The first ones to ask this question were the people who could not offer the Passover sacrifice because they were impure. These people were not obligated to offer the sacrifice, but they wanted with all their might to be part of it, to sacrifice and celebrate as well.
Thanks to their claim and desire to participate, a new holiday was renewed in their honor: Pesach Sheni, Second Passover. On the 14th of Iyar, exactly one month after the Passover holiday, a second opportunity was given for those who could not celebrate Passover at its appointed time – the impure or those who were far away and did not manage to reach Jerusalem.
The request of these people teaches us to this day about the possibility of asking for another opportunity, a chance to make things right, or in the words of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “The matter of Pesach Sheni is that nothing is lost, it is always possible to fix things. Even someone who was impure, or someone who was far away – nevertheless, it is possible to make things right.”
Prayers to the Western Wall from 140 countries: “For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, in keeping with tradition: Prayer notes placed between the stones of the Western Wall over the past six months have been removed and transferred for ritual burial.
25 Elul 5786
September 7, 2026
