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Some say Tachanun on Pesach Sheni (14 Iyar); some do not; some do not say Tachanun on 14 & 15 Iyar.

What are the sources for these customs?

See related Why do we do anything for Pesach Sheini?

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Those who do say Tachanun probably do so because 14 Iyar is not listed as a day where Tachanun was customarily omitted by the Tur, anyone quoted in the Beit Yosef or Bach, by the Shulchan Aruch and its Mapah, the Levush, the Eliya Rabba, the Taz, the Magen Avraham, the Beiur haGra, the Chayei Adam, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, the Mishna Berura and others. The Aruch haShulchan notes the custom of omitting Tachanun as foreign to Ashkenaz and deems it a 'wonder' (פלא).

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  • Additionally note no early authorities mention Pesach Sheni as an exception to the widespread custom of fasting Bahab. And none of them exclude it from the 33 days of mourning on Tachanun days during the Omer ("second half"). Clearly none of them thought Pesach Sheni was a relevant construct nowadays.
    – Double AA
    Commented Apr 21, 2021 at 13:09
  • The Oruch HaShulchan 131 (12) brings the list from the Rambam of the days on which we do not say Tachanun and then says עד כאן לשונו. ויש מקומות שאין נופלין אחר שבועות שבעה ימים, מפני שיש לחגיגתו תשלומין כל שבעה (מגן אברהם סעיף קטן י"ח). ופסח שני לא חשבו והוא פלא, ומנהג הספרדים שלא ליפול בו. That sounds to me like the OH is surprised that Pesach Sheni is not mentioned as a day on which we do not say Tachanun. Commented Apr 25, 2021 at 15:40
  • @Avrohom if he's surprised it's that the Magen Avraham would mention the make up days of shavuot and not pesach sheni since both are on the face of it temple related celebrations of no relevance today. It's not an endorsement since both suggestions are equally foreign to ashkenaz, to the rishonim, to the gemara, etc. (The conclusion of course is that even those who first started making up celebrations for obsolete temple events didn't even think of pesach sheni as relevant. Only later when chasidic practices of matza and such on PSh became popular did anyone think hey that's weird.)
    – Double AA
    Commented Apr 25, 2021 at 15:42
  • It would be like if someone suggested skipping tachanun on the days of the korban eitzim (taanit 4:5). To you and me that sounds ridiculous, but if a custom to have bonfires or something on those days catches on in a century from now, people might go back and say, huh why didn't people mention skipping tachanun? But from our perspective the question doesn't even start. That's how all rishonim saw pesach sheni.
    – Double AA
    Commented Apr 25, 2021 at 15:55
  • Thanks for the comparison to the korban eitzim! Commented Apr 25, 2021 at 17:15

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