Reb Shlomo on Pesach Sheni


 Why did Amalek choose Pesach Sheni to attack the Jews when
we first left Egypt? Because Pesach Sheni is the Yom Tov of the second
chance. He keeps on saying to us "there is no second chance" You ruined it
and it cannot be fixed. Pesach Sheni is the Yahrziet of Rebbe Meir the
Tanna. He and Rabbi Akiva are the authors of the Torah Shebaal Peh the oral
torah. Any anonymous Mishna is Rabbi Meir's. Their combined spirit permeates
and pervades every page of the Mishna and Talmud. Do you know how Jewish
history differs form world history? Get a PhD from a French institution in
French history, and then go and study the same period in a university in
Germany. You will get a completely different version of the same history
from the one taught in France. But go study Jewish history in New York or
Sao Paulo and then go to Jerusalem and study again, nothing changes.

        The world knows that Nero the Meshugganer Roman Emperor set fire to
the city of Rome and then fiddled as the city burned. The story goes that he
then commited suicide. Our Jewish version of the story has a different
ending. He went to Jerusalem, converted to Judaism and was the grandfather
of Rabbi Meir the Mishanic Tanna, whose Yahrziet is on Pesach Sheni the Yom
Tov of the second chance.

        Men came to Moshe Rabbeinu in the wilderness in the second year
after our leaving Egypt, they were members of the Chevra Kadisha carrying
the bones of Joseph, which as you remember, Joseph had made the Jewish
people swear they would carry out of Egypt with them when they left. They
said " Why should we be left out of the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb?" You
see! said Sholmo, they were hurt by the lost opportunity. Even though they
were not at fault and they would be credited with the mitzvah for their
desire to perform it, still they felt that they would be left with the scar.
The fact that a wound heals does not mean that there will be no scar. They
said, " We dont care that we are not culpable, that our Pesach is and was a
part and parcel of that celebrated by the whole Jewish people. We want to do
our own"  

        Do you know my friends what Amalek is always saying to us? He is
saying, "Your contribution counts for nothing" Who needs your Seder night?
who needs your Hallel? So he attacks on Pesach Sheni.

        What made these people carrying Joseph's bones have the conviction
that it was up to them to demand a second chance? that they could bring
Pesach Sheni down into this world? Just who was Joseph whose bones they were
carrrying? He was the son of our mother Rachel. You remember the story. She
was engaged to be married to our Father Jacob. He, knowing what kind of a
man was Laban his father in law, arranged a secret code and password with
Rachel so that at the wedding he could make sure it was she he was marrying.
Rachel, seeing that Leah was being prepared as the bride, gave over the secret
password to her sister Leah so she would not be embarrased at the last
moment. So what would have been so bad, if Leah had not been
given the secret password? So she would have been hurt, so she would have
been broken hearted. But would'nt she have gotten over it? Time would have
passed she would have met someone else. But you see: the scar!
she would have been scarred for life, The scar never goes away and Rachel
did not want to see her sister scarred. So look at what she was ready to
give up for her sister. Everything, this world and the next world. Everyone
knows that the world said; Issac has two sons, Laban has two daughters, the
older one goes for the older one and the younger one to the younger one.
Rachel knew that she would now end up being married to Esau! What she didn't
know was that she was bringing down the "second chance" into the world. She
too was married to Jacob and her son Joseph whose bones the Men were
carried, was the child of the second chance. So they felt moved to ask for
the second chance. 

     But Rebbe Akiva says these men were Mishael and Elzafon, the pallbearers
of Nodov and Avihu. Nodov and Avihu who died in HaShems Name in order to add
to the Torah. And Rebbe Akiva, master of the Torah she-bal-peh, the Torah
of Adding-To, surrenders himself to die in HaShem's Name and connected to
the neshomos of Nodov and Avihu. To connect to the Torah of More, you must
be ready to enter the Holy of Holies and die in HaShem's name a million times.

     Pesach Sheini is always during the fifth week of the Omer. Everyone knows
that the Sfira that is fixed this week is Hod (distinction). 
 "Hod v'Hadar Livusho", the priestly garments are connected with Hod.
What is Tferes (beauty)? It balances the first two sfiros, Hesed (kindness)
and Gvura (judgment). And what is Hod? "Hod v'Hadar Livusho". Hod is the beauty of
going back, of Tshuvah. Why did Aharon the High Priest make the golden calf?
Because only a High Priest can connect to Hod v'Hadar. Only a High Priest could
fix the sin of a golden calf by serving in a Mishkan. Gevaldt, a second chance.
Everyone knows that during this week the neshamos of Nodov and Avihu are
being fixed.