More on Pesach Sheni

More on Pesach Sheni

I wrote an article about Pesach Sheni last week, here is the link.

I received a comment from David in the UK. I copy it here:

“The source for the Majority / Minority that you mention- I have not learned. Regarding Fulfilling the Pesach in Iyyar- Divrey Ha Yamin Bet 30: 13-23 (It has been said that the Sages disagreed with his decision to make the Pesach in the second month and that he agreed he made a mistake- If you obtain a source for he having admitted that the Pesach Offering in the second month was a mistake, please leave a comment it will be appreciated.)”

I choose to answer you, David, in a separate post by itself, really just in order to have breathing space, it is easier for me to write a whole article than to squeeze a few sentences into those pitzy comment boxes. Therefore, here is more on Pesach Sheni.

First of all I really owe you, David, an apology for the delay in getting back to you. I had a lot of online and offline activities that didn’t really allow me to sink my teeth into the issue. There was Lag B’Omer, additionally my shver sat shiva meanwhile, and I had computer problems, etc etc. So anyway sorry for the delay.

Korban Pesach on Pesach Sheni

For the reader who is joining us now, we are discussing Pesach Sheni.

The Torah tells us in the Parsha of Be’Ha’aloscha, that those who are tamei mais, who have a spiritual impurity from contact with a dead body, and who are obviously not allowed to fulfull the Avodas Hashem of the Korban Pesach in Nissan, they are pushed off until Pesach Sheni, and must offer up the Korban Pesach on Pesach Sheni, on the 14th of Iyar, and it is eaten that night like on Pesach.

Now, there is a certain background of Pesach Sheni there in the Parsha, which is really the theme of the day, which has to do with the gevaldik disappointment on the part of those who were tamai, and the gevaldik desire to partake in the Avodas Hashem of the Korban Pesach, to the extent that they were answered by Hashem Yisborach with the chiddush, the inovative idea, of Pesach Sheni. I don’t dwell on this now, rather on a detail that I raised in my previous post, in order to reply to David’s comment.

Gemora Sanhedrin

It’s like this David: The main gemora that discusses this question is in gemora Sanhedrin 18, it starts at the bottom of amud alef, Tanu Rabanan, that one shouldn’t do Eibur HaShana, to make two Adars, because of tumah. The sugia goes over to the next page. The gemora brings posuk 18, that many of the Yidden were then tamai, and they ate the Korban not according to Halacha, and that Chizkiyahu HaMelech had to daven for forgiveness, for himself. The gemora brings there a dispute amongst the Tana’im what was it that he/they did wrong, why did Chizkiyahu do it that way, why the sages disagreed with him, and why he had to pray for forgiveness.

In the opinion of Rabi Yehuda, according to the gemora’s conclusion there on amud bais, one may not do Eibur HaShanah because of tumah, and if one does, it is not chal, it doesn’t work. I guess according to Rabi Yehuda the pshat is that in the beginning Chizkiyahu held like the other Tana’im, but ultimately accepted that it doesn’t work, and therefore he had to pray for forgiveness.

According to Rabi Shimon, according to the gemora’s conclusion, one may do an Eibur Shana because of tumah, just that what he did wrong was that he errored in Shmuel’s din, that one may not do Eibur HaShana on the 30th of Adar, since that day could theoretically become the first of Nissan.

According to Rabi Shimon b”r Yehuda, his mistake was that he pushed off Klal Yisroel to Pesach Sheni incorrectly. That without including the women the majority of Klal Yisroel were tamei that year, but with the women the majority were tahor, the question involving whether ladies regarding Korban Pesach is chova or reshus, I don’t want to get into this here, so see there on the daf.

I didn’t get much further than trying to understand the gemora. I see that the Radak on the page in Nach on posuk 2 expresses a difficulty in understanding Chazal, how it is possible to say that the sages didn’t agree with Chizkiyahu when the posuk says that he took advice with the community in Jerusalem regarding this issue. And the Malbim asks other questions how it is possible to resolve the dispute there in the Gemora with the simple reading of the verses.

Personally I was very much bothered by another question which I didn’t see; according to Rabi Yehuda who says that he transgressed in making Eibur HaShana, and not only that, it didn’t even work. Accordingly, it should be that they treated Nissan as Adar, which means that they skipped the whole chag of Pesach, and ate chametz all of Pesach. That’s very serious. Why doesn’t anyone mention this point?

I didn’t see anything in the back of the gemora, so I cheated and I looked at the Art scro ll, and there I didn’t exactly see this question, I don’t think so (I am writing from home, and the sefarim are in the Bais Medrash), but from the discussion there on the page I got to the sefer Margolios HaYam on Sanhedrin who discusses the whole sugia, and resolves the Radak’s problems. I only saw it for a couple of minutes, so I can’t responsibly report more, and unfortunately I have to get back to work, but I bring all of the above here because you asked for sources if I find any.

I wish you Hatzlocho and Siyata De’Shmaya in your learning and Avodas Hashem, and a lichtiger Kabbolas HaTorah.