Seder Redux

היום תשעה ועשרים יום שהם ארבעה שבועות ויום אחד בעמר
Today is twenty-nine days, which is four weeks and one day of the omer
חסד שבהוד
A day of loving-kindness in a week of humility

Today is a odd little mark in the Jewish sacred calendar - Pesah Sheni -- Second Chance Passover.  It's very specifically mentioned in the Torah that if you are "are defiled by a corpse or are on a long journey," while the first seder is going on, you celebrate exactly one month later.

I should ask one of my rabbi friends if there are accounts of anyone following this ritual. The only remnant of it I know is a minor change in the morning service (for those who care--no Tachanun). I always love the second-chance nature of this, as I've noted before here and here.

It also cements the importance of tribal memory. The Exodus story is the start of our birth story. No longer a large family--we are a nation. The period from Pesach to Shavuot to Sukkot defines us--Creation to Revelation to Redemption.