Behaalotjá 5776 - English

By Rabbi Guido Cohen

Asociación Israelita Montefiore Bogotá, Colombia.

The Parashah we read this week contains, among other topics, the rules that regulate what happens to the person who has not been able to fulfill the Pesach sacrifice because of being impure at the time.

Those who have a Hebrew calendar on their desks (or in their phones) have probable seen there is a commemoration a month after Pesach called Pesach Sheni.  Due to its lack of ritual relevance in the present day, we are not very familiarized with its meaning.  However, the teaching that hides behind the idea of “Pesach Sheni” is so beautiful that dedicating a few lines to it is worth it.

The story of Chapter 9 of Bemidbar tells us that after receiving the instructions for Pesach, a group of people approached Moses and insisted they also wanted to offer a sacrifice for Pesach, which they had not been able to do at the correct time.  Moses asked them for time to consult God, since he did not know the answer.  After hearing Moses’s question, He explained that whoever had not been able to celebrate Pesach for reasons of ‘force majeure’ (being impure or out of the country) would be able to do so one month later.  The Midrash interprets that these men were impure because they were members of the Chevra Kadisha carrying the bones of Joseph.  Since they were complying with the precept of taking care of a body that no longer had direct relatives, this action was so noble that they could not understand why they should be punished by not being a part of the sacrifice of Pesach.  

The rules and regulations of Pesach Sheni represent an effort in the tradition of the ancient people of Israel to include the most people possible in the celebration of this important festivity.  Born in the time of the Bet HaMikdash and the focus of the cult in Jerusalem (which would explain the reference to the distance from the place of the sacrifice), this rule made the observance of Pesach possible for many people.  Trying to reach Jerusalem on a certain date was not a simple thing for everyone.  Even less if they needed to arrive with a determined standard of purity.  But to have an alternative date in case they did not reach the first one, was something that could increase considerably the probability of more people celebrating Pesach. In other words, from a historical point of view, Pesach Sheni is a nice example of how Judaism has adapted to the human reality and the context of each human being since times immemorial, making the observance of the Mitzvot something reasonably plausible and not a ‘mission impossible’.   

Aside from this, the rules of Pesach Sheni have been very important from a symbolic perspective for the Hassidic tradition.  Rabbi Josef Yitzhak Schneerson, sixth rabbi of the Lubavitch dynasty, teaches that the message of this festivity is that ‘it is never too late.’  Pesach Sheni then becomes a symbol for central concept in our tradition: the idea that there are second chances.  In a world where ‘if you didn’t see it, you missed it’, at times when offers say ‘just for today’ and online stores show a countdown of how much time is left before we miss the sale of the day, the Jewish tradition teaches us that if you did not make it today, you can try tomorrow.  

The idea of Teshuvah, perhaps one of the most beautiful Jewish values, consists precisely of accepting that we can fix and rectify what we have not done well.  This does not mean that our actions do not have consequences.  Of course they do.  Everything we do has an impact and sets off an endless series of consequences.  But if we make a mistake, Judaism believes we can take note and repair it.  Even ‘one second before death,’ the doors of Teshuvah are still open for whoever wishes to return.  That is why the idea of Pesach Sheni, the holiday of second chances, is so important.  It comes to teach us that if we do not make it today, we must try again tomorrow.  If it did not work on the first try, we should not be demoralized and we should give ourselves the opportunity of trying again.  But it also teaches us about doing the same for our neighbor.  If the Hole One did it with the sons of Israel who were impure for the sacrifice, how are we not going to do it for a friend, a brother, a companion in life?  If He can give a second chance, are we going to close the doors to someone who wishes to return? 

Let these verses teach us to think that when there are good intentions and a heart wanting to return, it is never too late to try for a second time.  

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Guido Cohen

Asociación Israelita Montefiore