Pesach (Passover) may be the most widely observed holiday on the Jewish calendar. Families who are only nominally observant most of the year will gather for a Passover seder in some fashion or another. Even during the pandemic 0f 2020 - 2021, families found some way to gather for Passover. The term "Zoom Seder" entered the Jewish-American dictionary! However very few Jews have even heard of Pesach Sheni. What is this "hidden holiday" and how is it observed?
What is Pesach Sheni?
Pesach Sheni literally translates as "Second Passover (Sacrifice)". It marks the day when anyone who was unable to present the Passover sacrifice at the correct time could offer it on this date, exactly on month later. A year after leaving Egypt, God "reminded" the people of Israel that they were to commemorate the Passover by roasting the Passover lamb and eating the meat with matzah and bitter herbs. Some people were unable to make the Pesach offering because they had become ritually impure. They came to Moses and Aaron asking "Why should we be deprived of the opportunity to present God's sacrifice?" God gave them a solution to their dilemma. Anyone who was unable to present the sacrifice at the appointed time could offer it on the 14th of Iyar - exactly one month later - on the "Second Passover" (Pesach Sheni). (You can read the full story in the Tanach: Numbers 9: 1-23)
How is Pesach Sheni observed?
If you think you are going to have to go through all the requirements of Passover a second time, you can relax! In most communities there are only two simple traditions that are observed. Matzah is customarily eaten on this day. This would be a good time to finish off that box of shmurah matzah you bought for seder. Tachanun prayers are omitted from services on Pesach Sheni.
What is the meaning of this holiday for us?
Pesach Sheni reminds us that there is always a "second chance." God never wants us left behind even if we have forgotten the right thing to do or have lost our way trying to become better people. Teshuvah is always possible. We can always repent and "return" to the right path. To quote Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, "The Second Passover means that it's never a 'lost cause!'"
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