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One of the most fascinating figures in the Talmud is Rabbi Akiba. Growing up in meager circumstances, he never attended school and was illiterate until age 40. But he started on a new path and went to kindergarten alongside his son, then moved on to grade school. It was clear that he had an aptitude for study, so he joined the rabbinical academy. Not only was he ordained, but actually became one of the most illustrious leaders of his generation.

Rabbi Akiba became a prime example of someone who got a second chance, and he continues to be a source of inspiration for those who develop their Jewish commitments as adults and not as children -- including many people right here in our community, in the United Synagogue of Hoboken.

The Torah portion of Beha'alotecha (to be read this year June 13) teaches us about second chances. It tells us that each year, exactly one month after the first night of Passover, there should be another holiday, known as Pesach Sheni, or "Second Passover." This is a holiday specifically for those who missed the observance of Passover at its appropriate time. Perhaps they were ill, or on a journey, and weren't able to bring the Passover offering on time. They get a second chance to bring the offering exactly one month later.

Interestingly, Rashi's commentary on this passage tells us that to participate in the ritual of Pesach Sheni, you didn't even need a particularly compelling excuse for why you missed Passover the first time around. For example, if during the actual holiday you were right outside the doors of the Tabernacle or the Temple, and for some reason you didn't go in, you could still fulfill the Passover ritual on Pesach Sheni.

This is a theme that we see throughout Jewish tradition. The concept of teshuvah, repentance, which is so important during the High Holidays, is predicated on the notion that there are very few mistakes we can make that are truly irreversible. We almost always get a second chance to change our life priorities, conduct, and attitude.

There is another famous "second chance" story that is told about Rabbi Akiba, but this is not actually found in the Talmud. The story is about 900 years old and is our earliest source of the practice of Mourner's Kaddish -- which mourners recite during the 11 months after their parents' death or on the anniversary of the date of death.

Rabbi Akiba is walking near a cemetery, and he sees a ghost who is carrying a heavy load and is suffering a great deal. Rabbi Akiba asks: Is there any way I can help you?

The ghost answers: No, there's nothing you can do. I am being punished for my deeds during my lifetime, and I'm fated to spend eternity carrying this heavy load.

Rabbi Akiba says: What were your sins?

The man says: I was a tax collector. (In ancient times, tax collectors extracted money from the poor to pay for the luxurious upkeep of the palace of the king or the emperor.)

Rabbi Akiba says: There must be some way that you can become free!

The ghost responds: They did tell me one way that I could be released, but it will never happen. They said that if my son ever leads prayers in the synagogue, and recites the Kaddish prayer such that everyone responds with, yehei shmei rabbah mevarach, May God's great name be praised, then I would be released. But I have provided my son with absolutely no Jewish education, absolutely no Jewish identity.

But Rabbi Akiba is determined. He asks the dead man, What is your name?

And to Rabbi Akiba's surprise, the dead man says: "My name is Akiba."

(Cue the "Twilight Zone" music.)

So Rabbi Akiba tracks down this dead tax collector's village. When he reaches the village, he finds that, indeed, this tax collector was the most despised person in the whole village and that his son had no connection with the Jewish community.

Rabbi Akiba eventually found the son. After numerous frustrations, Rabbi Akiba was able to convince him to embrace his Jewish identity and taught him the words of the Kaddish. The next week, during Saturday evening services, the son recited the Kaddish, and everyone present responded with, "Yehei shmei rabbah mevarach."

That night, Rabbi Akiba had a dream in which he saw the ghost, now free and no longer struggling under his burden. He said, "Rabbi, may it be the will of the Lord that your soul find delight in the Garden of Eden, for you have saved me from the punishments of hell."

Now, I am not convinced that the primary purpose of saying the Mourner's Kaddish is to liberate the souls of the deceased from the punishments of hell. However, I find this to be a very powerful story about second chances. I think about how Rabbi Akiba and the ghost share the same name, because in some ways they share the same story. They each have a part of their life they wish they could reverse and undo, but it seems too late.

But in Jewish tradition, it is almost never too late. The second chances we are granted, to make our lives into what we truly wish they could be, are abundant.

Rabbi Robert Scheinberg is spiritual leader of United Synagogue of Hoboken.