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SECOND CHANCES
This past week the Jewish world commemorated the day of Pesach Sheini - the 14th of Iyar - which in Temple times made accomodation for those Jews who were unable to sacrifice their paschal lamb on the 14th of Nissan, the proper time for this offering to be made. What makes this day of Pesach Sheini so unique is the idea that the Torah here provides a second chance for those who missed their first opportunity for fulfilling this obligation.
Usually the Talmudic maxim "when the proper time has passed, the opportunity for the sacrifice offering has expired." Yet here the Torah provides the proverbial second chance to fulfill the paschal lamb offering. The question of giving people a second chance has been debated in Jewish society and the general world for millennia. Indiscretions can be forgiven in many cases but they are rarely if ever forgotten.
Politicians who make personal or political mistakes always appeal for a second chance. Most times they are really not ever trusted again by their families or constituents. Yet, we have many instances in the Torah of great people who made mistakes - sometimes grievious ones - and were not only forgiven when they truly repented but continued as leaders and great heroes of Israel.
So, the concept of granting people a second chance is built in to the worldview of Judaism. Yet, like everything else in Judaism and Jewish life, a sense of basic balance and a dose of good common sense are required before granting second chances.
One should never allow a repentant serial thief to be near the cash register of one's business or to be its keeper of the books. Someone suspected of being a pedophile, no matter how 'cured" he or she claims to be, should never be allowed into a classroom in a teaching position. In personal matters, the ability to grant a second chance is a personal choice of those who feel victimized. Not everyone is so blessed as to grant second chances easily.
Yet, we ask the Lord daily, in fact thrice daily, to grant us second chances. The basis for Judaism is that even the greatest sinner is capable of redemption if the apppeal to one's Maker is truly sincere. The story of God's forebearance with the Jewish people after the incident of the Golden Calf is illustrative of this. In fact the story of Israel throughout its long and uneven history is one of a second chance granted.
David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Ezra, Mordecai, the Hasmoneans are all illustrative of second chances granted to individuals and the Jewish people generally by the Lord of Israel. Truly, if it were not for this concept of granting second chances, none of us would have a hope for success and immortality. In fact the current State of Israel is really a third chance granted to the Jewish people to establish a moral and special sovereign state in the Holy Land. We should be inordinately grateful to the Lord Who grants us so many repeated opportunities for greatness and eternal accomplishments.
So the effect of a second chance on other members of the family, of a company, a classroom and community must always be kept in mind. Oftentimes the magnanimity of granting a second chance to someone is given at the expense of other people affected by that decision. If this matter sounds very complicated, it is because the issue is a very complex and sensitive one. Each instance must be decided on its own merits and immediate circumstances and, to the extent possible, future consequences of the decision as well.
Since we are not blessed with prophecy this makes the matter even touchier. So, as in everything else in life, all of this is very delicate and requies wisdom, balance and forebearance. But, I am certain that all of my loyal readers are willing to grant this writer more than a second chance.
