Pesach Sheini II

Question #1: Pesach Sheini or Bahav?

Do we recite the selichos of bahav when it coincides with pesach sheini?”

Question #2: Bar mitzvah

Is someone who turned bar mitzvah after the 14^th of Nisan obligated to offer the korban pesach on the 14^th of Iyar, notwithstanding that he was included in a korban pesach on the 14^th of Nisan?

Question #3: Out of sight

How far from the Beis Hamikdash does one need to be in order to be exempt from offering the korban pesach?

Foreword:

In some years, the 14^th of Iyar, Pesach Sheini falls on the day that most Ashkenazim observe as the second Monday of bahav. These are three days of selichos that Ashkenazim traditionally observe during the months of Marcheshvan and Iyar. Originally these were fast days and are still kept as such by many individuals. Bahav (or bahab) is in Hebrew ב, ה, ב, and stands for Monday, Thursday, Monday.

What do communities to when Pesach Sheini falls on bahav? There is a very diverse variety of minhag practices. Some communities observe bahav, reciting selichos, avinu malkeinu and tachanun. Others omit tachanun because it is Pesach Sheini and therefore do not recite selichos or avinu malkeinu. This includes some who observe bahav otherwise — in other words, they observe only 2/3 of bahav because of Pesach Sheini. Still others observe both bahav and Pesach Sheini during the same tefillah by reciting the beginning of the traditional selichos, stopping in the middle and saying half kaddish, thereby omitting both tachanun and avinu malkeinu. (Those who recite the selichos in the middle of the shemoneh esrei of the chazzan follow a slightly different procedure.) The purpose of this article is not to paskin for any individual or community. Each should follow its own custom, and if there is any question what to do, should ask its rav or posek.

Pesach Sheini or Behav?

At this point, we can already answer our opening question: “Do we recite selichos of Behav when it coincides with Pesach Sheini?”

The answer is a definitive “it depends.”

Introduction

This article will explain the Torah’s mitzvah of pesach sheini, offering and eating the korban pesach on the 14^th of Iyar. This is the day that the korban pesach is offered by those who missed bringing it a month earlier.

Note: To avoid confusion, throughout the rest of this article the holiday of Pesach will be capitalized, whereas the pesach offerings will be spelled lowercase (except when the word begins a sentence or a heading).

Someone who was ill on Sukkos and could not fulfill the mitzvah of sukkah cannot observe the mitzvah a month later after he recovers, nor does someone who was unable to fast on Yom Kippur have a second chance during the year. But the Torah teaches: “And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert in the second year of their leaving the land of Egypt, in the first month [Nisan], saying: ‘The Bnei Yisroel shall offer the pesach in its correct time, on the 14^th of this month, in the afternoon… They shall prepare it following all its laws and ordnances… (Bamidbar 9, 1-7).’” Further, Hashem instructs that an individual who was tamei or at a distance and unable to offer the korban pesach is commanded to offer it during the second month, Iyar, on the afternoon of the 14^th. “It should be eaten together with matzos and bitter herbs. It should not be left over until morning, nor should any bone be broken; they should prepare it like all the laws of the pesach” (ibid. 11-12).

An interesting point is that the Torah appears to compare the details of offering pesach sheini to the korban pesach usually offered on the 14^th of Nisan, yet the Torah never teaches how to observe the regular korban pesach. The only other description of the korban pesach in the Torah is when the Jews were still in Egypt, called Pesach Mitzrayim, and not all of the laws of that korban pesach are applicable when offering korban pesach on the 14^th of Nisan after the Jews exited Egypt. For example, there was no requirement to observe Yom Tov in Egypt, nor was there any prohibition against owning or eating chometz.

What if you don’t?

The Mishnah states that anyone who missed offering korban pesach on the 14^th of Nisan can offer it on Pesach Sheini instead. Then it asks, if this is so, why does the Torah single out those who missed offering the korban pesach because they were tamei or at a distance? Why not simply say that anyone who missed pesach rishon can observe pesach sheini? The Mishnah answers that there is a major difference between those who missed pesach rishon because they were tamei or at a distance and those who missed it because they deliberately didn’t offer it. The first category of people are exempt from the severe punishment of kareis that is received by someone who intentionally does not offer a korban pesach. Those who missed pesach rishon because they were tamei or at a distance, and then failed to offer pesach sheini are exempt from chiyuv kareis, even if they intentionally did not offer pesach sheini, as we will explain shortly. However, according to some tanna’im, someone who forgot about pesach rishon and then intentionally did not offer pesach sheini will be chayov kareis.

This last question is dependent on the following three-way dispute among the tanna’im concerning the relationship between the two mitzvos of pesach rishon and pesach sheini (Tosefta, Pesachim Chapter 8; Pesachim 93a).

1. Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi (also known simply as “Rebbi”) understands that these are two independent mitzvos, each containing its own chiyuv kareis for violation. In other words, someone who intentionally did not offer the korban pesach rishon and then did not offer the pesach sheini because of circumstances beyond his control is chayov kareis for not offering pesach rishon. Similarly, someone who could not offer pesach rishon because of circumstances beyond his control and intentionally did not offer pesach sheini is chayov kareis. This is because although he was anus for not offering pesach rishon, his violation of pesach sheini is a separate responsibility incumbent on those who did not offer pesach rishon that carries its own chiyuv kareis. (For reasons that I will not discuss in this article, there are two exceptions to these rules. The two instances that the Torah describes, someone who was tamei and therefore not allowed to offer pesach rishon and someone who was “at a distance” and therefore unable to make it to the Beis Hamikdash to offer his pesach rishon are not chayov kareis for missing pesach sheini, although they are both obligated to korban pesach on the 14^th of Iyar.) The Gemara refers to this opinion as “the two times to offer the korban pesach are each a yom tov by themselves.” In other words, failure to offer the korban pesach intentionally can make one culpable of kareis, whether the intention was to miss the first korban pesach or the second.

2. Rabbi Noson understands that the mitzvah of pesach sheini is considered a repayment for not offering korban pesach when he was supposed to, but does not absolve the sinner of his chiyuv kareis. This has several ramifications:

A. Someone who was negligent and missed the korban pesach on Pesach Rishon because of circumstances beyond his control is exempt from the chiyuv kareis, regardless as to whether he brings or does not bring pesach sheini. He has a mitzvah to bring pesach sheini but failure to do so will not create a chiyuv kareis on him. This approach disagrees with Rebbi, who contends that should he fail to offer pesach sheini intentionally he is chayov kareis for violating pesach sheini, as I explained above.

B. Someone who intentionally did not bring korban pesach on Pesach Rishon is chayov kareis regardless as to whether he offered pesach sheini. He has a mitzvah to bring pesach sheini, but doing so does not release him from his chiyuv kareis – only sincere and complete teshuvah will accomplish that.

C. There is a third case in which Rebbi (the author of the first opinion) and Rabbi Nosson disagree: a geir tzedek who converted to Judaism between the 15^th of Nisan and the 14^th of Iyar. According to Rebbi, he is obligated to offer pesach sheini since it is an independent requirement incumbent on anyone who has not yet offered korban pesach this year. According to Rabbi Noson, he is exempt from pesach sheini since he was not obligated to offer korban pesach on pesach rishon. The same halacha is true concerning a presumably more common case: a boy who turned bar mitzvah between the 15^th of Nisan and the 14^th of Iyar. According to Rebbi, he is obligated to offer pesach sheini since it is an independent requirement incumbent on anyone who has not yet offered korban pesach this year, which he could not observe as an adult. According to Rabbi Noson, he is exempt from pesach sheini since he was not yet obligated to offer korban pesach on Pesach Rishon.

3. The third tanna in this dispute, Rabbi Chananya ben Akavyah, contends that pesach sheini rectifies the sin of violating pesach rishon. In practice this means that someone is chayov kareis only if he intentionally violated both pesach rishon and pesach sheini. Even if he did not bring any korban pesach this year, intentionally on either Pesach Rishon orPesach Sheini, but negligently on the other, he is exempt from chiyuv kareis, although he of course violated two mitzvos aseih, one intentionally and one negligently.

Although the Gemara does not mention how Rabbi Chananya ben Akavyah holds regarding a geir tzedek who converted to Judaism or someone who turned bar mitzvah between the 15^th of Nisan and the 14^th of Iyar, it would seem that he holds like Rabbi Noson — he is exempt from pesach sheini since he was not obligated to offer korban pesach on Pesach Rishon (see Ra’avad and Lechem Mishneh, Hilchos Korban Pesach 5:2).

At this point, we have the answer to our second question: Is someone who turned bar mitzvah after Pesach Rishon obligated to offer pesach sheini, notwithstanding that he was included in a korban pesach on Pesach Rishon? The answer is that the Gemara tells us that this is a dispute among tanna’im.

Out of sight?

We now discuss the third of our opening questions: “How far from the Beis Hamikdash does one need to be in order to be exempt from offering korban pesach?”

When the Torah says that someone was “distant” from the Mishkan or the Beis Hamikdash and therefore could not offer the korban pesach, how far were they from the Beis Hamikdash to be included in this exemption? The Mishnah (Pesachim 93b) notes that the tanna’im dispute what are the parameters of this law. Rabbi Akiva contends that someone is exempt from offering the korban pesach only if he spent the entire Erev Pesach afternoon (see statement of the amora Ulla, Pesachim 93b) in a place that was too distant for him to get to the Beis Hamikdash that day. Since the Mishnah is describing someone who could not use a motorized vehicle to arrive in Yerushalayim, this distance is measured as from the town of Modi’im or the equivalent distance in any other direction. This is far enough away that it would take him more than half a day to walk from where he is to the Beis Hamikdash. Apparently, halacha does not factor in speedier methods of transportation such as horse, camel, donkey or automobile.

On the other hand, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yosi rule that saying someone was at a distance from the Beis Hamikdash and therefore could not offer the korban pesach is an exaggerated statement. If he never entered the Beis Hamikdash grounds the entire afternoon of Erev Pesach, he is exempt from the punishment of kareis for missing the offering of korban pesach. He has a mitzvas aseih to offer pesach sheini, but he is not chayov kareis if he fails to do so.

But not out of mind…

The Torah states that someone who was “at a distance and unable to offer the korban pesach” could bring a makeup korban on Pesach Sheini. The question is debated in the Gemara whether he could possibly fulfill pesach rishon by having other people include him in their korban pesach. As we know, each individual needed to be counted as a member of a korban pesach, but does that require him to be in the proximity of the mikdash? As the Gemara expresses it, “He was at a distance from the Beis Hamikdash and others had their korban pesach shechted and sprinkled with him in mind, Rav Nachman rules that he fulfilled his responsibility to offer the korban pesach, whereas Rav Sheishes rules that he did not.” The Rambam paskins according to Rav Sheishes that he did not fulfill his obligation and he is obligated to bring pesach sheini (Rambam, Hilchos Korban Pesach 5:3). The Kesef Mishneh and others explain that the halacha follows Rav Sheishes over Rav Nachman when we are dealing with matters of issur ve’heter, rather than financial cases in which we always rule according to Rav Nachman.

Why is this night different?

The Mishnah (Pesachim 95a) states: “What are the halachic differences between pesach rishon [the korban pesach offered on Erev Pesach] and that offered on Pesach Sheini? Bal yeira’eh and bal yimatzei [the prohibitions against owning chometz] apply to pesach rishon, whereas, when observing Pesach Sheini, he can have chometz and matzah together in his house. Pesach rishon requires the recital of Hallel during the time that one is eating the korban pesach, whereas pesach sheini does not. Both pesach rishon and pesach sheini require the recital of Hallel while preparing it, and are eaten roasted and together with matzah and bitter herbs. If the 14^th falls on Shabbos, their shechitah and other steps required in offering them supersede Shabbos.”

In explaining the halachic differences between pesach rishon and pesach sheini, the Gemara returns us to the pesukim in Bamidbar 9 that we quoted above. The Torah states that the korban of Pesach Sheini should be brought kechol chukos hapesach, “like all the laws of the pesach.” The Gemara, then, is curious as to why the posuk finds it necessary to mention specifically:

(1) That pesach sheini should be eaten together with matzah and marror

(2) That no bone of the korban pesach sheini may be broken

(3) That the pesach sheini should be consumed during the night and not left uneaten until morning.

Are these not three laws that apply to the first korban pesach?

The Gemara concludes that mentioning of these laws teaches us that certain mitzvos related to the korban pesach itself, such as the requirement to roast it and eat it in one place, apply to pesach sheini, even though they are not mentioned specifically in the Torah. On the other hand, other mitzvos that are not directly part of the korban pesach, such as the requirement to dispose of all of one’s chometz before offering the korban pesach, apply only to a korban pesach offered on the 14^th of Nisan and not to pesach sheini.

Pesach Sheini

Question #1: Seder Pesach Sheini

“Could you please review for me the order of pesach sheini night?”

Question #2: Conversion

“I wanted to become Jewish before Passover, but it looks like it won’t happen. Is there any way for me to make up the korban Pesach that I will miss?”

Question #3: Bar Mitzvah

“I become bar mitzvah during the beginning of sefirah. Does this affect when I will bring korban pesach?”

Introduction

This week’s article explains the Torah’s mitzvah of pesach sheini, offering the korban pesach on the 14^th of Iyar. I am not discussing any laws or customs germane to the observance of pesach sheini today, since we cannot offer the korban, a topic that I have discussed previously. Please note that, to avoid confusion, throughout this article, the holiday of Pesach will be capitalized, whereas the offerings, whether referring to the one offered on the 14^th of Nisan or on the 14^th of Iyar, will be lowercase (except when the word begins a sentence or heading).

Parshas Beha’alosecha teaches the fascinating mitzvah of observing korban pesach a month later than usual, called pesach sheini. Someone unable to observe the mitzvah of sukkah during the current week does not accomplish anything positive by eating his mealsin a sukkah a month later. Someone unable to kindle the Chanukah lights does not have the opportunity to do so on the 25^th of Teiveis, nor on any other “make-up” days after Chanukah. But in the instance of korban pesach, the Torah teaches: “And Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the second year of their leaving the land of Egypt, in the first month [Nisan], saying: ‘The Bnei Yisroel shall offer the pesach in its correct time, on the 14^th of this month, in the afternoon…. They shall prepare it, following all its laws and ordnances…’ There were men who were temei meis, thus, unable to observe korban pesach on the correct day, who approached Moshe and Aharon that day [the 14^th], saying… ‘We are temei meis; why should we lose out and not be able to offer the korban of Hashem in its proper time, as part of Bnei Yisroel?’” (Bamidbar 9, 1-7).

Moshe responded that he would ask Hashem what to do. Hashem instructed that an individual who was either tamei or at a distance and therefore unable to offer the korban pesach, is commanded to offer it during the second month, Iyar, on the afternoon of the 14^th. The Torah then proceeds, “It should be eaten together with matzos and bitter herbs. It should not be left over until morning, nor should any bone be broken; they should prepare it like all the laws of the pesach” (ibid. 11-12). This is very interesting, because, although the Torah appears to be comparing pesach sheini with the korban pesach usually offered on the 14^th of Nisan, the Torah never teaches us how to observe the regular korban pesach. The only other description of the korban pesach in the Torah is when the Jews were still in Egypt, and describes the temporary mitzvah called pesach Mitzrayim, and not all of the laws of that offering apply to the korban pesach brought in the years after the Jews exited Egypt. The laws that apply to a regular korban pesach are taught by the Torah she’be’al peh.

Pesach rishon versus pesach sheini

The Mishnah (Pesachim 95a) states: “What are the differences between the korban pesach offered on Erev Pesach [hereafter called pesach rishon] and the one offered on pesach sheini? The prohibitions of bal yei’ra’eh bal yimatzei [against owning chometz] apply on pesach rishon, whereas when observing pesach sheini, he can have chometz and matzoh together in his house. The first korban requires reciting Hallel while eating it, and the second does not. Both require Hallel while the korban is offered, and are eaten roasted, eaten together with matzoh and bitter herbs. Furthermore, if the 14^th falls on Shabbos, their shechitah (of both pesach rishon and pesach sheini) and other steps required in offering them supersede Shabbos.”

As we noted, the Mishnah states that it is permitted to have chometz in your house while offering and eating the pesach sheini. But are you permitted to eat chometz while eating the pesach sheini? The late halachic authorities dispute whether it is permitted to eat chometz together with the korban pesach sheini (Minchas Chinuch, Mitzvah 381; Meshech Chachmah, Bamidbar 9:10; Avi Ezri, 5: Korban Pesach Chapter 10).

More on pesach sheini

How else is this night of pesach sheini different from all other Pesach nights? The Tosefta (Pesachim Chapter 8) adds to the list supplied by the Mishnah that, when the pesach rishon is offered, those bringing it are divided into three groups, as described in the Mishnah, who take turns entering the Beis Hamikdash to offer the korban. Pesach sheini has no such requirement and all those interested in offering it are granted entry to the Beis Hamikdash at one time. Tosafos (Pesachim 95a s.v. mah) notes that the Gemara (Pesachim 90a) mentions another difference between pesach rishon and pesach sheini: the first pesach requires that the animal be selected and placed in your house four days before it is offered, on the tenth of Nisan, so that the animal can be observed for four days to ascertain that it has no blemish rendering it invalid. Pesach sheini has no such requirement, meaning that, it is sufficient to examine the animal carefully that it has no blemishes before offering it. There is no obligation to select it four days earlier and examine it frequently in the course of those four days.

As the Rambam and others explain, all the laws regarding when and how the korban pesach is eaten — that it is eaten only on the night of the 15^th, that it is barbecued, whole, on a spit made of pomegranate wood and that it should be eaten to complete being satisfied, not when you are hungry (Rambam, Hilchos Korban Pesach 8:3-4) — apply equally to pesach rishon and pesach sheini. The individuals required to offer the pesach, either rishon or sheini must eat at least a kezayis of the korban pesach. It is worthwhile noting that, to the best of my knowledge, the only time a Jew is required min haTorah to eat meat is the kezayis of korban pesach, either on pesach rishon or pesach sheini. Otherwise, someone can freely remain vegan if he prefers.

Why is this night different?

In explaining why there are halachic differences between pesach rishon and pesach sheini, the Gemara returns to the above-quoted pesukim. The Torah states that the korban pesach sheini should be brought kechol chukos hapesach, “like all the laws of the pesach.” The Gemara asks why the posuk mentions, specifically, that pesach sheini should be eaten together with matzoh and marror, that no bone may be broken and that it should be consumed during the night and not left, uneaten, until morning. Are these not laws that apply to the first korban pesach and that there is, therefore, no need to repeat them?

The Gemara concludes that certain mitzvos related to pesach rishon apply to pesach sheini, even though they are not mentioned specifically in the Torah. These include the requirements of roasting the korban pesach and eating it in one place, since these halachos are details in the preparation and consumption of the korban pesach. On the other hand, halachos that are not details in the preparation and consumption of the korban pesach, such as the requirement to dispose of all of one’s chometz before offering the pesach, apply only to pesach of the 14^th of Nisan and not to pesach sheini.

Other details

The posuk states that pesach Mitzrayim required that the lamb or kid to be offered as korban pesach is selected already on the tenth of Nisan, a mitzvah called bikur. The Gemara explains that pesach sheini does not require bikur.

Does a pesach offered on the 14^th of Nisan require bikur? Although, as I mentioned above, Tosafos (Pesachim 95a s. v. mah) requires bikur of four days for pesach rishon but not for pesach sheini, other rishonim require bikur only for pesach Mitzrayim and the daily korban tamid, but not for either pesach rishon or pesach sheini (Rashba, Menachos 49b).

Seder pesach sheini

At this point, we can now address our opening question: “Could you please review for me the order of pesach sheini night?”

We are all familiar with the steps of our Seder night: Kadeish, Ur’chatz, Karpas, Yachatz, Magid, Rachtzah, Motzi, Matzoh, Maror, Koreich, Shulchan Oreich, Tzafun, Bareich, Hallel, Nirtzah. The question now is: how many and which of these steps does someone observe if he is bringing pesach sheini?

Kadeish

There is no recital of Kiddush on pesach sheini, since it is not Yom Tov. Furthermore, there is no mitzvah to have four cups of wine.

There is no mitzvah of magid, recital of the Exodus story, on pesach sheini. In other words, a person who was tamei or distant from the Beis Hamikdash, and, therefore, could not offer korban pesach, observes his Seder on Pesach rishon, the night of the 15^th of Nisan, the way that we observe our Seder today without a korban pesach. On that night, he fulfills all the mitzvos of pesach night, including magid, matzoh, four cups of wine and Hallel. The only mitzvah of the night that is postponed for a month is offering and consuming the korban pesach,

Ur’chatz, Karpas

The purpose for the dipping of karpas and, therefore, the washing of hands that takes place before it, is to arouse the children’s attention, so that they should be alert to the events that we are discussing Seder night. But this is included within the mitzvah of magid, which does not exist on pesach sheini.

Yachatz

Splitting the matzoh in half so that the rest of it is eaten as the afikomen is to remind us that the korban pesach is eaten as the final item on the pesach-meal menu. Presumably, yachatz was not observed at all when the Beis Hamikdosh was standing, since we would be eating the korban pesach itself.

Magid

Since there is no mitzvah of magid, reciting the Exodus story, there is also no asking of the four questions at the Seder of pesach sheini. (However, see Sefas Emes, Pesachim 95a and Shu”t Benei Tzion 1:30.)

Rachtzah, Motzi, Matzoh, Maror, Koreich

All of these are part of the observances of pesach sheini.

Shulchan Oreich

There is no requirement of serving a festive Yom Tov meal, although there is a requirement to eat the korban pesach al hasova. There is a dispute between the Rambam and the Yerushalmi exactly what this requires. According to the Rambam, eating korban pesach al hasova means that you should eat of it as much as you want with gusto – you should not feel restricted from eating large portions of it,. According to the Yerushalmi (quoted by Tosafos, Pesachim 70a and Mahari Kurkus, Hilchos Korban Pesach 8:3), this means that you should not be extremely hungry when you eat the korban pesach. This is a rabbinic requirement to make sure that no one comes to break the bones of the korban pesach, in his haste to eat it.

Either approach should apply to pesach sheini. But a difference between the two approaches is that, according to the Rambam, there is no need to eat a meal with pesach sheini – it is adequate to serve matzoh and marror with the korban pesach and make that your full meal. According to the Talmud Yerushalmi, enough of a meal should be served before the korban pesach so that people are not ravenously hungry when it is served (Mahari Kurkus).

Tzafun

See our discussion above regarding mitzvas afikomen.

Bareich

Since there is a requirement to eat matzoh, there is a requirement to bensch after the meal on pesach sheini. Yaaleh Vayavo is not recited, because it is not Pesach.

Hallel

As mentioned above, Hallel is recited only on the afternoon of the 14^th of Iyar, when the korban pesach is offered, but not in the evening or the next morning, neither in shul, nor as part of the “Seder.”

Nirtzah

It seems to me that the customs of nirtzah all relate to the mitzvah of magid and the specific sanctity of the night of Pesach and not to the observances of pesach sheini.

Seder Plate

Does the pesach sheini Seder plate reflect this difference? It should contain marror and charoses, but there will be no need for any other items, since there is no mitzvah of karpas. Bear in mind that when we will again be able to offer korban pesach and korban chagigah, there will no longer be small roasted items on the Seder plate, what we usually call the zero’a and the beitzah, because the korban pesach is a full roasted lamb that will require a platter, and the korban chagigah is probably much larger.

Women and pesach sheini

There is a very major difference between men and women regarding pesach sheini. For women, offering pesach sheini is an opportunity, not a requirement. Therefore, if they were unable to offer pesach rishon and choose not to offer pesach sheini, there is no punishment of kareis. Also, they cannot bring their own pesach sheini, unless a man is involved who is required to do so.

Similarities

There are other ways, not mentioned in the Torah, in which pesach sheini has similar laws to pesach rishon. Both korbanos require that you stay overnight in Yerushalayim until the morning of the 15^th of Nisan, a mitzvah called linah (Pesachim 95b). (If not for this requirement, someone could eat his korban pesach in Yerushalayim during the early part of the evening, and then sleep outside the walls of the old city [Rashi ad loc.].)

Both pesach rishon and sheini are offered on the afternoon of the 14^th of the month, whether it is Shabbos or not (Pesachim 95b).

Violating either one intentionally incurs kareis, a characteristic these mitzvos aseih share with only one other positive mitzvah, bris milah.

Not tamei

Although the Torah mentions pesach sheini only in the context of someone who was either tamei or distant, the halacha is that pesach sheini applies to anyone who missed pesach rishon, whether it was because he was hospitalized, uncircumcised, ill, an onein (the first stage of mourning when he is not permitted to participate in korbanos) or even because he simply forgot. The reason the Torah singles out someone who was tamei meis or distant is because someone who failed to bring pesach rishon because of these two reasons and failed to bring pesach sheini is exempt from kareis, whereas anyone who missed pesach rishon for one of the other reasons and then missed pesach sheini intentionally is punishable by kareis (Piskei Hilchos Pesach Sheini Biketzarah). However, the exemption from kareis for a tamei is only for someone who could not have made himself tahor for pesach rishon.

A 12-year-old boy who turns bar mitzvah between the 15^th of Nisan and the 14^th of Iyar, or someone who converted to Judaism during those days should observe pesach sheini. However, if the child was already included in someone’s pesach rishon, he does not bring pesach sheini.

Someone who intentionally did not offer pesach rishon is chayov kareis for not having done so, but if he then brings pesach sheini, he removes the punishment of kareis from himself. But this is true only if he actually offers pesach sheini. If he was unable to offer pesach sheini, even if this was beyond his control, he is liable for kareis for not bringing pesach rishon intentionally.

This latter rule is true, also, regarding someone who is uncircumcised. If he could not bring pesach rishon because he was uncircumcised, received his bris milah sometime after Erev Pesach, and, intentionally, missed pesach sheini, he will be subject to kareis for not having offered the korban pesach.

Someone who brought pesach rishon and subsequently discovered that he was tamei and not permitted to offer the korban pesach is obliged to bring pesach sheini (Rambam, Hilchos Korban Pesach 6:12).

Only for the individual

When the Torah introduces the mitzvah of pesach sheini, it says ish, ish, repeating that the concept of pesach sheini is only for the individual. For this reason, should most of the community be tamei, there is no pesach sheini (Pesachim 79a; Rambam, Hilchos Korban Pesach, 7:1). There are many detailed rules that we will not discuss in this article that determine whether they will offer pesach rishon while they are temei’im, or will be exempt from korban pesach (and the punishment for not offering it) that year.

Conclusion

In explaining the mitzvah of pesach sheini, the Torah taught that several aspects of the laws of the korban Pesach are observed, but not all the laws of the Pesach holiday. This creates a very interesting combination. Although we have become accustomed to observing the holiday of Pesach without its unique korban, this is really one of the most important, if not the most important, observances of Pesach. It is actually so important that the men who were tamei and could therefore not be part of the communal korban Pesach, realized that they were deprived of a basic mitzvah observance. Indeed, they were correct, and the observance of korban Pesach is so important that it has a make-up a month later, something unique among mitzvos.