
In the place of three matzot, there is one matza. And why is this? For there is one day to do the second Pesaḥ, and there is one God to command us to do it, and there is one Torah in which it is written, and there is one people for whom it is upon us to do it. One is our God, great is our Master, holy is the Name.
“And therein lies the whole of man's plight. Human time does not turn in a circle; it runs ahead in a straight line. That is why man cannot be happy: happiness is the longing for repetition.”
-Milan Kundera, the Unbearable Lightness of Being