Bamidbar Chapter 9: Pesach Sheni and the Cloud of Divine Guidance

The Chronological Setting: Going Back to the First Month

We're reading Bamidbar chapter 9. This story beginning has a date. It's in the second year of Yetziyat Mitzrayim [the Exodus from Egypt], the first month. So we're going back to the date where everything really is happening here. All of these stories are sort of surrounding these dates.

As we've discussed, this is explicitly before the story of the census in the beginning of the book, which was in the second month of the first year. So this is going back all the way to the day that the Mishkan [Tabernacle] was set up, which was Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the first month of the second year. And it's adding something that happened then.

We could understand the dislocation because we had to finish everything about the Mishkan — the creation of the Mishkan itself, the census, all the things surrounding it — before we get to this, which is really a separate story, a separate thing.

A Parasha of Kiyum Mitzvah: The Observance of Pesach in the Desert

Now, what we have here is mainly a story of, as we've discussed, this is one of the prime examples of a mitzvah, the parasha of a mitzvah. This is like a parasha of mitzvot, although it's also a parasha of a story. So in some sense, the parasha — and it's one of the only parashiyot that are like this — is a parasha of a mitzvah of the Eidah [congregation], doing in the desert a mitzvah that was given before. The mitzvah of Korban Pesach [Passover offering] here was given already in Parashat Bo, and commanded already that it should be every year. So this is really a story of the kiyum hamitzvah [fulfillment of the commandment].

Pesach is interesting in that way, that there are about seven stories in the whole Tanakh saying how the people were mekayem [fulfilled], how they did this mitzvah. So this is the first one. It's already in the Torah itself.

To that is added a mitzvah that was given in response to a problem that they had. So this is a structure that we find in many mitzvot, in Sefer Bamidbar specifically. There might be some of it in earlier books, but this is the place where most of them are. This is why I said this is like appendixes, fixing or adding things to mitzvot and stories that were there before, in response, and specifically in response to a certain thing.

The Principle of New Situations Requiring New Halacha

In other words, if we would generalize it, we would say: from here we learn that sometimes there's a new situation which requires a new pesak [halachic ruling], a new halacha regarding the mitzvah. Of course, we have the klal [principle] of Chazal [the Sages]: אלה המצוות שאין נביא רשאי לחדש דבר מעתה [Eleh hamitzvot she'ein navi rashai lechadesh davar me'atah — These are the commandments; no prophet may innovate anything from now on]. This doesn't happen anymore. Only Moshe could do that.

But I don't think it's so far-fetched to think that it does happen, only in the way of halacha, in the way of Torah she'b'al peh [Oral Torah]. Sometimes when there's a new situation, we say, well, does this apply here? Does it make a difference? Things like that. It's not very different. But that's the thing of Sefer Bamidbar — it has such mitzvot, and this is what we're going to read.

The Command to Perform Pesach (Pesukim 1-5)

So we read: in this time, in this state, in this place, in Midbar Sinai [the Sinai Desert], Hashem spoke to Moshe and says, ויעשו בני ישראל את הפסח במועדו [V'ya'asu Bnei Yisrael et haPesach b'moado — And the Children of Israel shall make the Pesach in its appointed time]. And what is this correct time? As defined by Parashat Emor and as defined by Parashat Bo, which says the correct time.

So this is really Hashem being mazkir [reminding] them, reminding them to do something they already did, told them once. And there's, of course, a question: why does He have to remind them? But I think this is the logic of every story. They don't do anything here without being told.

The Three Levels of Command

And we saw, for example, in the story of the hagbalah [boundary setting], as Rashi says, מזהירין [mazhirin — they warn]. So there's a special command to actually do it. Like there's three levels. There's the general command, and there's the command to actually do it, and then there's actually doing it. And this is the command to actually do it.

And as it says, explicitly, you'll do it on the 14th day of this month. וככל חקתיו וככל משפטיו [V'chechol chukotav v'chechol mishpatav — And according to all its laws, according to its order], as you've already been commanded. So there's no doubt that this is referring to the mitzvah that was given earlier, and it's telling them to do it.

And Moshe tells the Yidden [Jews] that they should do it. And they do it. So that's the third level, right? Hashem tells Moshe to do it now, and they actually do it now. כאשר צוה ה' את משה כן עשו [Ka'asher tzivah Hashem et Moshe ken asu — As Hashem commanded Moshe, so they did].

Now, and this is, I think, all said here — probably that's the answer to the question. Like, isn't it obvious that they did the mitzvah? It's probably obvious. But the reason this story exists, maybe even it happened this way, is in order so we should have the next story.

The Problem of the Temei'im: Those Who Were Ritually Impure (Pesukim 6-8)

Now there were some people that were not able to do the Pesach. Why were they not able to do the Pesach? Because they were טמא לנפש [tamei lanefesh — ritually impure through contact with a dead person]. We already discussed: tamei lanefesh means tumah from a meit [dead body]. They touched a dead soul, a dead body, a dead person. I think the nefesh doesn't necessarily mean soul versus body, because you can't be tamei to the soul. You're tamei to the body. But anyways, nefesh means a person.

And they could not do the Pesach, as we learned over there, that if you're tamei, you can't do it. And they come to Moshe and Aharon, they tell him, and we have a dialogue here, a very explicit dialogue, where למה נגרע [Lamah nigara — Why should we be diminished/excluded?]. It's interesting, because everything here is being counted. So nigara is something like, why don't we count? Why are we deleted? Why are we reduced from being able to make the Korban Hashem? להקריב את קרבן ה' במועדו [L'hakriv et korban Hashem b'moado — To offer Hashem's offering in its appointed time], goes along with all the Yidden.

Moshe's Response: Standing Before Hashem

And Moshe accepts this argument, accepts their complaint. And he says — this is interesting, because later in the story we'll see many complaints where people say things similar, like, why not? Why not me? Why not this? And then, apparently, if you complain in this style of complaining, then Hashem gets mad.

But here, this was a complaint, or a kind of demand, which Moshe says, עמדו ואשמעה מה יצוה ה' לכם [Imdu v'eshmah mah yetzaveh Hashem lachem — Stand and I will hear what Hashem commands for you]. Let me stand here, wait here, and I'll listen, I'll hear to what Hashem told me.

And this is, of course, also a continuation to what we had at the end of the previous chapter, where after the Mishkan, and the Mishkan was set up by Hashem, there is a place to go ask Hashem things. That probably means He went to the Ohel Moed [Tent of Meeting], and He asked them what to do.

The Law of Pesach Sheni: The Second Passover (Pesukim 9-14)

And Hashem answers, and He gives a command, דבר אל בני ישראל [Daber el Bnei Yisrael — Speak to the Children of Israel]. He gives a new mitzvah, and the mitzvah is phrased in the style of a mitzvah, a very general phrase. איש איש [Ish ish — Any man, every man], if it will be tamei, or — and it adds, right, since it's a general law, it's not only responding to the situation, it's giving the new law.

The Principle: The Law Was Always There

Like the way Chazal would say it: there was really the law before, but the story happened so that these people should be the cause of the law being revealed. But it's not like the law was created in response to that. This is really the law. And we can see this from the style of the pesak. It's not a style of like, oh, so for today we'll do this. No, there's a general law that has a rule, this is how it works.

And it's not only for you, it's also if you're בדרך רחוקה [b'derech rechokah — on a distant journey], if you are in a far away, you can't reach the place of doing the Pesach, so the same thing. It's not specifically for tamei, it's any kind of other way, legitimate way — well, not if you did it on purpose — but a legitimate way in which someone was impossible to come to the Pesach.

And it's not only for today, it's not only for now. לכם ולדורותיכם [Lachem ul'doroteichem — For you and for your generations], it's for now, or for the future generation. So this is a general law.

The Details of Pesach Sheni

Now, what will this person do? He will do a Pesach. When will he do a Pesach? On the second month. So this is also a story — we see very clearly, all these stories were happening between the first and second months. So this is a story that's a bridge between the first and second month, because if someone can't do the Pesach on the first month, he will do it on the second month, in the 14th day. So again, the same time of the month, and the same time of the day, בין הערבים [bein ha'arbayim — between the evenings], he will do it.

And he will eat it in the same way. He will eat it with מצות ומרורים [matzot umororim — matzah and bitter herbs], in the same halachot will be. Will not be allowed to lay over until the morning, עצם לא ישברו בו [etzem lo yishberu vo — no bone shall be broken in it]. So the same halachot. They will not break any bones. ככל חקת הפסח יעשו אותו [K'chol chukat haPesach ya'asu oto — According to all the laws of the Pesach they shall do it]. He will do it along with the same rules of the Pesach.

In other words, it's a real Korban Pesach, just not b'moado. That's where we had the word b'moado. Well, not b'moado — it will be in the new moed, the new moed from the 14th day of the second month.

The Warning Against Deliberate Neglect

And of course, since we gave this permission, we gave this second chance, so to speak, we have to remind you that this is only going to work for people who have unfortunately had this problem. But don't think that this is permission to just be late. If you're tahor [ritually pure], and you're not b'derech rechokah, and you don't do the Pesach, then you're back to the regular law. ונכרתה הנפש ההיא מעמיה [V'nichretah hanefesh hahi me'amehah — And that soul shall be cut off from its people]. We've already learned this in Pesach, that if you don't do the Korban Pesach, you'll become karet [spiritually cut off].

כי קרבן ה' לא הקריב במועדו, חטאו ישא [Ki korban Hashem lo hikriv b'moado, chet'o yisa — For he did not bring Hashem's offering in its appointed time, he will bear his sin]. We have again this word b'moado. He didn't do it in his time, and he was able to. חטאו ישא [Chet'o yisa — His sin he will bear] himself.

The Law for the Ger

Now there's one more law about Korban Pesach. I think this was already said in Pesach. I'm not sure why it's repeated here. Some people understand that maybe a ger [convert/sojourner] could also, if he becomes a ger, if he comes later, he could do it later. Not clear to me.

If a ger comes, and he will do Pesach, he will also do it according to all the laws of the Pesach. חקה אחת יהיה לכם לגר ולאזרח הארץ [Chukah achat yihyeh lachem lager ul'ezrach ha'aretz — One law shall be for you, for the stranger and for the citizen of the land]. This is something repeated many times in pesukim like this: the same law will be for you, for a ger, for a stranger, a sojourner, a traveler, and for an ezrach [citizen]. Both have the same law. And as I've said, that's a repeat.

The Cloud and the Protocol for Travel (Pesukim 15-23)

Okay. Now, we end this. This is the last mitzvah that belongs to this series, or in this part. We can see it's part of the story. And now, we have a beginning of a new part of the book, I would say. The question of if we should start it here, or start it in the next part, I'm not sure. But remember, we set up all the machanot [camps], all the camps, in order to travel correctly. And here we have the story of how they travel.

The Laws of Travel: Not L'Dorot

So the first parasha, which is till the end of this chapter, is again halachot, and it's set up almost as halachot, or almost as general rules. And then there's the application of these general rules, when they actually traveled. So there's laws of how and when they travel, or rules — I don't know if they call them laws, because they're not l'dorot [for future generations]. These are the prime example of a mitzvah that's not l'dorot. But it's how they travel.

The Cloud Covering the Mishkan

It says the day that the Mishkan was set up, the cloud covered the Mishkan. At night there was a מראה אש [mareh esh — appearance of fire], a vision of fire. So maybe not necessarily a fire itself, but a vision of fire. Not clear. And that's how it will go, always.

This is, of course, we already have this in Parashat Beshalach, before there was a Mishkan. There was an esh [fire] at night and an anan [cloud] at day. But now this esh and anan is on the Mishkan.

The Rule: Following the Cloud

And now when did the Yidden travel? When the cloud rises up from the Ohel, goes away from the Mishkan, or rises up, that's when they travel after him. And then the place where the cloud stops, the place where it comes to a stop, that's where the Yidden will be. That's where they will rest.

And this is what it means על פי ה' [al pi Hashem — by the word/mouth of Hashem], which is represented in his cloud. This is how he shows at least his presence with people. They travel along with him and they rest along with him.

The Extended Elaboration: A Song of Celebration

And here the pasuk goes into a very long elaboration, a lot of details of this rule. And it seems, again, to be unnecessary. There seems to be too many of these details. But I think that we should read it, like I said before, in the story of the korbanot of the nesi'im [princes], this is an expression of excitement, an expression of celebration. When you say things at length, it sounds nice, it's beautiful. So it gives us the long elaboration, and in a kind of a song.

And I think the song has a refrain, which is על פי ה' יחנו ועל פי ה' יסעו [Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u — By Hashem's word they camped and by Hashem's word they traveled]. As you can see in my organization, it's three times, with slight variation, but three times. So there's like three parts to the song, and it tells it three times. It's a poem, it's a song.

The Variations in Duration

It tells us how, if the cloud is on the Mishkan many days, then the people keep — they keep, they keep, they watch, they don't travel. And if it's only a few days, then we assume the completion of the sentences, and then they will stay there only for a few days. Again, על פי ה' יחנו ועל פי ה' יסעו [Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u].

Sometimes it will be only for a day, for a night. In the morning they travel. Sometimes it's a day and a night, and then they travel. Sometimes it's a day, sometimes two days, sometimes it's a month, sometimes ימים רבים [yamim rabim — many days].

The Passage as Expression of Excitement and Celebration

This is an expression of excitement, an expression of celebration. When you say things at length, it sounds nice, it's beautiful. So it gives us the long elaboration. And in a kind of a song, I think the song has a refrain, which is אל פי ה׳ יחנו ועל פי ה׳ יסעו [Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u — By the word of Hashem they would camp, and by the word of Hashem they would travel], as you can see in my organization. It's three times and with slight variation, but three times. So there's like three parts to the song and it tells it three times. It's a poem, it's a song.

The Variations: Different Durations of the Cloud's Rest

It tells us how if the cloud is on the Mishkan many days, then the people keep, they keep, they keep, they watch, they keep their watch, they don't travel. And if it's only a few days, then we assume that the completion of the sentence is, and then they will stay there only for a few days.

Again, אל פי ה׳ יחנו ועל פי ה׳ יסעו [Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u]. Sometimes it'll be only for a day, for a night, in the morning they travel. Sometimes it's a day and a night, and then they travel. Sometimes it's a day, sometimes two days, sometimes it's a month, sometimes a day, so many days, many months.

For all of that, it's the same rule. As long as the cloud is on the Mishkan, they rest, and when it rises, then they travel.

The Concluding Refrain

אל פי ה׳ יחנו ועל פי ה׳ יסעו, משמרת ה׳ שמרו על פי ה׳ ביד משה [Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u, mishmeret Hashem shamru al pi Hashem b'yad Moshe — By the word of Hashem they would camp, and by the word of Hashem they would travel, the charge of Hashem they kept by the word of Hashem through the hand of Moshe]. That's the end of this chapter.