Pesach Sheini

I believe that one of the most important ways for any person, family, or community to create a meaningful Jewish life is to prioritize living within the Jewish calendar. Each holiday (and shabbat) is an opportunity for us to connect with ourselves, our deep tradition, and community. Of course, we may not always be able to observe every holiday for factors out of our control. Perhaps some of us did not celebrate Pesach in the ways we intended this year. This brings me to the significance of Pesach Sheini (Second Passover).

Pesach Sheini is a special “second chance Passover” celebrated on the 14th of Iyyar, one month after normal Pesach. We learn of its origins in the Book of Numbers:

“A certain people came close to Aaron and Moses on that day and said to them, ‘We were ritually unfit due to our proximity to a corpse (and could not observe Pesach). Why must we be punished and prevented from coming close to God within the rest of the Israelites?’ (Numbers 9:7).

Furthermore, we learn in the Talmud (Sukkah 25b) that these “certain people” could not observe Pesach the first time around because they were busy engaging in the sacred act of burying the dead. Thus, God instituted Pesach Sheini as an opportunity to celebrate the holiday for all who were unable to do so at its appointed time. But more than that, Pesach Sheini serves as a reminder that we always have an opportunity to engage with the Jewish calendar.

No matter what our lives looked like last year, month, or week, the Jewish calendar will keep rolling and creating opportunities for us to create meaningful Jewish lives.