There is the well known adage of the Previous Rebbe, "Es is nitah kein farfalen, men ken aleh’mal farichten," "It is never too late; it is always possible to put things right." Even those that are [spiritually] "impure" or extremely "distanced" - and even if they were intentional transgressors - are still able to correct their past. (Parshas Behar 5749; Hisvaaduyos p.147)
Severing self-made bonds
... In the above adage, the stress is mainly on the possibility to correct even the very lowest situations - the unfortunate situation of being in a state that directly contradicts spiritual purity (or being distanced from the Beis HaMikdash [i.e., G-d's Presence]).
All the more so if this lowly standing is [in the words of the verse] "lachem," lit., "of you," i.e., of your own making, willfully, and even deliberately (rachmana litzlan - Heaven have mercy!)…
Nevertheless, even a predicament such as this is not lost; it can be corrected. (Ibid., p.159)
The importance of Erev Pesach Sheni
There is a well known directive of the Alter Rebbe – "We should ‘live with the times.’" This requires "living" with [the lessons found in] each week’s Torah portion ... and it also means "living" with the lessons derived from the "Torah" of the present time [i.e., the time of year, significant dates and occasions.]
In our case, this requires living with ... Erev Pesach Sheni – despite the fact that we do recite Tachanun during the Minchah service on Erev Pesach Sheni" (as recorded in the Alter Rebbe’s Siddur, before Lamnatze’ach ya’ancha). (Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim 5748; Hisvaaduyos p. 278, with fn. 2 and subnote)
Note that the topic of Pesach Sheni is mentioned in Megilas Ta’anis [an ancient text that recorded every date in the year on which Jews would not fast or give eulogies].
Now, "the dates recorded in Megilas Ta’anis impose Halachic implications – such as a prohibition against fasting on the days prior to them as well" [which, in this case, includes Erev Pesach Sheni].
Although [one could argue that] "the Megilas Sheni have been cancelled" [and we no longer observe the dates recorded within] – and therefore the prohibition against fasting and the like on the days prior to them have also been cancelled. … Nevertheless, it is plainly obvious that even following this cancellation, the dates recorded in Megilas Ta’anis still bear some residue of their former status – which similarly extends to the days prior to them; [they too retain some of their former status. As such, Erev Pesach Sheni remains a significant date – a day whose theme we should "live" with]. (Ibid., p.290)
It is never too soon
The adage of the Leader of our Generation concerning Pesach Sheni is well known; he taught that the lesson that we are to take from this day is "Es is nitah kein farfalen," "It is never too late."
Therefore, we should make this self-accounting as soon as possible, even on this very day of Shabbos - or at least during the following days, starting with Pesach Sheni itself, which begins immediately on Motzei Shabbos (the time of the Melaveh Malka, "The meal of Dovid, King Moshiach"). (Roshei Devarim from Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, Iyar 13 5751)
Not your fault, but your (correctable) imperfection
In his Shulchan Aruch (ibid.), the Alter Rebbe states regarding sins that were performed when one was a minor: Although he need not do Teshuvah for them now that he is an adult, nevertheless, it would be appropriate to accept upon oneself something, at least, in the way of Teshuvah, to gain atonement. (Parshas Behar 5749, ibid.)
Opportunity to climb higher
The message we are emphasizing (that it is possible to correct even an extremely low spiritual standing) comes in addition to the self-understood message of Pesach Sheni that is contained in the relevant Torah portion:
In the Torah’s description of the origins of Pesach Sheni, the men who were ritually-impure through having come in contact with a corpse and were therefore unable to make the Pesach sacrifice on the correct date, were not on a low spiritual level, G-d forbid … as stated in the Talmud (Sukah 25a.).
… In other words, the cause of their state of ritual impurity was not due to a deficiency in their spiritual standing. Quite the opposite! It was due to their involvement in fulfilling G-d's will [by performing the highly exalted Mitzvah of "Meis Mitzvah," attending to the burial needs in a case where no-one else can. Clearly, rather than just making up for past deficiencies, Pesach Sheni is also (or even, primarily) about catching up on opportunities to reach ever greater heights]. (Ibid., p. 147)
Pesach Sheni influences Pesach Rishon
[Originally, Pesach Sheni was introduced in order to make up for that which was missing on Pesach, i.e., offering and partaking of the Pesach sacrifice. Nevertheless,] even when our divine service on Pesach was accomplished in its fullest measure … the Yom Tov of Pesach Sheni [still] comes as an addition …
For it is on Pesach Sheni that our spiritual service regarding the themes of Pesach are accomplished on a far higher level.
This is reflected in the name "Pesach Sheni:" The term "Pesach" means "to jump over"; Pesach Sheni is therefore a dilug sheni, a second leap - one that takes us far higher than our first "leap," which occurred on Pesach.
For during Pesach we merely "leaped" to a station that was far beyond our prior spiritual standing, i.e., we attained what could at that point be termed a state of perfection. However, contrasted with our future spiritual standing, i.e., when we compare the elevated state we reached on Pesach with the additional elevation of Pesach Sheni (the "second leap") - why, our Pesach position is still left lacking! [And we are not talking about a slight lack; rather,] it is a lack which prompts the agitated complaint and demand, "lamah nigara," "Why should we lose out…?!"
Call to action for every Jew
In conclusion, Pesach Sheni carries an innovation in two directions:
On the one hand, even someone on the lowest of spiritual levels needs to be aware that nothing is totally lost and it is always possible to correct the situation.
On the other hand, even one whose conduct is as it ought to be (and any spiritual lack is merely due to his involvement in an alternative spiritual pursuit), should nevertheless take it to heart until he is truly bothered by that "lack."
In other words: Even one whose divine service is perfect and without deficiencies ought to contemplate how his present perfection is deficient in comparison to the even loftier levels of perfection he could attain. This "deficiency" should bother him to the core - until he too demands, "lamah nigara?!"
He will then strive to do everything possible in order to reach those higher levels of perfection, climbing ever higher." (Ibid., p. 149 - see there at length.)
