Excerpted from Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider’s Torah United: Teachings on the Weekly Parasha from Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, and the Chassidic Masters, co-published by OU Press and Ktav Publishing House
Second Chances
Generally speaking, when it comes to Halachah, or even the law more generally, second chances are not available. If one could not take the lulav on Sukkot, one cannot take it the week after and still fulfill the obligation. And yet, in Parashat Beha’alotecha, as a direct result of the people’s lament that they could not bring the korban pesach (paschal lamb) at the proper time, Pesach Sheni was born (Numbers 9:1-14).
According to Rabbi Akiva, those who petitioned for a second chance were Mishael and Eltzafan. How did he arrive at this identification? These are the only biblical personalities who we know would have been ritually impure at the time of the korban pesach from their handling of a corpse. Recall that Mishael and Eltzafan were the sons of Uzziel, “Aharon’s uncle” (dod Aharon), whom Moshe summoned to remove the bodies of Nadav and Avihu from the inside the sanctuary (Leviticus 10:4). Assuming the Mishkan was erected on the eighth of Nisan, they would not have been purified of corpse impurity by the fourteenth to bring the sacrifice, since the purification takes seven days.
There is perhaps a further basis for solidifying this identification. Why were Mishael and Eltzafan, of all their family members, told to remove the bodies of Aharon’s sons? The Netziv suggested that their father Uzziel was particularly close to Aharon. The word used for “uncle” above, dod, can also indicate a close relationship. Aharon and Uzziel were very close, so that for Uzziel and his sons Mishael and Eltzafan the loss was felt acutely. The Netziv added that Aharon’s extended family was jealous of his position, such that other relatives would have relished Aharon being dealt a harsh blow. Uzziel’s family was happy for Aharon and his sons.
The Netziv also pointed out that Mishael, the older brother, was passed over for the position of nasi (chieftain) of Kehat in favor of his younger brother Eltzafan. Yet, nothing points to an expression of animosity towards his brother. This was a nuclear family that exhibited modesty and empathy, and so these two brothers specifically were fit for and chosen to tend to the bodies of their cousins.
The people who petitioned Moshe, said the Shinover Rebbe, Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, had genuine humility. Moshe saw their broken heart and their genuine self-effacing character in the face of God’s command. On beholding their fallen countenances and hearing their impassioned plea, Moshe knew that God would appear to him in their merit. Moshe said, “You stand here (imdu) while I hear what the Lord commands lachem” (Numbers 9:8), and while the word lachem is usually understand to mean “for you,” the Shinover said it means “on your account,” in the merit of those seeking to fulfill God’s command. The imperative imdu, directly addressed to the people, reinforces this.
Anyone impure at the time of the bringing of the korban pesach would have been considered exempt. The Talmud records the concept of force majeure, that in a case of circumstances beyond one’s control God exempts a person from an obligation (annus Rachmana patreih). The petitioners were given a second chance because they were going the extra mile in asking for one.
All of this fits with what we know about Mishael and Eltzafan. They were impure at the time of the offering. They were exceedingly humble when it came to God’s assignment of greatness to others, and they only wanted to do what God required even when technically it was not required of them. One could even argue that Mishael and Eltzafan were doubly exempt, as the reason for their impurity was engaging in the sacred task of burying a person.
In Rabbi Akiva’s view, the two brothers exhibited a combination of sincerity, humility, and piety that resulted in a new Torah law being instituted for all generations. If we attempt to nurture the same character traits and genuinely desire to fulfill God’s mitzvot, we can hope that God will afford us second chances as well.
