June 9, 2023 / 20 Sivan 5783
Parashat Beha’alotcha introduces the institution of a second observance of Passover for those unable to celebrate the festival in its proper time.
Here’s the Torah’s description:
But there were some men who were tamei by reason of a [dead] human person, and so were not able to make the Passover-offering on that day; they came near before Moshe and before Aharon on that day, and those men said to him: We are tamei by reason of a [dead] human person; [but] why should we be restrained by not [being allowed] to bring near the near-offering of YHWH in its appointed-time in the midst of the Children of Israel? Moshe said to them: Stand by, and let me hear what YHWH shall command regarding you. [Numbers 9:6-8]
Moses checks with God and comes back to the petitioners with this conclusion:
A man, [any] man when he is tamei by reason of a [dead] person or is on a long journey, among you or among your generations, and makes a Passover-offering to YHWH: in the second month, on the fourteenth day, between the setting-times, he is to make it; together with matza and bitter-herbs they are to eat it. [Numbers 9:10-11]
איזו היא דרך רחוקה – What is ‘a long journey’? asks the Mishnah (Pesahim 9:2):
“From Modiʿim and beyond, and the same distance in all directions [from Jerusalem]” – these are the words of Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Eliezer says: “From the threshold [of the Temple court/cult site] and beyond.”
Rabbi Yossi said to him: “This is the reason for the special pointing over [the letter] “heh,” to teach that [the verse] does not mean distance in an objective sense, rather it refers to [the area] from the threshold [of the Temple/cult site] and beyond.”
A long journey, then, can refer to an emotional or spiritual distancing from the community and/or from Jewish life. The Torah’s guidance? Help people who feel distant to find a way in; welcome, encourage, embrace. And precise timing isn’t the central value; the availability of a second chance and of renewed welcome is the priority!
My teacher, Rabbi Professor Stephen Garfinkle beautifully summarizes the import and meaning of Pesah Sheni (the second Passover):
In sum, we learn two important messages from the account of the Second Pesaḥ. First, we can see how the law developed over time in order to accommodate new realities. As the Pesaḥ changed from a home-based offering to one based in a cult site, a solution needed to be found for those who were out of town. The solution was found in the older legislation about a make-up day for the Passover offering, originally created for people who were impure after having come in contact with a corpse.
Second, we learn that the Torah, wishing to include all Israelites in the significant ritual of the Pesaḥ, understands the need to assess circumstances in the application of law and, sometimes, to give humans a second chance. The Torah weighs the exclusion of Israelites from a “perfect” ritual against the accommodation of less than ideal circumstances by adapting the ritual in a somewhat inelegant manner—commemorating the Exodus on a day other than the actual anniversary—and chooses the latter.
In other words, in the Second Pesaḥ account, the Torah shows a preference for the acceptance and understanding of human reality over and above the perfect and pristine performance of ritual duties. The God of the Second Pesaḥ is a compassionate and understanding God. The Torah tells us that we are all made in the image of God—a compassionate God crafting divine rituals around the realities of human life and ensuring the inclusion of all. That is certainly an example we should try to emulate.
Happy Pride! Shabbat Shalom!
