In this week’s parsha we find the famous story which lead to teaching of the halachos of Pesach Sheni. There were several individuals who were tamei and therefore were unable to bring the korban Pesach in the desert. They came to Moshe Rabbenu and Aharon Hakohen with an interesting request. The Torah tells us that they asked, “Lama neigara – Why should we lose out?” They too wanted to partake in the korban.
Moshe Rabbenu took their request to Hashem and, surprisingly, Hashem told Moshe that they indeed could bring a korban a month after Pesach, on the 14th of Iyar.
There is an interesting question raised by several of the meforshim. What were these tamei individuals thinking? The halacha was very clear at that point, if one was tamei he could not bring the korban Pesach. So why did they think they could change the halacha? If they did not have an esrog on Sukkos would they ask that they should not lose out and be able to take it a month later? Certainly not! But what is perhaps even more confusing is why Moshe Rabbenu decided to ask Hashem this question. What doubt did Moshe Rabbenu develop with their request?
Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, explains that they were simply asking because they had a love for the mitzvos and wanted to partake in anyway even if it was not possible. He derives from here that our love for the mitzvos should compel us to attempt to do a mitzvah even if we know that we are unable.
Now this explains why the tamei people raised their request. However, why did Moshe Rabbenu take it further? Why didn’t he simply explain to them what the rules were?
Other Acharonim derive from this parsha that in truth the main aspect of performing mitzvos is that one’s heart is towards Shamayim. This is not to say that the rules of the halachos are to be ignored in the slightest way. But even after one follows all of the rules and performs the mitzvah correctly, the essential part is that we adhered to Hashem’s command and performed His will. It was this sincere intention that Moshe recognized and thus went to ask Hashem how to precede. He saw that this component of the mitzvah was there and brought their request to Hashem, who ultimately taught a new halacha through them. (Rashi points out that this halacha was going to be taught regardless, but since they were righteous they merited its teaching through them.)
The Chazon Ish (Orach Chaim 138:4) explains that it is this principle that explains why we find that Chazal were not always as precise as possible in certain calculations, such as with regards to pi and the measurements of the hypotenuse of a right triangle. In these cases and other Chazal estimated the measurements in order to make it easy for everyone to fulfill the mitzvah, for as we have mentioned “the mitzvos were given for us to follow Hashem’s will and accept His kingship,” and these ideals are not lost when Chazal broaden the measurements slightly to facilitate easier performance.
I want to reiterate that the halachos of a mitzvah are set in stone and cannot bend. The Chazon Ish is merely explaining that with this principle we can understand how Chazal were able to widen the boundaries of how we measure certain things. Since the essential aspect is to follow Hashem’s will and accept His kingship, they were able to institute easier measurements. I want to suggest that it was this aspect that Moshe Rabbenu saw in the request of the tamei people, which he brought before Hashem.