That Which is Crooked

In the Book of Kohelet, there are subtle references to Halacha. One such example comes from the words, מעות לא יוכל לתקון, which means, “that which is crooked cannot be made straight.”

From this Pasuk, we learn the laws of תשלומים, or making up a missed prayer service. The rule is that if we forgot to daven Shacharit, Mincha, or Maariv, we can make up the missed prayer by saying an extra Shmone Esrei, in the next Davening. For example, if one forgot to do Mincha, he says two Shmone Esreis in Maariv. This also applies on Friday afternoon, where one would say two Shabbat Maariv Shmone Esreis, to cover Mincha.

The verse in Kohelet teaches us that if, in our example, one forgot Mincha, and only remembered the next morning, he no longer can make up for his missing Mincha. This is an example of something that is crooked, cannot be made straight.