Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Pesach Sheynei "A Second Chance"



Hashem told the the Jews to prepare for the Pesach Festival. There were Jews who were tamei (impure) and were not ready in time. They came to Moshe and asked, 'How can we still partake of Pesach, when it was too late for us to purify ourselves?' Moshe asked Hashem and He replied, 'They can have a second chance. Let them celebrate the holiday of Pesach Shaynei, one month later, on the fourteenth day of the second month the month of Iyar'(Bamidbar 9).

"How great these impure people must have been! they were able to initiate the revelation of a new law of Torah" (Rashi).

Reb Noson explains that this came about specifically because of their great desire to partake of the Mitzvah. These people were impure. It was their own negligence that brought them to be distanced from the rest of the Jews on Pesach and thus not being able to participate in the Paschal lamb. Still, they never gave up hope. They came Before the Tzaddik, Moshe, pleading, "We are impure, we know we are impure, but we do not want to fail to be included in the sacrifice to Hashem."

Similarly, continues Reb Noson, every Jew should come to the Tzaddik and say, "I'm impure. I know I'm impure. Still why should I be held back? Why should i not come close to Hashem, to learn Torah, to pray, to do t'suvah? Is it because I am to distant
that there is Hashem forbid no hope for me whatsoever? Hashem can always help, even those who are very distant from Him." A person must know that if he always turns to Hashem and constantly searches for the true Tzaddik who can show him the right path, he will definitely come true repentance (Likutey Halakhot, Birkhat HaPeirot 5:15, G'viat Chov M'Yetomim 3).

S
o It was with me yesterday night on the 14th day of Iyar I got my second chance, as we preformed my pidyon Habechor. I had never been redeemed and was was in a constant state of issur mitzvah deriser, unknowingly. My father not begin religious had never redeemed me as I'm a first born son of first born son for five generations. and only last week I found out that I had chiuv to be redeemed without delay. As all that I had previously had done, yes every mitzvah I had done until yesterday was tied to the other side, because of this issur. Wow that explains a lot. The whole day from the first shiur at Rav shalom Arush's yeshieva to the shiur in zohar with Rav Teicher was screaming do this so we found a Kohain actually two and I and three others preformed the ceremony at the kotel on pesach shaynei, and yarzteit of Rebbe Meir Baal Haneis, seuda and all, right there in front of Hashem and all those who were present, several hundred who said amen. What a relief these people must have felt to know they had a second chance. I know what I felt, I felt relief as now I am able to draw even closer to Hashem. Thank you Hashem for being Loving and Compassionate to the poor and distant of Your people.
A Guten Yom Tov
Reb Nati



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