דברי הימים ב, פרק ל׳, פסוק ד׳

A major national decision is made to delay the Passover offering by adding an extra month to the calendar. Following a period of deep consultation, this practical choice is met with broad approval from the king and the general public [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, a subtle detail reveals an underlying tension. The high officers, who were explicitly consulted earlier in the process, are noticeably absent from the final consensus.

This absence is not an oversight. The officers represent the Sanhedrin and the sages of Israel. In reality, the majority of these sages opposed King Hezekiah's decision to declare a leap month while the nation was already in the month of Nissan. Although they participated in the initial discussions, they did not support the final conclusion, leading to their exclusion from the record of agreement [חומת אנך].

This raises the question of how the king could move forward against the majority ruling of the sages. While most opposed the delay, a minority of the sages did support the king's approach. Relying on this minority view, Hezekiah enacted the delay as a temporary emergency measure. Because standard law is strictly determined by majority rule, the sages as a collective body could not be listed as agreeing to the plan. Fully aware of the legal and spiritual complexity of this unusual decision, Hezekiah later offered a special prayer, asking that God would mercifully grant him atonement for the action [חומת אנך].