The soul of Pesach Sheni- The day of second chances

Today is Pesach Sheini. The day of the second chances.

Who of us doesn’t need a second chance?” Reb Shlomo Carlebach often used to these words regarding the holiday we are celebrating — Pesach Sheni. The custom today is to eat some matzah.

Quoting Reb Shlomo,” it’s a holiday of the second chance.
And, um, I mean, just the words, “second chance,” is already like —
unbelievable words, right? That means it’s never too late. You can always fix it. You can always fix it”

So how Pesach Sheni Came About

A year after the Exodus, G‑d instructed the people of Israel to bring the Passover offering on the afternoon of the fourteenth of Nissan, and to eat it that evening, roasted over the fire, together with matzah and bitter herbs, as they had done the previous year just before they left Egypt.

“There were, however, certain persons who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body (Carry the bones of Joseph) and could not, therefore, prepare the Passover offering on that day. They approached Moses and Aaron . . . and they said: ‘. . . Why should we be deprived, and not be able to present G‑d’s offering in its time, amongst the children of Israel?’” (Numbers 9:6–7).

In response to their plea, G‑d established the 14th of Iyar as a “Second Passover” (Pesach Sheni) for anyone who was unable to bring the offering on its appointed time in the previous month.

But Reb Shlomo taught that Pesach Sheini is much more deeper than a bit of Matzah. It Is day of second chances a day to give ourselves and others a second chance.

“Something else happened Pesach Sheni, which is awesome. Everybody knows after we crossed the Red Sea, Amalek came and attacked us. You know what day Amalek came? Pesach Sheni. Unbelievable. Because the most anti-Pesach Sheni is Amalek. Amalek, everybody knows, is the nation who are the greatest enemies of Israel, but also, spiritually, Amalek is the arch-enemy of God, the anti-God.

You know why there’s no peace in the world: ’Cause Amalek is sittin’ there, right? And [he says,] “Listen, they’re killing each other for so long, and suddenly they’ll change? Forget it!” Right? I always tell my friends, there are so many divorces in the world, and I could swear to it that Brother Amalek was standing under the chuppah and telling some — “I’d love to see how long this marriage lasts,” you know? And the vibrations are. I mean, you can see him when anybody starts doing something good. Right away, Amalek says, “Ahh. It won’t last.” Amalek.

So Amalek came to attack us on Pesach Sheni. And what’s the most anti-Amalek? Anti-Amalek is, it’s never too late because even if I fail, I have another chance. I always have another chance. I can always fix it.” (end of Reb Shlomo Qoute)

In our days we also have these Amalek’s, those people who cause doubt in ourselves and fellow Jews. Those People who cause doubts in our Faith in God, Faith in man, in our role models by spreading Loshon Harah, lies about the rights of the Jews to have the own little country with Jerusalem as its capital. We live in a perverted world where us Jews are accused and called Nazi’s, where the Germany who pepretrated the Holocaust does not recognize our right to call Jerusalem the capital of Israel (sic), where UNESCO and the Palestinians try to rewrite History by denying our connection to the land (despite all the evidence to contrary), where we have the BDS trying to use delegitimize the right of Israel to exist, and the Gazans exploiting public opinion to bame Israel for their pitiful situation (If only they shall beat their swords into ploughshares – then peace and prosperity would reign) . It is beyond the scope of this blog to refute this. My Message to my fellow Jews, recognize these falsehoods and look at the beautiful Country that Israel is, and how much we desire peace with our Neighbours (and enemies). We need to work to together as Jews (and not against each other) to make Peace a reality.

In Conclusion,

Quoting, Shy Yellin, President of the Carlebach Shul in Manhattan which appears on their website.

“It is very challenging to write an optimistic message when the Jewish People in Israel are under siege from senseless malicious attackers. Perhaps we can take solace in the events that occurred during the lifetime of our patriarch Yitzchak, who dug wells to give drink to the world, only to find them filled in by the local Philistines who could not contain their jealousy of all that Yitzchak had accomplished.

We know that ultimately Yitzchak, through perseverance, was able to put down wells and provide water to all. As Reb Nachman would say, “never give up!” It is in such trying times that we turn to the Master of the Universe and proclaim “only You can bring Peace from Your lofty heights”.

Fortunately, the Carlebach Shul remains a place of refuge from a world that has lost its compass. How often do we hear people remarking that when they enter our premises they are taken to a different place where the world looks so beautiful and is so full of amazing promise. I heard Reb Shlomo observe that “we need to show the world a picture of what could be…” That is one of the many goals of the Carlebach Shul, to paint a picture of a beautiful world for all to strive for.” (end of quote)

And that is also the task of every one of us. This is the beautiful legacy that Reb Shlomo left us.

For further reading on Pesach Sheini – http://holap.intzfat.info/en/pesach-sheni-second-chance/