From the Rabbi's Desk
|
From the Rabbi's Desk
|
September 2008
Welcome
back for the New Year! Summer is waning, schools are starting, the High Holidays
are soon upon us (quite late this year, thankfully). Tradition would have me
write about the High Holidays and the need for examining our actions, both
between man and man and between man and God. However I was moved to write about
another important occurrence at this time of the year, something that also
happens every year, though for not nearly as many years as the High
Holidays—the beginning of the NFL season. (For the New York Giant fans among
us, probably an even more anticipated season than usual.)
Several
days ago a congregant and attendee at my weekly Sunday-at-noon Talmud Class, Ron
Kohn, asked me about the fairness and even the healthiness of us Jews holding
ourselves to such high standards. There are 613 Mitzvot in the Torah and it does
not seem to take much to transgress many of them. It seems that no matter what
we do we have to force ourselves to always do better. How can this possibly be
good for us? Isn’t this religion too demanding? Isn’t always falling short
of such a high ideal injurious to our self-esteem?!
I
found an answer while watching an exhibition football game the night before this
conversation took place. I tuned in around the 3rd quarter, when almost none of
the team regulars are still in the game. It is during the exhibition games that
the coaches get to see the new prospects, all of whom had to be amazingly
talented standouts in their previous football careers to even get a shot at a
place in an NFL lineup, much less a starting role. They must have spent most of
their time, energy and thoughts for their whole lives on this one goal and
worked consistently towards it. And now they have finally made it—they are
suited up in an NFL uniform and on the football field. And the coaches are
watching them like hawks. Every move they make (or don’t make) will be
examined closely. From the few minutes they are each on the field the coaches
will have to decide, do they stay or do they go. Will they remain on the team?
Be traded? Be cut altogether? Will their dreams be realized or shattered? Yet
each one of these players is far more talented at this game then we will ever be
in our lives. They are the crème de la crème in that field, yet the slightest
mistake may make them not good enough. And not only do they volunteer for this
type of scrutiny, for this exacting test, they work their whole lives for it!
That is when it struck me—the metaphor to us being the chosen people, a
concept which many people struggle with. Is it unfair for these players to be
judged so harshly? Does it really matter if they slipped slightly, missed a
tackle or a block? Does it really matter if we say something negative about
someone else? If we neglect to give Tzedaka? If we have better things to do than
go to services on Shabbat,
why arewe held to such a high and exacting standard?!
The
answer is--we chose this! Way back on Mount Sinai, where, according to our
sages, all Jewish souls that would ever live stood and accepted the Torah,
accepted a covenant with God. In exchange for us being the chosen ones, we agree
and even yearn to be held to the highest standards, where even the smallest slip
can cost us. We chose this because of the benefits of being the chosen people,
even if during hard times we don’t necessarily feel it. We, the Jewish People
are in the big leagues! We are lucky to be on the field! And when we think about
God judging us on the upcoming High Holidays let us remember this and thank God
for giving us the opportunity to “play” at this level!
With
best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!
