02 May SECOND CHANCES

Ever feel like you messed up?
Concerned about lost opportunities?
Missed out because of circumstrances
beyond your control?
What message does the Torah convey to
us for times when oppoprtunities pass us
by?
It was the first year following the Exodus.
Bnei Yisroel was commanded to offer the
Pesach sacrifice on the 14th of Nissan,
just as they had done the previous year
when they were about to leave Egypt.
But what about those who were unable to
do so? There was a group amongst the
people who were ritually impure, being
that they had come in contact with a
human corpse. They sincerely desired to
participate, but were unable to. They
approached Moshe and Aaron with a
heartfelt request: “Why should we lose
out by not being able to bring HaShem’s

offering at the appointed time…”
(Bamidbar 9:7)
Moshe received an answer to their plea.
“HaShem spoke to Moshe saying, if any
man will become spiritually impure
through a human corpse, or be on a distant
road, whether you, or your generations,
he shall make the Pesach-offering for
HaShem on the 14th day of the second
month (the month of Iyar).”
(Bamidbar 9:10-11)
HaShem’s gift to man. The gift of Pesach
Sheini, the Second Pesach. The
opportunity for a “make-up” exactly a
month later. The ability to take the worry
away, to lift the heavy weight off one’s
heart, knowing that there is a second
chance.
“Whether you, or your generations…..”
A message not just for the generation of
the Exodus, but for all time. A message
that speaks to us today, relevant in the
21st century as it was thousands of years
earlier.

Those “spiritually impure through a
human corpse, or on a distant road…”
Pesach Sheini, a second chance is for
everyone. While only those who were
ineligible because they were spiritually
impure appealed for a special
dispensation, HaShem broadened the
group to include those on “a distant
road”.
Second chances are for everyone. No
one is ever too far removed, too distant
from HaShem, that they can’t have a
second chance. HaShem gives us the
opportunity to draw closer to Him. We
may have taken distant paths in life, but
HaShem’s gates are always open. Like a
parent who leaves the door open all night,
anxiously waiting for their child to return
home, HaShem’s door is always open.
Those who addressed Moshe exclaimed
“Lama nigara…. Why should we be left
out…?” Clearly, they were not looking
for a “free pass” but had a genuine
yearning, a love and desire to keep
mitzvos. These words can also be
understood as a question that at times
we must ask ourselves. Do we ever
give up the opportunity to grab a
mitzvah? Do we “go into hiding” when
someone is collecting tzedakah? Are
we a bit too relieved when others
volunteer for chesed projects? Or do
we exert the extra effort so that another
mitzvah can be “ours”.
Pesach Sheini is this Friday, May 5, the
14th of Iyar. It is a custom to enjoy
some matzah, as a symbolic
remembrance that second chances are
always here.
Pesach Sheini teaches us that there is a
second chance for self-improvement,
both spiritually and in our relationship
with our fellow man. If our davening
wasn’t as it should be, it’s a time to
begin. Add another tefillah, concentrate
a little harder on the meaning of the
words. Maybe we can increase our
Torah study. Do more chessed. Give
more tzedakah. Be more forgiving of
others who may have slighted us. There
are so many ways to apply the gift of
Pesach Sheini to our daily routine.
It was Erev Pesach. I was a young
married with little ones, packing up to
spend Yom Tov with my in-laws.
The phone rang. Expecting a “have a
good Yom Tov” call from a friend, I

lunged to pick it up. “A good Erev
Pesach” I called out, but this time it was
my mother. Her voice was broken and
cracking. The words came tumbling out.
“Zeide just had a stroke… is in the ER….
I’m packing up and going to the hospital
for Pesach….. I need you to come and
help finish cooking… to be here for Yom
Tov.”
A change of plans. We were heading to
my parents’ home.
I told Ema that we would all daven, that
HaShem would help, and Zeide will have
a refuah. Iy”h, everything will work out.
My father was out delivering matzah and
charosses to members of the shul, a

custom he had for many years. It was pre-
cell phone days. No way to get in touch.

My siblings helped my mother pack up
the essentials, a Seder plate, Haggadah,
matzah, charosses, wine, and some food
for Yom Tov.
My mother spent the Seder nights in a
cold, sterile hospital room, reading the
words of the Haggadah and softly singing
the familiar Seder tunes at Zeide’s
bedside. With HaShem’s help, Zeide
recovered and was able to return home
several weeks later. As the 14th of Iyar
drew closer, my mother seized the
opportunity to gather the family for a
“second chance” Seder. We gathered at
my parents’ home, where we had a “mini
Seder” complete with matzah, wine, the
recitation of the Mah Nishtanah by my
son Yosef Dov, and daughter, Tziri, who
were just toddlers at the time, followed
by a delicious dinner.
It was our time to say, “Thank you,
HaShem, for giving our family a second
chance.”
Let’s not allow HaShem’s gift of second
chances to slip by. If you really think about
it, every day is a day of second chances.