(6) But there were some people who were unclean 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 people said to them, “Unclean though we are by reason of a corpse, why must we be debarred from presenting YHWH'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 YHWH gives about you.” (9) And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying: (10) Speak to the Israelite people, saying: When any of you or of your posterity who are defiled by a corpse or are on a long journey would offer a passover sacrifice to YHWH, (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 a man who is clean and not on a journey refrains from offering the passover sacrifice, that person shall be cut off from his kin, for he did not present YHWH's offering at its set time; that man shall bear his guilt.
Introduction The first four mishnayot of our chapter deal with what is called “Pesah Sheni”, the second pesah. The laws of Pesah Sheni are taught in Numbers 9:9-13. Pesah Sheni is observed on the fourteenth of Iyyar, one month after the first Pesah.
The first is subject to the prohibition of [chametz] shall not be seen and [chametz] shall not be found, while at the second matzah and chametz are in the house with him. The chametz prohibitions are stated only in Exodus 12-13 (Pesah Rishon the first Pesah) and are not mentioned in Numbers 9 (Pesah Sheni). Therefore, the rabbis teach that these prohibitions apply only to the first Pesah and not to the second.
What is the difference between Pesach Rishon and Sheni? On Pesach Rishon,one must be careful not to find or see chametz. On Pesach Sheni, one may possess chametz and matza. On Pesach Rishon, we say Hallel, and we do not say it on Pesach Sheni...
267 This idea is further supported by the unusual institution of Pesach Sheni, which allows those who are not able to celebrate Pesach, to celebrate an abbreviated version of the holiday one month later (Bemidbar 9:9–12). This is clearly not the case with the Torah’s other holidays.
What are the circumstances that warrant Pesach Sheni?
(ז) גֵּר שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר בֵּין פֶּסַח רִאשׁוֹן לְפֶסַח שֵׁנִי. וְכֵן קָטָן שֶׁהִגְדִּיל בֵּין שְׁנֵי פְּסָחִים. חַיָּבִין לַעֲשׂוֹת פֶּסַח שֵׁנִי. וְאִם שָׁחֲטוּ עָלָיו בָּרִאשׁוֹן פָּטוּר:
(ח) נָשִׁים שֶׁנִּדְּחוּ לַשֵּׁנִי. בֵּין מִפְּנֵי הָאֹנֶס וְהַשְּׁגָגָה. בֵּין מִפְּנֵי הַטֻּמְאָה וְדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה. הֲרֵי פֶּסַח שֵׁנִי לָהֶם רְשׁוּת. רָצוּ שׁוֹחֲטִין רָצוּ אֵין שׁוֹחֲטִין. לְפִיכָךְ אֵין שׁוֹחֲטִין עֲלֵיהֶן בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָן בְּשַׁבָּת בְּפֶסַח שֵׁנִי. אֲבָל אִם הָיְתָה הָאִשָּׁה אַחַת מִבְּנֵי חֲבוּרָה מֻתָּר. וְאֵי זוֹ הִיא דֶּרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה. חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר מִיל חוּץ לְחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם:
A convert who converts between the first Pesach and the second Pesach and similarly, a child who comes of age between these two holidays are obligated to offer the second Paschal sacrifice. If one slaughtered the first Paschal sacrifice for the sake of the minor, the minor is exempt from bringing the second sacrifice.
When the obligation of women is postponed until the second Pesach, whether because of forces beyond their control, inadvertent omission, impurity, or because they were "on a distant way," offering the second Paschal sacrifice is optional for them. If they desire, they may have the offering slaughtered; if they do not desire, they don't. Therefore one should not slaughter a Paschal sacrifice only for women when the second Pesach falls on the Sabbath. If, however, a woman is part of the company offering a second Paschal sacrifice, it is permitted.
What is meant by the term "on a distant way" which exempts a person from bringing a Paschal sacrifice? Fifteen mil outside the walls of Jerusalem.
What is “a far-off journey”?
From Modi’im and beyond, and the same distance on all sides [of Jerusalem], the words of Rabbi Akiva. According to Rabbi Akiva “far-off” means the distance from Modi’im to Jerusalem, about 30 km (I should know, I live in Modiin and travel to Jerusalem every day. With traffic this takes between 45 minutes and an hour, but they didn’t have cars. Then again, they didn’t have traffic either. Modi’im is also where the Maccabees lived). According to the Talmud it would take about half a spring day’s walk to get from Modi’im to Jerusalem. The reason for half a day’s walk is that if he wanted to slaughter the pesah on time he had to get there while they were still doing so.
Rabbi Eliezer says: from the threshold of the Temple court and beyond. Rabbi Yose said to him: for that reason the heh has a dot on it in order to say, not because it is really far-off, but [even when one is] from the threshold of the Temple court and beyond. Rabbi Eliezer holds that “far-off” means anyone who was not actually in the Temple at that time. This is somewhat perplexing why should “far-off” mean one step away? Rabbi Yose doesn’t answer this question but says that the dot on top of the heh in the word “far-off” (Numbers 9:10) hints that “far-off” is not to be taken literally. If you look at a Torah or a Humash you will see that that dot is still there today.
Rabbi Eliyahu Munk (20th and 21st century) on Chizkuni:
או בדרך רחוקה, “or on a journey far off;” there is a dot on the letter ה in the word רחוקה; this dot is not connected to the word בדרך, for if so, the word would be treated as if it had not appeared. Rather, that dot connects to the word איש, “a man or person;” we are to understand the person concerned as being spiritually on a journey that had estranged him to Judaism and its G-d. או לדורותיכם, “or someone of your generations;” the verse means that the person described is either at this time far from you spiritually or time wise, in other words, if many years from now there will be someone who due to the time that elapsed since the Exodus feels disconnected to our history, and therefore would not observe the Passover ritual by having his heart in it.
A second chance. Passover is unlike other Jewish holidays. It is the most widely observed Jewish holiday, one largely observed at home, and the only holiday where the Torah gives a second chance for those who missed its initial observance. Perhaps this is because it's a holiday that defines who we are through telling our story, giving us boundaries, and calling us to justice. Passover is the story of our liberation from captivity, from oppression to freedom. We recall what it was like to be viewed with fear, mistreated and given no rights. This memory calls us to stand up to bigotry and injustice. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, taught that the true significance of the Second Passover is to teach us that it is never too late to rectify a past failing. He understood this passage of Torah to be referring not just to those on a physically "distant road" but those who had strayed from the path; he understood the words those who were "contaminated by death" to be a metaphor referring to those who felt dead inside and struggled to feel God's love. We have an obligation to make sure that others have a chance to be full participants in the rites of our community, both religious and secular. This means giving people a second chance, the essence of Passover Sheni. Passover Sheni, this year occurs on April 29th (the 14th of Iyar). On that day, let us think of those who are in need of a second chance. Let us think of those who, perhaps, have strayed from the path, who have been in captivity, who have been viewed with fear but now are a part of us. Let us turn our minds to those who are asking to participate in one of the fundamental rights of American society - the right to vote. This Passover Sheni, let's hear the call for justice for those who have served their debt to society and are in need of a second chance.
- Rabbi Rachel Greengrass