I hope that you've been enjoying this past week of Olympic sports as much as I have. Lunch break viewing on an iPad, less-than-stellar NBC coverage in the evenings, conversations with friends, family, and congregants; all have been dominated by the 2012 Olympic Games in London. And if every car manufacturer, insurance company, and fast-food chain imaginable can use ridiculously tenuous links to the Olympics to try and sell us their commercials, why can't I do the same?
The Olympic Games offer us rare insight into some of the most powerful human emotions and attributes, both good and bad.
We see triumph, honor, glory, team work, tenacity, and sportsmanship, but also devastation, heartbreak, dishonesty, anger, jealousy, and cheating - and all on prime-time television in front of 6 billion people. This Shabbat, known as Shabbat Nachamu - the Shabbat of Comfort - reminds me of how we agonize along with our young athletes; many of whom will need a great deal of comfort and support when this is all over. (I told you it was tenuous...)
Ok, so I know it's not the most air-tight connection, but I really DO see some similarities. The Torah also displays the best and worst of humanity, and we root for our heroes and jeer their rivals as if they too were trying to win the 200-meter breaststroke. Shabbat Nachamu gets its name from the Haftarah, a reading from the prophet Isaiah offering comfort to the exiles after the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. Yet there are
others who need comfort as well this week, as our Torah reading opens with Moses talking about how God refuses to let him enter the Promised Land. I recently read a Torah commentary by Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz, where he asks why it is that Moses so desperately wants to enter the land. His answer: "Moses is disheartened as he understands that the fruition and
realization of Torah may only fully happen in the land gifted to the
people." While I see his point, I think we can draw out a much more universal message from the story of Moses' exclusion from Israel. It's true that his punishment is a BIG deal, but I also feel an urge to say to Moses: "You saw the Ten Plagues rain down on Egypt, you witnesses the splitting of the sea, you spoke to God on Mount Sinai, and you received the Ten Commandments. Isn't that enough??? Nobody gets EVERYTHING they want, buddy, and I think you've done pretty well!!" (Is that too irreverent? Maybe a little...)
Everyone has dreams and aspirations. Moses wants desperately to see the Promised Land; the exiles in Babylon want desperately to return to Israel to rebuild their Temple; and we too have hopes and ambitions that we spend our lifetime pursuing. For some people it's a destination, for others it's the top spot on a podium with a new shiny necklace around your neck and a familiar anthem playing in the background. But we don't
always get all the things we hope for. (Try being a fan of the Swedish Olympic team, and you'll see what I mean.) Life is about the journey, about striving towards meaningful goals and wanting more out of life. When we don't achieve everything, does that mean the whole process was for nothing? No. Shabbat Nachamu doesn't judge or set objective standards of what is worth pursuing. It reminds us to offer everyone comfort, to be supportive, and to cheer one another on, no matter what we are aspiring to do. Happy endings aren't about getting everything you ever hoped for in this world; they are about living meaningful lives filled with purpose and intention. Maybe that doesn't help me win a gold medal, but I guess I can live a pretty good life anyway. That's comforting to know.
Photos in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of Kenski1970 on Flickr
3. CC image courtesy of Ivy Nichols on Flickr
4. CC image courtesy of { Queen Yuna } on Flickr
No comments:
Post a Comment