How Far Is 'Far'? The Dotted Journey — Numbers 9:10
רְחֹקָה
What to look for
In the law of the second Passover — for anyone unclean 'or on a distant journey' — a dot marks the heh of rechokah.
What it is
A dotted letter in the law of Pesach Sheni, the makeup Passover one month later.
Why it matters
The dot loosens the word 'distant': the Mishnah rules that even someone just outside the temple courtyard's threshold counts as 'far.' Distance, the dot teaches, is not measured only in miles.
How it has been understood
Pesach Sheni is Scripture's institution of the second chance — born when excluded men asked, 'Why should we be diminished?' The dotted heh widens the door: whoever was far, for whatever reason, gets another appointed time to draw near.