This week, more precisely on Friday the 8th, is the 14th of Iyar. That day was specified in the Torah as Pesach Sheni, the second Passover (see Jewish Life). Beyond the customs of not reciting Tachanun (supplications) and eating Matzah, there is a lesson to be learned from the significance of the day. As we have mentioned several times, every event in general has a lesson in the service of God, and even more so, an event in the Torah (and it is not merely a book of stories).
Our sages explain that the general teaching of this day is the idea that all is never lost. Even one who is impure, in a distant place, intentionally outside the realm of Judaism, has an opportunity to return to God. To illustrate this idea, here is a story from the Talmud (Chagigah 15a):
Elisha ben Avuya, despite being a great sage, strayed from the path of Torah and mitzvot, to such an extent that the other sages began to call him "the Other" (Acher). Once, Rabbi Meir suggested he return, do teshuvah, and Acher replied that he had already heard a heavenly voice saying, "Return, my wayward children," except for Acher, thus understanding that he had no way back. God did not want him!.
This story seems to directly contradict the Pesach Sheni concept, which states that nothing is ever truly lost. Why would Elisha ben Avuyah (a great sage) believe there was no second chance?
The explanation lies in Ajer's own words: he heard a heavenly voice saying that Ajer was beyond redemption, but not Elisha ben Avuia. That is to say, given the way he conducted himself in life and the reputation he had earned as "Another," there was indeed no turning back. But if he were to become Elisha ben Avuia again, if he were to return to his true essence as a Jew, there would certainly have been another chance.
This teaches us a very practical lesson: no action, word, or thought we have made, said, or thought throughout our lives can prevent us from doing teshuvah, from returning to God. The requirement is the desire, and the way to do it is by revealing our true inner selves, letting go of the fictional persona we have built throughout our lives and returning to what we truly are: "Children of God, their Lord.".