With Pride Month coming up, I wanted to just tell you something about a little-known Jewish observance – the 14th of Iyar, also known as Pesach Sheni, or second Passover. We observed it last week, with little fanfare – in fact, while Passover itself is one of the most-observed holidays among modern Jews, chances are most of them do not even know of the existence of the Second Passover, let alone observe it. So, what is it for?

According to the book of Numbers, G-d instructed Moses to have the Israelites celebrate Passover in the desert on the second anniversary of the Exodus, the 14th of Nisan. However, some people were not able to participate in the celebration because they were ritually impure. They complained to Moses about being excluded, and G-d thereupon established a second chance – a month later, those who had not been able to celebrate on the original date would be able to catch up. 

Nowadays, of course ritual impurity is no longer an issue, and Second Passover has fallen into disuse. Those who do know about it traditionally mark it by eating some leftover matzah from the first Passover, and by omitting some petitionary prayers in the daily services. 

So why does it matter today? Last week I learned that this obscure little holiday has been repurposed by some religious feminists, because it is an example of the inclusion of a small minority. It would have been easy for Moses and G-d to just shrug them off, as many marginalised people are today, because the status quo works for the majority. By taking the trouble to establish the Second Passover, the Divine acknowledged that some people require accommodations, but they are still part of the community, and should be included in everything that the community considers important.

Today, we know that many disabled and immunocompromised people are excluded from public life, because we have not made it a priority to make our spaces safe for them. Many trans and queer youth are endangered in their schools and other places, because the majority has determined that their life is disposable. Unless people are willing to stand up and make sure that the needs of vulnerable minorities are also taken into consideration, our society will disintegrate, because they are the canaries in the coal mine – nobody can be free and healthy unless everyone is. It’s just a matter of time.

Let’s follow the example of the Second Passover, and make sure nobody is excluded from the celebration. It’s worth the trouble, trust me.