That Matzah Moment (A Time for Do-overs)

Have you ever made a decision that felt right in the moment, only to realize later it led you further from where you meant to go? Maybe you stayed silent when you should have spoken up, walked away when you should have leaned in, or took the familiar route when your heart nudged you elsewhere.

Life is full of these moments—steps forward, backward, and sideways. It’s not a straight path but more of a dance: stumble, pivot, and try again. And tucked into this unpredictable rhythm is something astonishingly hopeful—second chances.

One of the most beautiful examples of this is a little-known biblical holiday called Pesach Sheni, the Second Passover. Celebrated on the 14th of Iyar, exactly one month after Passover, it exists solely to give people a second chance to do what they missed the first time around.

In biblical times, the Paschal Lamb was offered in the Temple on the eve of Passover. But some individuals were disqualified—they had come into contact with death or were too far away to make it to Jerusalem in time. By law, they couldn’t participate.

But these people didn’t accept their exclusion quietly. They came to Moses and Aaron with a plea:

Moses brought their question to God, and God’s response was extraordinary. He made room in the law for them—and for future generations. Those who were impure or distant could bring their offering one month later. In other words, they got another chance.

What’s more, these categories—contaminated by death and on a distant road—aren’t just logistical conditions. They’re metaphors for states of being we all experience.

We all know what it feels like to be spiritually distant, disconnected from our values, our sense of purpose, our connection to God. At times, we find ourselves walking a path that’s so far from home we barely recognize ourselves. That is a kind of death—the numbness, the drifting, the apathy.

But Pesach Sheni reminds us: we can turn around.

God’s message wasn’t just about Temple ritual. It was a declaration for all time:

You are not stuck. You are never too far. And I will wait for you.

Disconnection often creeps in quietly—through habit, routine, or resignation. We may not notice how far we’ve strayed until a moment of clarity arrives. It may come as a whisper or a gut punch. But when it does, we are invited to begin again.

This is the essence of teshuvah—often translated as repentance, but more deeply understood as return. It’s not just about regret. It’s about reorienting. It’s the decision to come back to who we really are, to bridge the gap between the life we’re living and the life we’re meant for.

Pesach Sheni tells us: you missed it? Try again. You weren’t ready? Now you are. You were far away? Come close now, there’s still time.

No matter how disconnected, how distant, or how late, the road home is always open.

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