Question: Unique among the holidays is Passover, which has a make-up day called Pesach Sheni ("Second Passover [Sacrifice]") a month later, on the 14th of Iyar. On Pesach Sheni, those who were unable to participate in the Passover offering in the Holy Temple at the proper time could observe the mitzvah. But why is Passover the only holiday to have a make-up day?
Response: The Chassidic masters explain that the underlying theme of the Second Passover is the concept of teshuvah (“return”), and that it is never too late to correct our mistakes. To quote the Hayom Yom of the 14th of Iyar:
The theme of Pesach Sheini is that it is never too late. It is always possible to put things right. Even if one was ritually impure, or one was far away, and even in a case when this (impurity, etc.) was deliberate, nonetheless he can correct it.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that this is uniquely tied to Passover, which marks the “birth of the Jewish nation.”
You can miss many things (buses, exams, work meetings and even flights) and make them up later. But if you miss being born, you really missed the boat.
Therefore, G-d, wanted every person, even those who purposely missed the first Passover, to have a second chance at Passover, teaching that it truly is never too late to correct our deficiencies, even the most fundamental ones.
Nowadays, even though we cannot bring the Passover offering, the custom is to still celebrate the Second Passover by eating matzah—shmurah matzah, if possible—and by omitting Tachanun from the prayer services. When marking this day, we should take the clear lesson to heart that no matter how far we may go, or how impure we may have become, G-d will pave the way for us if we sincerely want to make amends.
