Thursday, April 29, 2010

Second Chances: Today is Pesach Sheini

What was the korban Pesach?
The Korban Pesach was the eating of the sacrificial lamb before the jews left Mitzrayim (Egypt)
We know that one had to be ritually pure to partake in the korban Pesach. However, there was a group of people who were tameh (ritually impure) and couldn't participate. They went together to complain to Moshe and Aaron that it wasn't fair; after all, they were doing the mitzva of carrying the bones of Yosef ha Tzaddik and others out of Mitzrayim.
Eating korban Pesach is like "eating emuna" According to our sages of blessed memory It was a way to get close to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Who would want to miss out on that?
After consulting Hashem on the matter, Moshe told the group that from then on, the 14 Iyar, (if one was ritually pure: ie, not coming into contact with the dead) they could again participate and eat the korban Pesach by following all the laws relevent to the original Pesach.

So- what did this say about these people?
If they would have been silent and complacent, they wouldn't have the chance to complete this great mitzva. They had was great power of desire, the koach of ratzon to be close to Hashem. Thier persistence not to be left out brought a tremendous tikkun: it helped to channel the ability to do complete teshuva into the world.

What does this mean for us today?

Hashem in his great rachmanos gave us the ability to have a second chance to do things right. Ratzon is the desire to get close to Hashem no matter what obstacles are in our path. This is what make a yehudi a yehudi.
The essence of a jew is to do the right thing, and these people of old were rewarded with this ratzon.

Pesach Sheini teaches us that no matter how we fail, no matter how far away we are from Hashem, there is still tikveh; hope that we get another chance to renew our relationship with Him. Hashem will always make more opportunities for us to do teshuva and rectify whatever it is we need to correct.
The Zohar HaKodesh says "kesef/kissufim": Kissufim is longing, kesef is money. The way people long for and dream of being rich, is how we should long for and dream of being close to Hashem, to be delivered from galus, and to bring moshiach.
May we all realize this and never give up hope!

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