Pesach Sheini Means 20% OFF DARSHAN TRAINING
Use coupon code PESACHSHEINI for 20% off Darshan Training between now and Shabbat.
By Rabbi Patrick Beaulier
tl:dr - Use coupon code PESACHSHEINI for 20% off Darshan Training between now and Shabbat.
Pesach Sheni (Hebrew for “Second Passover”) occures on the 14th of Iyar. It originates from the Torah in Numbers Chapter 9, where Moses announces that the Passover sacrifice can only be eaten on a specific date by those who are ritually pure. This caused frustration (to say the least) among those who had come into contact with the dead and were impure, preventing them from bringing the offering. In other words: there are times in life when we can’t follow the letter of the law. Should we, therefore, be excluded?
And God said…
Nope.
God responds by allowing those who are impure or unable to reach Jerusalem during Passover to make the sacrifice, eat the lamb with matzah and bitter herbs.
This may be the only Torah commandment with an official oops related to a holiday that ensures some kind of observance (though it’s not the only time that God changes God’s direction vis-à-vis law. But that’s another story.)
Today, Passover Sheni is celebrated symbolically by almost no one, which is sad, because it’s something that in modern, secularized Judaism, there is plenty of theological and cultural relevance. In a world where people Do Jewish on their own terms, and where there is a search for any kind of flexibility, the holiday that is crucial gets a bump in the event of impracticality, and a makeup day. That’s as progressive as it gets.
Dr. Rabbi Stephen Garfinkel sums it up well:
[I]n the Second Pesacḥ account, the Torah shows a preference for the acceptance and understanding of human reality over and above the perfect and pristine performance of ritual duties. The God of the Second Pesacḥ is a compassionate and understanding God. The Torah tells us that we are all made in the image of God—a compassionate God crafting divine rituals around the realities of human life and ensuring the inclusion of all. That is certainly an example we should try to emulate
(Dr. Rabbi Stephen Garfinkel, TheTorah.com
If you want to observe Pesach Sheini, you can matzah without the bracha and omit tachanun (a daily prayer) to commemorate the ancient celebration.
Here at Darshan Yeshiva, we’re thinking about this idea of second chances by offering everyone who sees this 20% off Darshan Training.
The theory being that a lot of people were interested in Darshan Training around Pesach, but did not sign up. Consider this a “Pesach-Discount Sheini”.
Use coupon code PESACHSHEINI for 20% off Darshan Training between now and Shabbat.
Make sure to use the code. Price will change when you add the code. You’ll see the price change under “Select Payment Plan” (yes, it’s confusing).
And here’s the thing…
By becoming a student at Darshan Yeshiva, your support will help us continue to provide the educational programs that our community relies on. You pay for a program, and the proceeds go to help make it all possible.
NOT interested in Darshan Training?
Consider joining our new FIRST STEPS course, where I personally guide you through the Jewish ideas of God, Torah and Israel.
Or join one my favorites, JUDAISM FOR BEGINNERS.
Perhaps you want to meet us at Mount Sinai? And that means our Conversion to Judaism Program. We have $400 scholarships for those who need help joining us in the Jewish peoplehood and faith.
Thank you for your continued support, as a student, a donor, or both - and may this drash on Pesach Sheini bring you the ruach to give us a second shot.