second chances

This week's other chavrutah/other voice, is from Rabbi David Levin-Krus. David is the Director of Special Programmes at Pardes, Jerusalem. 

What struck me in the few pages we "learned" together was not something you drew directly but alluded to. You spoke about the boundaries of night and day and when the one becomes the other. The Talmud says that if I could not daven shacharit I can recompense by davening two amidot at mincha. What about mincha to ma'ariv? Is this possible or does the fact that it is a new day prevent me from doing this? 

The Talmud quotes the verse saying that the crooked cannot be made straight. When reading this the thought struck me as to whether one can ever really make up for a moment lost. The discussion of the rabbis seems forced and they recognize that there is a limit  to what one can do if one has missed an opportunity. 

Two thoughts:

1. This is one of the differences between the spiritual world and the "real" world. In the former we have second chances; in the latter not always.

OR

2. The text is teaching us that we always have a second chance but we have to create the situation. It also tells us there is a limit to what we can do and sometimes a second chance is not available.

David Levin-Krus