VOLUME 121 NUMBER 4
Sivan 20, 5786
June 5, 2026
Parshas Beha’aloscha
Candlelighting Time 8:07
When the people were offering the Pesach sacrifice there were those that were defiled after having been in contact with corpses. They came to Moshe and exclaimed that they wanted desperately to bring the Pesach offering but were unable to due to their circumstances. Moshe did not respond to them rather he just waited for Hashem to transmit the halacha in this situation. This is of course the law of Pesach Sheni, the second Pesach when one who was unable to bring the offering at its proper time has a backup about a month later. It seems rather odd that Moshe was ignoring them as opposed to the daughters of Tzelofchod who requested from Moshe that they should be able to receive their father’s inheritance since there weren’t any male heirs. He validated their request and stated that we will wait to receive the halacha from Hashem. Why was Moshe’s approach different?
Chasam Sofer points out an incredible variance between the two situations. The people who defiled themselves realized in doing so that they would not be able to offer the Pesach sacrifice. And also, they were of course unaware of the Pesach Sheni backup because at that time it was not yet the halacha. Still, they forged on understanding that what they were doing was important and it needed to be attended to. However, when Pesach came and they witnessed the entire nation deeply involved in bringing the Pesach offering, they were dismayed and felt left out of the masses who were experiencing a togetherness of untold proportions. Their message to Moshe wasn’t that they were upset per se but rather they needed to be part of the larger picture, part of the nation that was so intensely participating in this wonderful Yom Tov. And that void would not be addressed by Pesach Sheni which only comprised individuals that were incapable of offering the Pesach sacrifice in its appropriate time. They wondered if Hashem would allow notwithstanding their defiled status to be part of the people’s national sacrificial event. Although if the nation is defiled it is permissible to bring the Pesach sacrifice but if it only pertains to a few individuals, then it is not permitted.
Nonetheless, their motivating theme was addressed by Moshe since the special halacha of Pesach Sheni was publicized to the entire nation clearly stating that Hashem was responding to their request. And that is why Moshe didn’t say to them that their request was indeed valid because although he understood their emotional difficulty but that did not resonate with Moshe as a reason to allow them to be part of the nation in bringing the Pesach offering.
HaRav Moshe Sternbuch one of the leading Poskim in Eretz Yisroel adds a very important detail to this episode. We clearly see how those who were unable to join the nation in their celebration of Pesach were so incredibly impassionate to find a way to be involved. And as Rashi points out that the parsha of Pesach Sheni was really to be conveyed through Moshe but due to the diligence of these few defiled individuals they merited that it should be transmitted due to them. So is the capability of a Jew through his enthusiasm and zeal to perform a mitzvah able to actually be the source of a new halacha in the nation.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
Whenever we merit a revelation of Hashem we must ensure its settling with us. Therefore, the Levites were given the charge to ‘protect’ the Mishkan since it was a revelation of Hashem’s presence amongst us. S’FAS EMES
GOOD SHABBOS
