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.
In Torah thought there is an expression M'Moshe L'Moshe Lo Kam K'mo Moshe - from Moshe (Rabbeinu) to Moshe (the Rambam) there was never one like Moshe. L'havdil, one can say the same thing about Michael Vick and Michael Jordan.
I recall back years ago to the heyday of number 45 (OK fine, his heyday was when he wore 23, but I need to make fun of those Bulls fans somehow). Stories began to percolate that he was involved with gambling. Later, those stories devolved into tales of six figure golf games and other extravagant gambling methods. The problem for MJ (I can call you MJ, right Michael?) was that he was so renown, such a public figure, that everything that he did was magnified and reproduced for all the world to see.
This came to mind when the story broke that Michael Vick was seen in an airport drinking Grey Goose and pineapple juice. The media made the predictable circus - Vick was drinking alcohol! Immediately there were reports that he was breaking the terms of his early release, but those were quickly shut down as it did not mandate that he refrain from alcohol. Questions about why he was not drinking something more manly (I could have recommended quite a few kosher beers) were not as easily dispensed with.
The problem for Michael (Vick that is) is that everywhere he goes, he is the focus of media attention. I suspect that if his parking meter were to expire there might also be calls for him to remanded back to prison. Whether this attention and his overall vilification is well earned is another question. What is certain is that wherever he goes, his every act will be under a microscope.
This brings us back to Torah thought. There is a concept of acting lifnim mishuras Hadin - acting in a way above all possible reproach, so as to avoid the possibility of being suspected improperly. The gemara in Bava Metzia 30b recites numerous examples of rabbis who acted in this fashion, including R' Yishmael Bar R' Yosi who was mafkir all of his property so as to act lifnim mishurash hadin.
Another example is the story of the Abudraham which I have written about before, but I would like to repeat as it bears on the principle of lifnim mishuras hadin.
The Abudraham, besides being a talmudic scholar and writing perushim, also was a meat merchant. In those times, meat was sold by weight which in his location was measured in drahms. When a person came to buy meat in the Abudraham's shop, the Abudraham would weight out meat into single draham portions. As such, when a person would ask for three drahams of meat, the Abudraham would not use a three draham weight on the scale, but would instead weight out three individual draham portions.
One day, a non-Jewish man came into the shop and ordered seven drahams of meat. The Abudraham utilized his one draham weight and portioned out seven individual drahams and gave them to the customer. Not long after the man left the shop he heard someone running after him and asking him to stop. It was the Abudraham holding another package of meat. The Abudraham (acting within the doctrine of lifnim mishuras hadin) explained that he was concerned that when he was weighing each draham of meat that he might have had some which were lighter than one draham. The customer indicated to the contrary as he had watched the Abudraham and saw that each of the seven individual drahams were slightly heavier than one draham in weight. Still, the Abudraham would not leave the man with just the one package he had taken from the shop.
The customer was so impressed with the Abudraham and his honesty that the man decided to convert to Judaism. Thus the Abudraham earned his name Abu Draham (father of the draham).
If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
In Torah thought there is an expression M'Moshe L'Moshe Lo Kam K'mo Moshe - from Moshe (Rabbeinu) to Moshe (the Rambam) there was never one like Moshe. L'havdil, one can say the same thing about Michael Vick and Michael Jordan.
I recall back years ago to the heyday of number 45 (OK fine, his heyday was when he wore 23, but I need to make fun of those Bulls fans somehow). Stories began to percolate that he was involved with gambling. Later, those stories devolved into tales of six figure golf games and other extravagant gambling methods. The problem for MJ (I can call you MJ, right Michael?) was that he was so renown, such a public figure, that everything that he did was magnified and reproduced for all the world to see.
This came to mind when the story broke that Michael Vick was seen in an airport drinking Grey Goose and pineapple juice. The media made the predictable circus - Vick was drinking alcohol! Immediately there were reports that he was breaking the terms of his early release, but those were quickly shut down as it did not mandate that he refrain from alcohol. Questions about why he was not drinking something more manly (I could have recommended quite a few kosher beers) were not as easily dispensed with.
The problem for Michael (Vick that is) is that everywhere he goes, he is the focus of media attention. I suspect that if his parking meter were to expire there might also be calls for him to remanded back to prison. Whether this attention and his overall vilification is well earned is another question. What is certain is that wherever he goes, his every act will be under a microscope.
This brings us back to Torah thought. There is a concept of acting lifnim mishuras Hadin - acting in a way above all possible reproach, so as to avoid the possibility of being suspected improperly. The gemara in Bava Metzia 30b recites numerous examples of rabbis who acted in this fashion, including R' Yishmael Bar R' Yosi who was mafkir all of his property so as to act lifnim mishurash hadin.
Another example is the story of the Abudraham which I have written about before, but I would like to repeat as it bears on the principle of lifnim mishuras hadin.
The Abudraham, besides being a talmudic scholar and writing perushim, also was a meat merchant. In those times, meat was sold by weight which in his location was measured in drahms. When a person came to buy meat in the Abudraham's shop, the Abudraham would weight out meat into single draham portions. As such, when a person would ask for three drahams of meat, the Abudraham would not use a three draham weight on the scale, but would instead weight out three individual draham portions.
One day, a non-Jewish man came into the shop and ordered seven drahams of meat. The Abudraham utilized his one draham weight and portioned out seven individual drahams and gave them to the customer. Not long after the man left the shop he heard someone running after him and asking him to stop. It was the Abudraham holding another package of meat. The Abudraham (acting within the doctrine of lifnim mishuras hadin) explained that he was concerned that when he was weighing each draham of meat that he might have had some which were lighter than one draham. The customer indicated to the contrary as he had watched the Abudraham and saw that each of the seven individual drahams were slightly heavier than one draham in weight. Still, the Abudraham would not leave the man with just the one package he had taken from the shop.
The customer was so impressed with the Abudraham and his honesty that the man decided to convert to Judaism. Thus the Abudraham earned his name Abu Draham (father of the draham).
If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!
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