Positive Commandment 57 (Digest)
The Second Passover
"On the fourteenth day of the second month, in the afternoon, they shall do it"—Numbers 9:11.
One who was prevented from offering the Paschal Offering in its proper time is commanded to offer the "Second Passover" one month later, on the 14th of Iyar.
Women are exempt from this mitzvah.
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> The 57th mitzvah is that one who was unable [to bring] the Pesach offering is commanded to slaughter the second Pesach offering.;)
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> The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement;) (exalted be He), ";)...] He shall bring it on the afternoon of the 14th of the second month."
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> One who is so inclined could challenge me here;) by asking, "Why do you count the second Pesach offering [separately], in contradiction to your Seventh Introductory Principle, where you said that the [individual] laws relating to a single commandment are not counted as separate commandments?"
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> One who asks such a question should realize that our Sages already disagreed as to whether the second Pesach is included in the laws of the first Pesach or whether it is a separate commandment. The halachic ruling is that it is a separate commandment, and is therefore counted individually.
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> Our Sages said in tractate Pesachim,;) "'One is punished by kares [for not bringing an offering] on the first [Pesach] and one is punished by kares [for not bringing an offering] on the second [Pesach].' These are the words of Rebbi [Yehuda HaNasi]. Rabbi Nasan says, 'One is punished by kares [for not bringing an offering] on the first [Pesach] and one is exempt [for not bringing an offering] on the second [Pesach].' Rabbi Chananya ben Akavya says, 'One is exempt even [for not bringing an offering] on the first [Pesach] unless he did not bring the second [Pesach].'" The Talmud then asks, "What is the basis of their disagreement? Rebbi holds that the second [Pesach] is a separate holiday. Rabbi Nasan holds that the second [Pesach] is to make up for the first." This explains clearly what I alluded to above.;)
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> It says there, "Therefore, one who acted intentionally in both," — i.e., intentionally did not bring the first Pesach offering nor the second Pesach offering — "is guilty according to all opinions. One who acted unintentionally in both is exempt according to all opinions. One who acted intentionally in the first and unintentionally in the second, is guilty according to Rebbi and Rabbi Nasan, and exempt according to Rabbi Chananya ben Akavya." Rebbi holds that he is guilty even if he acted intentionally on the first and actually brought the offering on the second. This is because he does not hold that the second is to make up for the first.
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> The halachic conclusion in all these cases is in accordance with Rebbi.;)
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> Women are not obligated in this commandment, as it explains there,;) "Women are permitted [but not obligated] in the second [Pesach offering].";)
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> The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Pesachim.
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> Footnotes
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> Pesach Sheini, brought on the 14th of Iyar, one month after the regular Pesach offering.
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> Num. 9:10-11.
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> From Jerusalem.
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> In addition to the previous commandment, P56 (printed immediately below, as per the study schedule, based on the order in Mishneh Torah).
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> 93a.
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> I.e., that the halachic ruling is that it is a separate commandment. This is because the halachic conclusion is in accordance with Rebbi, who says that it is a "separate holiday."
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> And the second Pesach offering is therefore counted as a separate commandment.
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> Pesachim 91b.
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> Women are obligated in all prohibitions and all positive commandments which are not bound to a specific time. If the positive, time-bound commandment has a corresponding prohibition (such as Shabbos, Pesach, or other holidays), women are also obligated. If the positive, time-bound commandment has no corresponding prohibition, such as the second Pesach offering, women are exempt.
Positive Commandment 56 (Digest)
Eating the Paschal Offering
"And they shall eat the meat on that night, roasted over the fire, together with matzah; with bitter herbs they shall eat it"—Exodus 12:8.
We are commanded to eat the Paschal Offering on the eve of the fifteenth of Nissan [the first night of Passover], according to all the requirements detailed in the Torah: it must be roasted, eaten all in one home, and accompanied by the consumption of matzah and bitter herbs.
Unabridged English Text of this Mitzvah »
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> And the 56th mitzvah is that we are commanded to eat the Pesach lamb on the night of the 15th of Nissan, keeping all the conditions which are stated, i.e., that it be roasted, that it be eaten in one house, and that it be eaten with Matzah and bitter vegetables .
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> The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement;) (exalted be He), "Eat the meat on this night, roasted over fire. With Matzah and bitter vegetables you shall eat it."
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> Perhaps a questioner will challenge me, "Why do you count eating the Pesach [offering], Matzah, and bitter vegetables as a single commandment rather than as three commandments? Eating Matzah is a mitzvah, eating the bitter vegetables is a mitzvah, and eating the Pesach offering is a mitzvah!"
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> I will answer him that, "eating Matzah is a separate commandment," is correct, as we shall explain.;) It is also correct that eating the meat of the Pesach offering is a commandment, as we mentioned. But the bitter vegetables are secondary to eating the Pesach offering, and are not counted separately.
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> The proof of this is that it is a mitzvah to eat the meat of the Pesach offering whether or not there are bitter vegetables. But the bitter vegetables are not eaten unless there is meat from the Pesach offering, as it is written in G‑d's statement;) (exalted be He), "Eat it with Matzah and bitter vegetables." If one ate the bitter vegetables without the meat from the Pesach offering, he certainly accomplished nothing; we do not say that he fulfilled [at least] one commandment, i.e., that of eating the bitter vegetables.
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> In the words of the Mechilta,;) "The verse says, '...roasted over fire, with Matzah and bitter vegetables.' This verse teaches that the commandment of the Pesach offering is roasted meat with Matzah and bitter vegetables," i.e., that the [single] commandment includes all of them.
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> It [also] says there, "From which words do we derive that those who do not have Matzah or bitter vegetables fulfill their obligation [just] by eating the Pesach offering? From the [apparently extra] expression,;) 'you shall eat it,'" — i.e., the meat by itself.
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> "One might think that just as those who lack Matzah and bitter vegetables fulfill their obligation [just] by eating the Pesach offering, so too those who lack the Pesach offering fulfill their obligation [just] by eating Matzah and bitter vegetables. One might make the following comparison: since [eating] the Pesach offering is a Positive commandment and [eating] the Matzah and bitter vegetables is a [separate] Positive commandment, once you learn that if they lack Matzah and bitter vegetables, they fulfill their obligation [just] by eating the Pesach offering, so too, if they lack the Pesach offering, they fulfill their obligation by eating [just] Matzah and bitter vegetables.
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> [To teach that this comparison is wrong,] "The Torah therefore says, 'you shall eat it.' ";)
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> It also says there, "The expression, '[With Matzah and bitter vegetables] you shall eat it,' teaches that the Pesach offering is eaten when one is full, but the Matzah and bitter vegetable are not eaten when one is full." This is because the [primary] commandment is to eat the meat [of the offering], as it is written, "Eat the meat on this night."
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> [In conclusion,] the bitter vegetables are secondary and requisite to the Pesach offering, as clear from the above quotes to anyone who understands them.
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> The clear proof of this is the basic principle given in the Talmud,;) "[Eating] bitter vegetables today is [only] a Rabbinic obligation." This is because there is no Torah obligation to eat it by itself; it is eaten [only] if there is meat from the Pesach offering. This is a clear and obvious proof that it is secondary to the commandment, and that eating it is not a separate commandment.
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> The details of this mitzvah too are explained in tractate Pesachim.
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> Ex. 12:8.
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> P158, which is later in the order of Sefer HaMitzvos. Eating Matzah is counted as a separate commandment, because there is a separate verse that speaks exclusively about Matzah. Bitter vegetables, however, are mentioned only together with the Pesach offering, and are therefore not counted as a separate commandment.
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> Num. 9:11.
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> Parshas Bo. The Rambam intersperses his explanation within the words of the Mechilta to clarify his point that there is no commandment to eat bitter vegetables alone.
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> Ex. 12:8.
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> I.e., only the Pesach offering is a commandment by itself. Other versions of the Mechilta omit this last line, leading to an opposite conclusion. See Mechilta d'R. Yishmael (Horovitz-Rabin ed. 1960), Torah Shleimah, Ex. 12:182 and miluim ch. 19.
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> 120a.
Positive Commandment 58 (Digest)
Eating the Second Passover Offering
"And eat it with matzah and bitter herbs"—Numbers 9:11.
Those who must offer the "Second Passover," as explained in [Positive Commandment 57, are] commanded to eat the Second Passover Offering on the eve of the fifteenth of Iyar, together with matzah and bitter herbs.
Women are exempt from this mitzvah (just as they are exempt from offering the Second Passover Offering).
Unabridged English Text of this Mitzvah »
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> The 58th mitzvah is that we are commanded to eat the meat of the second Pesach offering, together with Matzah and bitter vegetables, during the night of the 15th of Iyar.
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> The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He) also regarding it,;) "With Matzah and bitter vegetables you shall eat it."
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> The details of this mitzvah too are explained in Pesachim.;)
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> It is clear that women are exempt from this commandment. Just as they are exempt from its slaughter, as we explained earlier,;) they are undoubtedly exempt from eating it.
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> Footnotes
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> I.e., the second Pesach offering, Num. 9:11, like that of the first Pesach offering, Ex. 12:8.
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> 95a.
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> P57.