“Chaye
Sarah and the World Series” The Avot and the Imahot, beginning with Avraham and Sarah, had as their mission to teach the ways of G-d to the ancient, idolatrous world. Many nations have descended from one or more of our great ancestors. Yishmael and
his descendants learned the behavior trait of hospitality from Avraham, but
unfortunately also the character traits of wildness and fanaticism from
Hagar or some other non-Jewish mentor.
Esav, ancestor of the western world, although his interaction with
Yaakov is rightly classified as “wicked,” as has been the behavior of
his descendants down the centuries, also inherited much positive from
Yitzchak and Rivkah and passed it along to his descendants.
The descendants of Yaakov, the Jewish People, recipients of the
Torah, also were successful in teaching the world much over 3,500 years,
although their efforts were not much appreciated. An
outrageous example of how much Jewish values were transmitted to the rest of
the world was provided by the World Series that ended last week, in which
the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees in a seven-game
series. It’s true;
baseball is only a game. Yet,
on the other hand, it provides such drama, and provides a simplified example
of life and its up’s and down’s, its losses and
triumphs, even some mini-miracles. And some of
its personalities really shine. I’d
nominate as the ethical MVP (Most Valuable Player) Curt Schilling of the
Diamondbacks. He demonstrated,
in the context of baseball, some splendid characteristics. First and foremost, he seemed to be a “mentsch.”
He paid tribute to his “rebbe,” Roger Clemens, the older
super-star pitcher of the Yankees, who sat him down, several years ago, when
Schilling was behaving wildly, and gave him “mussar” on how to behave on
and off the field, how to respect his profession, how to take care of
himself and respect others, and Schilling learned these lessons well. Curt
Schilling and Randy Johnson also displayed the quality of friendship.
They supported each other, and they provided an anchor of security
for their teammates. I’m a
Yankee fan, and I’ve been one since childhood.
But there was one moment for which I’m almost happy that the
Diamondbacks won. One of their
relief pitchers, a Korean player named “Kim,” had been the victim of two
of the incredible come-back victories of the Yankees, climaxed by home runs
with two outs in the last inning, and won by the Yankees in extra innings. Kim must have been broken-hearted. And when the Diamondbacks won the last game, Curt Schilling
picked him up bodily and charged out to the pitchers’ mound, where their
team was celebrating, making sure that Kim was included in the celebration. The
Yankees’ Derek Jeter displayed grace and courage in the earlier playoff
series and in the World Series. In
the playoffs, he made an “impossible” catch, risking life and limb by
diving head over heels into the stands.
He made another great play in the field, hit a home run to win one of
the Series games for the Yankees, and played although injured in the last
game. The managers
Joe Torre of the Yankees and Bob Brenly of Arizona were also “class
acts” throughout the Series, never saying anything negative about their
opponents, and encouraging their players even when things looked bad for
them. Towards the end of the
last game, when things looked bleak for Arizona, since Mariano Rivera,
probably the best relief pitcher in baseball was coming into the game to
pitch against them, Brenly encouraged his players by saying to them,
“We’ll find a way to win.” And
Mariano Rivera, the great pitcher, simply said “Nobody’s perfect”
after losing the last game. One of the
secrets of these two great baseball teams is how they practice
“teamwork.” Everybody has
something to contribute and is appreciated for it, echoing the ethical
principle that “There is no person who doesn’t have his time to
contribute.” Yogi Berra,
a Yankee hero of the 50’s and 60’s, wrote in an Op-Ed piece in the NY
Times, “I’m a big fan of Joe Torre and this Yankee team.
They’re a great bunch. They
respect the game and the uniform. New
York fans should be real proud of them.
Even though they did not win the Series, they gave the city a big
boost. The World Series also
showed us there’s no sure thing in baseball.
And nothing’s impossible in life.
Last spring I gave Joe Torre a cap that said, ‘It ain’t over till
it’s over.’ “ Rabbi Pinchas Frankel |
