Derasha 3 on Behaalosecha 9:10

Parashas Behaalosecha · Aliyah 3 · Passuk 10

The Complete Passuk

דַּבֵּ֛ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֣ישׁ אִ֣ישׁ כִּי־יִהְיֶֽה־טָמֵ֣א ׀ לָנֶ֡פֶשׁ אוֹ֩ בְדֶ֨רֶךְ רְחֹקָ֜ה לָכֶ֗ם א֚וֹ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְעָ֥שָׂה פֶ֖סַח לַיהֹוָֽה׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah (Pesachim 90b): one does not slaughter and sprinkle for one who is tamei from a sheretz; the verse specifies “tamei la-nefesh.”

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְאֵין שׁוֹחֲטִין וְזוֹרְקִין עַל טְמֵא שֶׁרֶץ. … אֶלָּא, לְרַב מִדְּאוֹרָיְיתָא נָמֵי לָא חֲזֵי, דִּכְתִיב: ״אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יִהְיֶה טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ״.

English: And one does not slaughter and sprinkle on behalf of one who is tamei from a sheretz. … Rather, according to Rav, even by Torah law he is not fit, for it is written: “A man, a man who becomes tamei by a nefesh.”

Type of Learning

Limitation of the deferral — only corpse-tumah (and the parallel long-journey case) triggers Pesach Sheni.

What Is Learned

Not every form of tumah opens the second-month path; the Torah names the specific impurity.