A Second Chance - CHRONICLE Online/The WORD 04/23/26

Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah

April 23, 2026

6 Iyar 5786

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

Going back to Israel this past December brought back many wonderful memories from earlier trips. In the Old City of Jerusalem, we were discouraged from wandering through the Arab market known simply as “the Shuk.” But that’s not how it used to be.

I vividly remember my first foray into the Shuk—moving from stand to stand. When I found something I wanted, I began to negotiate. We settled on a price, but I wasn’t convinced it was the best one. So I told the merchant I needed to think about it. Without a word, he turned away and returned the trinket to its place.

I browsed a bit more and eventually came back. When I told him I was ready to buy the souvenir of my dreams, he looked at me like I was crazy. He had no interest in selling to me—at any price. I had clearly offended him. I had violated some unwritten rule.

That merchant taught me that sometimes we don’t get a second chance.

This coming Shabbat, we read the Torah portion Acharei Mot, which literally means “after the death.” It refers to the deaths of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, about whom we read several weeks ago. They brought a “strange fire” into the Tabernacle and were struck down on the spot. They truly received no second chance.

Every time I read that story, I find myself wondering: Is this really what our tradition teaches? Do we never get a second chance?

The truth is, our tradition also tells stories of second chances. Aaron—the father of Nadav and Avihu—played a role in the sin of the Golden Calf, yet he still became the first High Priest once the Tabernacle was built. He was given another opportunity.

And not long ago we celebrated Passover. The Torah teaches that if someone was unable to offer the Paschal sacrifice at the proper time, they were given another chance one month later. Pesach Sheni—the Second Passover—is almost here. At least in that case, a second chance is built into the system.

So perhaps the message of Nadav and Avihu is not that second chances never exist, but that they are never guaranteed. We don’t always know when—or if—they will come. And so we are called to live with that awareness: to make our choices carefully, and to treat the people in our lives as if there may not be another opportunity.

Here at the synagogue, we’re applying that same mindset when it comes to security. We operate with the understanding that we may not get a second chance. We want to get things right the first time. We want to be prepared.

I didn’t get a second chance in the Shuk all those years ago. I don’t even remember what it was I wanted to buy. But I have been fortunate to receive second chances in other parts of my life.

May we all be granted second chances when we need them—but may we also live in such a way that we don’t depend on them.

Shalom,

RAF.