By COLlive reporter
The 14th of Iyar is “Pesach Sheni,” the alternative day prescribed to bringing the Korban Pesach for those who weren’t able to do so before Pesach on the 14th of Nissan.
The Torah tells that “There were, however, certain persons who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body, and could not, therefore, prepare the Passover offering on that day.”
They approached Moshe 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?”
In response to their plea, G-d established the 14th of Iyar as a “second Passover” for anyone who was unable to bring the offering on its appointed time in the previous month.
The day thus represents the “second chance” achieved by teshuvah the power of repentance and “return.” In the words of the Frierdiker Rebbe, “The Second Passover means that it’s never a ‘lost case.'”
It is customary to eat matzah on this day. Rabbi Levi Garelik, an halachic authority in Brooklyn and Brussels who also dean of TheOnlineRabbi.com, recommends that Lubavitchers do so at two different times.
“In Igros Kodesh, the Rebbe writes that the Minhag Beis Chayenu (in the household of the Frierdiker Rebbe), the minhag is to eat by day,” he says, quoting Igros Kodesh, Volume 2, page 352.
On the other hand, “In several Farbrengens, the Rebbe mentioned many times the minhag to eat at night, following Pesach Sheni – the eve of the 15th of Iyar.”
Rabbi Garelik concludes that “Therefore, we eat Matzo during the day meal, and (also later) at night, with the certainty that IY”H tonight we will celebrate Pesach Sheni in Bais Hamikdosh Hashlishi.”
To 2 and 4:
I contacted Rabbi Garelik, and he told me that his statement (is mentioned on his website and) is based on Likutei Sichos Vol. 12 pages 218-222 where the Rebbe has a long Sicha on this issue and this is the conclusion there. Therefore, IYh tonight we will celebrate Pesach Sheni in the Bais Hamikdosh.
The Gr”o and the Chazon ish didn’t. Our Rebbeim did. It seems like a no brainer to me as to what we should be doing.
As to a rov doing Pesach sheni it’s an old question. The answer mentioned in seforim is that it makes a difference if the rov didn’t or if the rov couldn’t because there was no Beis Hamikdash like in our case.
While in exile in Almata, there was so little food that they would make sure to eat even the crumbs that fell on the table. So witnessed R’ Sholom Dov Ber Raskin A”H from whom I heard this at a kiddush in London many years ago. The extent of the hunger is also described by Rebbitizin Channa in her writings of that time. Nevertheless, Reb Levik deliberately kept a piece of matzah from Pesach in order to eat it on Pesach Sheni. In the time of the Geonim it was already written that we use specifically 3 matzos for the… Read more »
The esteemed rabbi writes: “Therefore, we eat Matzo during the day meal, and (also later) at night, with the certainty that IY”H tonight we will celebrate Pesach Sheni in Bais Hamikdosh Hashlishi.” Bimchilas k’vodo, Pesach sheini is only celebrated by a miut, when the rov celebrated Pesach Rishon. If the rov were t’meim at Pesach Rishon, it would have been done betumah, and there would be no Pesach Sheini, since sheini is only for a miut, not for a rov. Since there was no Pesach Rishon this year, how can there be a Pesach Shaini?
The Gr”a and the Chazon Ish did not eat matzah on Pesach Sheini.