מעות לא יוכל לתקון

An interesting Pasuk in Kohelet says, מעות לא יוכל לתקון, “that which is crooked, cannot be made straight.” There are many interpretations to these words. One interpretation applies to the laws of prayer. If one missed the זמן תפילה or קריאת שמע, he cannot make up the שמע or שמונה עשרה on time. This Mitzva is lost. In addition, we learn the laws of תשלומים, making up for missing either שחרית, מנחה, or מעריב. We are only allowed to say two שמונה עשרה’s during the following Davening. If we forgot Mincha, for example, we can only make it up at Maariv. We cannot fix it at Shacharit the next morning. This is something crooked that cannot be made straight. Perhaps the best example of this Pasuk is when a man and woman commit adultery. It is forbidden for them to ever marry. What began as crooked and impure, can never be made straight. Therefore, they can never marry.