It's Never Too Late for a Fresh Start...(Num. Ch. 9)

"If any man will become contaminated through a human corpse or [will be] on a distant road...he shall make the pesach-offering for Hashem in the second month on the fourteenth day...(Num. 9:10). Even though the commandment of bringing a pesach offering is on the fourteenth day of the first month, here we are being taught that if one missed the original date, the offering can be "made up" a month later.

If the idea behind this commandment of a "second" pesach offering it is merely to "make up" for a missed opportunity, then why is this the only time and the only commandment where a make up opportunity is available?

But rather the paschal lamb is essentially tied to the idea that we are able to come out of Egypt, come out of what is oppressing and enslaving us (namely to escape from our own limitations and inhibitions) and live a truly free life. This is the idea behind the first paschal offering on the "fourteenth day of the first month". The second paschal lamb is coming to remind us that every day we have to see ourselves as coming out of Egypt again. We can't make Passover, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur annual events- they must be in our consciousness and part of our service to G-d on a daily basis.

Every day of our lives is an additional opportunity to experience the kind of excitement and ecstasy that we experience on the special days, the festivals, that mark the Jewish calendar. Knowing that there is today another opportunity to experience the added completeness and freedom from limitations is a constant challenge. We are challenged to see that reaching beyond ourselves is not something that is reserved only on for special days but rather it is a privilege extended to us anew every day of the year.