במדבר, פרק ט׳, פסוק י׳

The establishment of a Second Passover provides an extraordinary second chance for those unable to bring the Passover offering in its proper time. This provision highlights the supreme value of every single person, ensuring no one is left behind [שפתי כהן]. At the same time, it introduces a profound legal principle regarding the community. The delay to a second month applies specifically to individuals who are ritually impure. If, however, the majority of the public is impure, the community is not delayed; instead, they proceed to offer the Passover in its regular time despite their state of impurity.

While the initial case involves someone who contracted impurity from a dead body [ביאור שטיינזלץ], the primary approach among commentators is that this law encompasses all forms of ritual impurity. Corpse impurity is specifically highlighted either because it prompted the original question to Moses, or to distinguish it legally from other states. If the majority of the nation is impure from a corpse, the offering proceeds on time. In contrast, if the majority suffers from bodily impurities, the entire community is indeed delayed to the Second Passover [תורה תמימה, רלב״ג, רש״ר הירש].

Another reason for delay is being on a distant journey, a concept marked by a unique dot in the Torah scroll that has sparked considerable debate. One approach suggests this mark minimizes the requirement, indicating that the distance is not necessarily physical. Even a person standing just outside the Temple courtyard, unable to enter during the time of the offering, is considered distant [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, חזקוני, גור אריה]. Conversely, a major alternate view maintains that the distance is entirely geographic, defined as being too far to reach the courtyard before the time for the offering expires. According to this view, the special mark teaches that the distance is relative to a person's physical ability to arrive on time [רמב״ן, רלב״ג, הכתב והקבלה, רש״ר הירש]. Within this perspective, commentators debate whether a person's distance is measured from the dawn of the fourteenth day of the month or only from midday when the time for the offering begins [תורה תמימה, הכתב והקבלה].

This opportunity is not a temporary measure for the generation in the desert, but a permanent law for all future generations [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. Furthermore, the obligation to observe the Second Passover extends far beyond those who were impure or traveling. It includes anyone who missed the original offering, whether due to circumstances beyond their control, accidental oversight, or even intentional neglect. All are obligated to make up the Commandment [רמב״ן, תורה תמימה, רש״ר הירש, הכתב והקבלה]. Additionally, if a distant traveler attempts to fulfill their obligation by having someone else offer the sacrifice on their behalf during the first Passover, the attempt is invalid, and they remain obligated to observe the second [רמב״ן, רש״ר הירש].

Despite serving as a makeup for the original offering, the Second Passover carries distinct practical differences. It does not possess the same level of festival holiness as the first Passover. Most notably, a person observing the Second Passover is permitted to keep both leavened bread and matzah in their home simultaneously. The strict prohibition against leavened bread applies only during the actual eating of the Passover offering alongside the matzah [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, גור אריה, ברטנורא, ברכת אשר].