I am by no means a Celtics fan. I recall the great rivalries of the Warriors (before the Sixers) and the Celtics of the sixties and the battles in the center between Chamberlain and Russell. It therefore took some effort to feel any joy in the Celtics' crushing victory over the Lakers Tuesday night. It happened just an hour or so after the Red Sox shut out the Phillies. How many winners does one city need in one year? After the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007 and the Patriots went undefeated until the Super Bowl this year, wasn't there another city worthy of some reason to celebrate?
When it's all said and done however, there is reason to celebrate the Celtics' trouncing of the Lakers Tuesday night and their winning the NBA title. Just last year the Celtics were the worst team in the league. They went from chumps to champs overnight. They played more games in the post season this year than they won all of last year. They had been dethroned from their dynasty twenty-two years ago and now the great Celtics of the past has returned. In the words of the Prophet Ezekiel, those dry bones came back to life.
As I watched the Celtic fans celebrate in Boston, I couldn't help but note an immediate connection with our Torah portion this week. Of course my eyes are always open for seeing a connection. I had just read through the Torah text earlier on Tuesday and the connection was as clear as day. Who would have believed that last year's worst would become this year's best. There was reason for the whole league and Celtic fans and players as well to say it's not yet our time to win. Someone however; no - someones believed that they could not only win but win it all and they achieved the impossible. That is the beauty of sports. That is the greatness of life.
Moses sends 12 spies to scout out the land of Canaan (Israel) and report back whether they thought the Israelites could overwhelm the inhabitants and settle the land. The Torah makes a point in saying that the twelve were all men Kulam Anashim. Given the society, no one would have thought that Moses sent out any women for this work. These words mean that those appointed were thought to be men of great substance, leaders of the people. In spite of this, ten of the twelve did not believe that they could defeat the inhabitants who they viewed as giants. It is therefore no stretch that they viewed themselves as grasshoppers. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce clearly never viewed themselves as playing for the Boston Grasshoppers in a league of Giants. Grasshoppers don't win games by 39 points and don't win championships. There were two however, Joshua and Caleb who did not see themselves as tiny critters. They said "we can surely go up and inherit the land. We are surely able to do it." They never viewed themselves as little insects in a world of Giants. Celtics coach Doc Rivers kept saying the same thing to his players. He made them believe in themselves and they won. Only Joshua and Caleb won out of that entire generation. They were the only two to make it into the Promised Land.
Speaking of Giants, how great it was to see a slightly above average team with a demeaned quarterback do the impossible and make it to the Super Bowl and beat what was seen as one of the greatest teams in football history. Many called Eli Manning a grasshopper rather than a real Giant despite whatever was printed on his helmet. How many could have possibly believed that the New York Giants had a chance to reach the Superbowl and then win it. From the last game of the regular season and through the playoffs, I myself did the impossible. I was rooting for the Giants and for Eli Manning in particular. After that last game of the season when the Giants came close to upsetting the Patriots as our otherwise hapless Eagles had done a few weeks before, the Giants clearly believed they could have their moment of self actualization and truly be Giants. They were.
I'm not sure what the mix is with talent and belief. A guy 5'5'' can believe all he wants that he will be an NBA superstar but that's not belief, that's being delusional. On the other hand, you can have the goods but the goods alone are not good enough. There are guys who tower over others who feel like grasshoppers inside just as there are beautiful women who believe themselves to be homely.
Well, my rejoicing for Boston ended Wednesday afternoon when the Red Sox took two out of three from the Phillies. In spite of the Phillies losing their last three series, maybe this is the Phillies year. I won't even say it too loud though recalling last week's D'var Torah, we shouldn't give it a kin-a-hera. On the other hand, in the words of the immortal Tug McGraw, "Ya gotta believe." He saved the final game by striking out the last batter, clinching the Phillies' first, and so far only, World Series championship twenty eight years ago.
Tug McGraw probably didn't know that he was really summarizing the teaching of our story of the spies which has served many well; the Mets in 1973, the Phillies in 1980 and the Giants and Celtics in 2008 and many in our personal lives. The bottom line is
"Ya Gotta Believe!"
The Importance of Israel in My Life
by Rebekah Katz
Up until a few years ago, Israel was just another place I learned about in school. I knew it was created in 1948 and was the only Jewish State, but that was all that really stuck out in my mind. My mother always had and will always have a genuine love for Israel, and I never knew why until I went and experienced Israel for myself.
Even before I stepped off the plane to Israel, my feelings somehow changed. I realized a lot of things in very little time. I realized I was fulfilling a promise I had made to G-d at my Bat Mitzvah to go to Israel, a promise I made to myself, and what hit me most is that I was seconds away from being 'home.' As our bus drove from Ben-Gurion Airport to our first destination, the scenery outside the window fascinated me. Only in Israel could I see beautiful green landscape turn into magnificent desert. Throughout the trip, I had the opportunity to see all the places I learned about for years in Hebrew school. It was, honestly, a life changing experience to be able to see everything and finally learn to appreciate it.
Prior to me leaving the states, I had friends ask if I was scared about going to Israel because of all the bombings and terrorist attacks. I always said, "No, I'm not afraid." I wasn't afraid for the wrong reason. Looking back on my first few minutes in Israel, I felt safer than ever and I'm still not sure why; it's a feeling I cannot explain. Everyone who had only seen Israel through the eyes of a news channel had only seen Israel being attacked and at war. I saw Israel through my own eyes, experienced no kind of terrorism, and never feared anything anywhere I went with or without our bodyguard.
I truly believe the trip in 2005 to Israel changed and reshaped me in so many ways. Israel is the most beautiful place in the world; with so much history and so many different people call home. Although others disagree, Israel's existence is so much more important that most people realize. It is the only Middle East country that has a democracy. What takes time to realize is Israel can be gone in the blink of an eye if we don't support and protect it.
Shabbat
Shalom
