As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.
This weekend saw the end of many sports seasons. In what can only be termed an upset, the Pittsburgh Penguins captured their first Stanley Cup in 17 years by beating the more experienced Detroit Red Wings in a deciding Game 7 played in Detroit. In contrast, the NBA Playoffs ended with a whimper as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic like a pinata, winning the series in five games and also on their adversaries' home court.
And yes, for my daughter Penina - her Little League season came to an end as her team was eliminated from the Orthodox Little League playoffs, losing in extra innings (also at home).
To the players who play professional hockey and basketball and have just completed a season which began with September training camps, it must be particularly crushing to lose the championship series and suddenly not have any practice for the first time in nine plus months. Similarly, my daughter and many of her friends cried after they were eliminated in the semi finals and were deprived of a chance to play in the Championship Game.
Somehow, the day after the season ended, my daughter is not as depressed as she was on Sunday. Its not anything of my doing, but it is a testament to her maturity and her ability to realize that losing the championship game is not the end of the world.
I heard an interesting mashal in a shiur given by Rabbi Frand which I believe is instructive of the need to soldier on and accept what occurs in this world, because everything happens for a reason.
A man dies and goes up to heaven for judgment. All of the man's good deeds materialize as "white" angels and they line up in the courtroom, spill over down the hall, out the building and down the block. The man starts to feel confident, perhaps he will go straight to Olam Haba without having to spend any time in Gehinom.
Then the misdeeds begin to manifest and form a line of "black angels." This line too extends beyond the courtroom, spill over down the hall, out the building and down the block. The line passes the white angels and the man begins to feel despondent as he realizes that there will be a painful delay before he enters Olam Haba. But before the judgment is completed a voice is heard "bring in the yisurim" (troubles a person undergoes in this world). Suddenly a number of angels with swords come in and each one of the yisurim slices off a "black" angel. The man begins to raise his spirits as he sees the black line shrink...until the yisurim finish their job and there are still a few more black angels than white.
The man looks at the end result and says, if only I had one more hour in this world to experience more yisurim.
The troubles that we undergo in this world, either large or small, all happen for a positive purpose, even if we do not recognize it at the time. If we accept them and know that Hashem only has our best interests in mind, we will be able to put them to good use in Olam Haba.
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