The inyan of Pesach Sheni, which is on the 14th day of Iyar, we know is that if somebody did not manage to bring the קרבן פסח in its proper time, in its original time, which is the 14th day of Nisan, Erev Pesach פסח, then he has a chance to bring the קרבן פסח a month later on the 14th day of Iyar. As the pasuk says in פרשת בהעלותך, קפיטל ט, פסוק י: איש איש כי יהיה טמא לנפש, if a person will be טמא, או בדרך רחוקה לכם או לדורותיכם, or he will be in a faraway, which means on Erev Pesach when you're supposed to bring the קרבן פסח he was tamei, and when a person is tamei you cannot bring the korban, or he was בדרך רחוקה, he was far from Yerushalayim, far from the azarah, as the Rambam says, it means he was 15 mil away from the azarah on Erev Pesach, so then, בחודש השני בארבעה עשר יום בין הערביים יעשו אותו. So on the second month, which is the month of Iyar, the 14th day of the month of Iyar, בין הערביים, then he makes the קרבן פסח. The truth is we don't have a קרבן פסח nowadays, so lichorah the whole inyan of Pesach Sheni does not apply nowadays. Nevertheless, we see that we do celebrate Pesach Sheni by not saying Tachanun on that day, and also there is a minhag to eat matzah on Pesach Sheni, to remind ourselves of the קרבן פסח that they used to eat together with matzah. Lichorah, why do we celebrate Pesach Sheni now when we don't have a קרבן פסח? So the reason is simple, because even though bagashmiyus we don't have it, but the inyan of פסח שני ברוחניות applies nowadays too. What is the inyan of פסח שני ברוחניות? So as the famous pitgam, or saying, goes that the inyan of פסח שני shows az es iz nisht keyn farfaln, that it's never too late, that even if a person did not manage to bring the קרבן פסח in its proper time has a second chance, it's never too late. Which means that even though normally by korbanot we say עבר זמנו בטל קרבנו, if the time passes then the korban is batal, but here we see that even though the time passed, you still have a second chance. And this teaches us that bichlal es iz nisht keyn farfaln, it's never too late, that there is always a possibility of doing teshuvah. In other words, the inyan of פסח שני is really the inyan of teshuvah, that it's never too late and you could always do teshuvah.

It's kedai to go a little bit into the details of the קרבן פסח and the פסח שני to show how far teshuvah goes. When we say that if a person did not bring the קרבן פסח in its proper time is able to bring it פסח שני, which reminds us of the inyan of teshuvah, let's see what kind of reasons can there be that a person should not have brought the קרבן פסח in its original time. So as the pasuk says, it could be because he was טמא, טמא לנפש, or it could be that he was בדרך רחוקה, he was far away. But be'emet, there could be another reason also. The din is that if a person has chametz in his house, you are not allowed to bring the קרבן פסח. You have to get rid of the chametz before chatzot, before middle of the day mide'oraita, mid'rabbanan it goes an hour before, but mide'oraita you could have chametz till the middle of the day, but afterwards you're not allowed to have chametz on Erev Pesach. But there's another din, that not only is there an issur to have chametz, but if a person did have chametz, then he's not allowed to bring the קרבן פסח, as the pasuk says: לא תשחט על חמץ דם זבחי, do not shachat while you have chametz the blood of my korban. So it's possible for a person not to bring the קרבן פסח in its proper time because he had chametz. Then there is another possibility, that a person did not bring the קרבן פסח in its proper time במזיד. There was no reason for it, במזיד, intentionally he did not bring the קרבן פסח. Now in all these cases, if he brings the פסח שני, he is yotzei the קרבן פסח. Now in the case where he was tamei or he was far away, definitely if he brings the פסח שני, then he is metaken the mistake that he made before. Torah says it clearly, in Torah שבכתב, Chumash, it says clearly that if he was טמא לנפש or בדרך רחוקה, then he brings the פסח שני. Concerning the other din, that if he did not bring the קרבן פסח because he had chametz, it doesn't say in Chumash, it doesn't say in Torah שבכתב, but nevertheless it's learned out from the עצם דין that if he did not bring the קרבן פסח for that reason, still he is able to bring the פסח שני. Concerning the other case, that if he didn't bring the פסח ראשון במזיד, whether then if he brings the פסח שני it will fix up the mistake he made, which means in halachah that if you don't bring the קרבן פסח במזיד, you're חייב כרת. If he did not bring it במזיד and later brings the פסח שני, whether he is patur from karet or not, in that it's not so simple. There is really a machloket in the Rishonim here. The Rambam, in the beginning of the fifth perek of Hilchot Korban Pesach, says that even if the person was במזיד in the first קרבן פסח, which means he didn't bring it intentionally, so if he brings the second korban, he becomes patur from karet. Rashi, in פסחים צ״ג עמוד א׳, says he is חייב כרת על הראשון ואפילו עשה את השני, that even if you bring the פסח שני, you still remain חייב כרת on the first if you did it במזיד. And the Tzelach there learns that Rashi holds like this laHalachah even according to Rabbi. And that's actually how the Rambam paskent in the Sefer HaMitzvos, מצות עשה נ״ז. The Or Chadash in Maseches Pesachim says that Rashi only says this according to the other opinion, but according to Rabbi, it is not like that. But the Tzelach learns that according to Rashi, even according to Rabbi, even if you bring פסח שני, but if the reason you didn't bring פסח ראשון was במזיד, you are still חייב כרת. But as we said before, that's not the shittah of the Rambam. And even though in the Sefer HaMitzvos the Rambam does say that, he does say that you're still חייב כרת even if you brought a פסח שני, but the Rif Perla, in מצות עשה נ״ז, writes that the Rambam changed his mind, had charatah. But whatever it is, in any event, the Rambam in his Yad HaChazakah, where he paskent the halachah, he paskent that even if you didn't bring the קרבן פסח במזיד, if you bring the פסח שני, you're patur from kares, which means that according to the Rambam at least, פסח שני is even metaken even if you didn't bring the קרבן פסח במזיד. So, in short, it comes out that the inyan of פסח שני could be metaken, could fix the not bringing of פסח ראשון, whether it was not brought because of tumah, or it was not brought because he was far away from the azarah, or it was not brought because he still had chametz in his house at the time of the קרבן פסח, or it was not brought b'mezid according to the Rambam, still פסח שני helps. And this shows how far the inyan of teshuvah goes, because these inyanim that we mentioned have a special connection to the inyan of קרבן פסח, and as as will explain it. In קרבנות בכלל,

we find three inyanim: First, the עצם ענין of bringing a korban. The inyan of a korban is like the name korban, it means that you become close to Hashem, as it says in the Sefer HaBahir, סימן ק״ט, also brought down in the Shlah, Maseches Taanis, his Maseches Taanis, and it's also mentioned in the Rabbeinu Bachaye in פרשת ויקרא, קפיטל א׳ פסוק ט׳, and in פרי עץ חיים, שער התפילה פרק ח׳, that the reason it's called קרבן, על שם שמקרב, because it brings you closer, that means when a Yid brings a korban, it is mekarev him, it makes him closer to Hashem. That's the general idea of a korban. Then we have certain specific details in the inyan of korban. One is using the terms the way it's in Kabbalah is העלאה מלמטה למעלה, and the other one is the המשכה מלמעלה למטה, meaning like this: The first thing is the העלאה מלמטה למעלה is that you elevate the korban. A certain part of the korban is put on the mizbeach and is consumed by the fire that was on top of the mizbeach. The part that was put on was, so to speak, eaten up by the fire. The fire came מן השמים, so the fire represents Hashem, and this part of the korban that was eaten up by the fire, it means it went up to Hashem. And as it says in many sefarim, this doesn't only bring an aliyah to the korban, but it also brings an aliyah to everything that's connected to the korban, and really it brings aliyah to the whole world. So this is another part of the korban, the inyan of העלאה מלמטה למעלה, that this brings an aliyah to the korban and to everything else. Then we have the other inyan, which is the המשכה מלמעלה למטה, which means that there is a certain kedushah that is brought down from above to below, and that is expressed especially in the part of the korban that's eaten, the part of the korban that's eaten by the kohanim or by the ba'alim, by the owners. So what happens? So the kedushah of the korban comes into the person who eats it, so there is a kedushah that is brought down into the people and it becomes דמו ובשרו כבשרו. When you eat something, it becomes part of you. So the kedushah becomes part of the person, so that means that the kedushah is brought down. The other inyan was that the animal, the behemah, was elevated up, and this is the inyan of המשכה מלמעלה למטה, the idea that the kedushah comes down. This is by all korbanot. By korban Pesach, this is even stronger. All three inyanim are stronger by the korban Pesach. The first inyan of the korban Pesach, the concept of kiruv, that this brings a person closer to Hashem, that it is mekarev him, by korban Pesach it's even more, because the word Pesach itself doesn't just mean plain getting closer, but it means jumping, that you get closer in such a way that you jump. Normally you get closer is when you walk and you get closer to the person or to the place you're coming to. Pesach means jumping, you get closer in a much higher level. That means that the closeness that the korban Pesach brings a Yid to Hashem is not just simple ממדרגה לדרגה from one level to another, but it is in the form of jumping, which means it's not only an ordinary connection, but it's a connection that goes beyond any limits. The second thing in korbanot, which is the העלאה ממטה למעלה, which is the elevation of the behemah and everything else with it, is even more by the korban Pesach. Why? By all other korbanot, there's only a certain part of the korban that's put on the mizbe'ach, and that part is consumed by the fire. By the korban Pesach the din was that even the part that was eaten by the person also had to be צלי אש, had to be broiled on fire. And fire consumes, and this is a fire that was put there because of the ציווי, of the commandment of Hashem, and it had to be burned by the fire. So this shows that this inyan, that the fire consumes the korban, by the קרבן פסח it's even more than by any other korban. And the same is the third inyan, that we said that by a korban you have the המשכה ממעלה למטה, the fact that a Yid eats it, whether it's the kohen that eats part of the korban or it's even the owner. But the pshat is that since he eats the korban, the korban is kedushah, and it becomes part of him, that's the inyan of hamshachah, it's bringing kedushah into the people, by the קרבן פסח it's even more. Because by the קרבן פסח, the Gemara says in פסחים דף ע״ו עמוד ב׳, and the Rambam paskens like that in הלכות קרבן פסח פרק ז׳ הלכה ח׳, that לא בא מתחילתו אלא לאכילה. The whole קרבן פסח לכתחילה is made only to eat. By other korbanot, we say the korban is there, and there are certain things that you do with the korban, one of the things you do with the korban is you eat it. By the קרבן פסח, the whole purpose of the korban is to eat. And since we said before that the eating represents the המשכה ממעלה למטה, the fact that the kedushah comes down to the people and becomes part of them, דמו ובשרו כבשרו, since the קרבן פסח it's lechat'chilah made for eating, so this inyan of המשכה ממעלה למטה is even stronger by the קרבן פסח than by other korbanot. And in order to be able to have these three inyanim by the קרבן פסח,

that's why you have to have these three dinim: that by the קרבן פסח you're not allowed to have any chametz, you must be tahor, and you must be in the azara. What's the connection? Chametz represents gaavah, as we know, represents hisnasaus, arrogance of a person. Now, since if a person is a baal gaavah, Hashem says אין אני והוא יכולים לדור, me and him cannot live together, as the Gemara says in Sotah דף ה׳ עמוד א׳. So it comes out if a person has chametz, he cannot be close to Hashem, Hashem says I cannot live with you. So if a person has chametz, this is against this inyan in korbanot, and especially in קרבן פסח, which brings the person closer to Hashem, and that's the reason why by the קרבן פסח you're not allowed to have chametz. The inyan of tumah, and especially if a person is טמא לנפש, טומאת מת, is the opposite of the second inyan in korbanot, especially by קרבן פסח, the inyan of העלאה ממטה למעלה. The fact that the קרבן פסח shows that there is an elevation of the gashmiyus into ruchniyus. Because we know that tumah is something that is not tangible, not even tangible with sechel, you can't understand it. When something becomes tamei, you don't see any change in the physical object. Other kinds of issurim, you see a change. For instance, בשר בחלב, when you mix milk with meat, you don't see why it becomes bad, but there is a physical change now legabei the way it was before. Now there is a mixture of בשר בחלב. Tumah, the same thing before was tahor, when something tamei touches it, it becomes tamei, there is no change in it. Not only not a ruchniyusdike change that you could see, not even a physical change. So the inyan of tumah has special connection bedavka to the ruchniyus of the thing. So when something is tamei, it doesn't allow it to get closer to ruchniyus, to get נתעלה. When we say that this thing gets elevated, it means it goes away from gashmiyus and goes up and is consumed by the fire and becomes more ruchniyus. But something is tamei, and tumah is a pure ruchniyusdike thing, so what tumah does, it makes the ruchniyus lower. So it can't get elevated and have this ha'alah. And also we know, as it says in the Mishnah at the end of Maseches Sotah, that taharah is connected to reiach, is connected to smell, and we know that reiach, smell, has to do specifically with the neshamah, as the Gemara says in Berachos דף מ״ג עמוד ב׳, that smell is a דבר שהנשמה נהנית ממנו, something that the neshamah has pleasure from, not the body. And since smell has to do with taharah, that means that tumah, which is the opposite of taharah, affects the smell, which means affects the neshamah, which is ruchniyus. So therefore, the ha'alah, this elevation that Korban Pesach accomplishes, which means it brings it up, takes it away from gashmiyus, more to ruchniyus, cannot be accomplished if it has tumah. And certainly if it's טומאת מת, the tumah comes from a dead body, certainly this cannot go up higher, because we know the inyan of death is a ירידה במדריגה, it's a lowering of מדריגה לגבי when a person's alive. As it says in the Zohar: מאן דנפל מדרגיה איקרי מת, somebody who falls from his מדריגה is called dead. So anything that's connected to death is lower, not higher, so it can't go higher. And that's why the din is that if a person is tamei, he cannot bring the Korban Pesach, because this will be against this part of the Korban Pesach, which is the ha'alah. Then the third thing is that if a person is far away from the Azarah, He cannot bring a Korban Pesach, that's concerning the third thing. The third thing by a Korban Pesach is that there is a המשכה מלמעלה למטה, that you bring kedushah down into the body by eating the Korban Pesach, and since the korban Pesach lechatchilah comes to be eaten, so this has this concept of bringing kedushah into the guf. If a person's body is outside of the azarah, then he contradicts this inyan of bringing kedushah into the guf. Because when a person is outside of the azarah, this affects the body, not the nefesh. Because it's possible for a person, but mitzad his nefesh, which means mitzad his willpower, mitzad his machshavah, his thought, he wants to be in the azarah. But we still don't count it as if he is in the azarah, because in his body he wasn't in the azarah. So the inyan of being outside of the azarah is noge'a to the guf, which means his guf is far from the Beis Hamikdash, far from kedushah. So how could he bring a korban Pesach, which one of its inyanim is that you bring kedushah into the guf, when his guf is far away from kedushah, far away from the Beis Hamikdash? And that's why these three things contradict the inyan of bringing the korban Pesach. And nevertheless we say that even if it happened to, if one of these three things happened, nevertheless, when it comes to Pesach Sheni, he could still bring the korban Pesach, which means that the inyan of teshuvah is so strong, it could even fix these three things that happened. And the truth is even more than that, that even when, as we said before, according to the Rambam he was b'mezid, he didn't bring the korban Pesach, nevertheless he could still bring Pesach Sheni, because the teshuvah is so strong that even if a person does an עבירה במזיד, nevertheless, if you do teshuvah, teshuvah fixes that, too. And that's why the Rambam holds mitzad the ruchniyusdike explanation that even if a person did not bring the korban Pesach in his proper time b'mezid, nevertheless, he could still bring פסח שני, and he will become patur from kares, because teshuvah helps even for that.