Pesach Sheni and Edan Alexander

Following the release of Edan Alexander on Monday, his grandmother appeared on Israeli television and, with joy and emotion, noted that his freedom came on Pesach Sheni—the “Second Passover.” To understand the depth and poignancy of her comment, we must turn to a powerful episode in the Book of Numbers.

There, the Torah recounts that on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan) in the second year after the Exodus, the Israelites brought the Korban Pesach—the Passover sacrifice—just as God had commanded a year earlier. However, participation in this offering required a state of ritual purity. A group of Israelites, rendered impure by contact with the dead, found themselves barred from joining. Pained by their exclusion from such a central occasion, they approached Moses and said, “Impure though we are… why must we be debarred from presenting the Lord’s offering at its set time, along with the rest of the Israelites?”

Moved by their sincere plea, Moses turned to God. Upon learning the situation, God made a decision and then asked Moses to announce it to all:

“Speak to the Israelite people, saying: When any person—either you or your descendants—who is defiled by a corpse or is on a distant journey wishes to offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, they shall offer it in the second month, on the fourteenth day…” (Numbers 9:9–11)

Thus, Pesach Sheni was born — a second opportunity, a month later in Iyar, to celebrate Pesach—the festival of freedom—for those who, through no fault of their own, were unable to celebrate at the appointed time. Furthermore, God said that this alternative date would apply not only to the ritually impure, but after the Temple will be built, to those prevented by distance from reaching it in time as well.

This, it seems, is what Edan’s grandmother alluded to with such emotion. While Edan was held captive during the month of Nisan and, thus, unable to celebrate Pesach with everyone else, he was granted his freedom in Iyar, just in time to celebrate Pesach Sheni, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

The very existence of Pesach Sheni is both astonishing and perplexing. It represents a divinely sanctioned “second chance” and reflects God’s kindness and compassion. Yet there is no Shabbat Sheniah for those who, for whatever reason, did not observe Shabbat on its appointed day. There is no Rosh Hashanah Sheni for those who did not hear the blowing of the shofar. Even Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, occurs only once a year and cannot be rescheduled. This begs the obvious question: why did God only grant a second opportunity to celebrate Pesach but not other holidays?

The answer may lie in the unique role Pesach plays in the formation of Jewish identity. While the Children of Israel began to multiply and take shape as a nation in Egypt (see Exodus 1:7–9), it was only with the Exodus that we emerged as a free people. Pesach, then, is not merely a holiday—it is the celebration of our peoplehood. To exclude someone from this defining experience—especially for technical reasons—is to deny them a foundational moment in their people’s history.

Furthermore, this may have been God’s way of showing appreciation for the motive behind the plea of the impure Israelites at the time. When they said, “why must we be debarred from presenting the Lord’s… along with the rest of the Israelites?” God understood that their motive was their sincere and heartfelt desire to be part of the Jewish people. Thus, He deemed it appropriate to come up with a creative solution so that they too can celebrate this important occasion. Once He offered them the opportunity to celebrate a Pesach Sheni, He decided to offer the same to all future generations as well.

I believe that this idea helps shed light on the deeper meaning of Edan Alexander’s journey. Though his parents moved to New Jersey when he was just two months old, Edan made the decision, as a high school senior, to return to Israel and enlist in the IDF. While many of his peers pursued the comfortable path of college life, Edan chose to stand with his people by protecting and serving the Jewish state.

What motivated such a choice? Likely, it was a profound sense of connection and belonging to the Jewish people and to the State of Israel and an understanding that everyone must do their share to help, regardless of geography or personal convenience.

Seen in this light, the significance of Edan’s release on Pesach Sheni was not just that he was finally free in Iyar after missing Pesach in Nisan. It was that he embodied the very spirit of Pesach Sheni in his insistence on being part of the Jewish people even from a distance.

Let us pray that just as Edan was granted his moment of freedom and redemption, so too may all the remaining hostages soon celebrate their own, embraced by their families and loved ones and a nation that longs for their return.

Shabbat Shalom.