The 14th of Iyar is Pesach Sheni, “the Second Pesach,” the second chance for those Jews who were unable to bring the Pesach Offering on the original date. We learn from Pesach Sheni that nothing is ever lost – we can always rectify the situation. No matter what condition a person is in, he can always rise up and rehabilitate himself. On Pesach Sheni, those who were ritually impure on the first Pesach, or were far away – even if they went afar on purpose in order to distance themselves from G-d –have a second chance.

Pesach Sheni is also the day of passing of the illustrious Tanna, Rabbi Meir Ba’al Hanes. It is accepted practice that if a person is in trouble, he can give some charity and say, “the G-d of Meir, answer me.” We do not say, “The G-d of Moshe Rabbeinu, or the G-d of Abraham, or of Rabbi Akiva – but for some reason – “the G-d of Meir, answer me.” Rabbi Meir Ba’al Hanes has a special merit to save people from trouble – both personal troubles and general troubles. Regarding personal, emotional troubles, the tzaddik who is most able to help is Rabbi Meir. And his day is Pesach Sheni.

A rich overview of the many customs that surround this special day

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Iyar is the month after Nissan and the Exodus. Talk about a hard act to follow!

Iyar is referred to as the month of radiance or budding, "ziv" in Hebrew. There are several reasons for this, and the more we look at the events that took place in this month, the more we will understand its unique power.

For 25 years, Rabbi Simon Jacobson has advised people of all backgrounds on how to find purpose. The free resources on this page will help you to write your own personal mission statement.

Judy Batalion’s new book documents Jewish women who fought Nazis during WWII.

When the story broke that the daughter of a Cambodian princess was celebrating her bat mitzvah in Phnom Penh, the Jewish world wondered: Who is this Cambodian princess, and how did she become Jewish?

In Iyar we embark upon the first leg of our journey, that links Passover to Shavuot, and so brings us from birth to betrothal....

Iyar is the second month on the Jewish calendar counting from Nissan. Although Iyar does not contain many “special days,” every single day of the month is included in the Sefirat HaOmer counting—the mitzvah to count each of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. Sefirat HaOmer is a period of introspection and self-refinement, as we prepare ourselves to receive the Torah anew on Shavuot. Each day of Iyar represents another step in this spiritual journey toward Sinai.

On the day of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai's passing, Lag B'Omer, he revealed great secrets

Friendship Circle partners with others, showing how one good deed begets another