BEHA’ALOTCHA 5770
In this
week’s parasha, the Jewish nation reaches the heights of their desert
existence. They create a commandment themselves. We call this
commandment ‘Pesach Sheni’ or the Second Pesach. Its date is the 14th
Iyar which is one month after the date the Pesach offering was
sacrificed, on 14th Nisan. There is a custom today to eat matza on this
day.
We read this week that there were members of the nation who were ritually impure and so could not take part in the Pesach offering (Chapter 9, verses 6,7). They then confront Moses and explain that they would not want to diminish the Pesach by not bringing the relevant offering in its appropriate time. So Moses talks to God (verse 8) and the word of God institutes this new commandment of a catch-up Pesach, Pesach Sheni (verses 9-14).
From one perspective, the point here is that Pesach is such a fundamental basis to our religion that it needs a catch up for those who would be too far from Jerusalem, or impure and unable to partake in the offering. But there is another maybe opposite point here. The desire for this commandment came not from God, but from the people. This is religious activism at its greatest height, the nation nudging God to command them. So the second Pesach is a great message to get involved in the community in a Jewish way, whether through the services or through education. Halacha is not as fixed and inflexible as people often say. It has definite boundaries, but within them exists much creativity to allow inclusivity.
We read this week that there were members of the nation who were ritually impure and so could not take part in the Pesach offering (Chapter 9, verses 6,7). They then confront Moses and explain that they would not want to diminish the Pesach by not bringing the relevant offering in its appropriate time. So Moses talks to God (verse 8) and the word of God institutes this new commandment of a catch-up Pesach, Pesach Sheni (verses 9-14).
From one perspective, the point here is that Pesach is such a fundamental basis to our religion that it needs a catch up for those who would be too far from Jerusalem, or impure and unable to partake in the offering. But there is another maybe opposite point here. The desire for this commandment came not from God, but from the people. This is religious activism at its greatest height, the nation nudging God to command them. So the second Pesach is a great message to get involved in the community in a Jewish way, whether through the services or through education. Halacha is not as fixed and inflexible as people often say. It has definite boundaries, but within them exists much creativity to allow inclusivity.
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