"Ani m'amin, b'emuna shlaima - I believe with perfect faith…" Maimonidies, 13 Principles of Faith
"Believe."
Boston Globe, October 2004
The Red Sox' recent World Series win has got me thinking. It seems to me that there are some eerie parallels between the histories of this team and the Jewish people (I know this is a stretch, but work with me folks). From these parallels we can learn an incredible lesson about hope.
The Sox started off with a bang; they were the best team in baseball winning the World Series five times by 1918. No one could stop them.
And then they were out -- way out.
The Sox went to the World Series four times since then and lost every time in game 7. They've had many good teams over the years and have often come close, but they could never quite get it done.
Yet the fans always had hope. "This can't go on forever. Our day will come, just wait."
For 86 years Boston waited and believed. Years of heartbreak, disaster, close-calls, missed opportunities, cosmic blunders, and still the people of Boston did the impossible: they had hope and hung on.
The Jewish people were also at the top. We left Egypt, received the Torah, conquered our homeland and we were invincible.
But then things went horribly wrong. We were exiled from our land -- twice! -- scattered and persecuted. We've had good times and bad times, we've suffered and lost. At times it has been unbearable.
But just like the fans in Boston slugging it out through another long winter, we never lose hope.
Why not? What is the Jewish concept of hope?
We often think of hope as something that comes from a position of incredible weakness. Hope is the thing we turn to when all else fails. We hope because we have no other options and are forced to admit that the situation is completely out of our control.
What's more, we relate to hope as a temporary fix at best. We hope and hope that things will work out, and when they do -- we won't need to hope anymore. The frustration and waiting is over.
The Jewish idea of hope is different.
"Hope to God. Strengthen yourself and He'll strengthen your heart, and hope to God" (Psalms 27).
It seems from this verse that hope makes us strong. It should be firmly rooted in our relationship with God, a reality that is unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving. How does this work?
The Torah teaches us that God created this big beautiful world for our benefit. He created an endless list of pleasures, the greatest of which is a connection to Him, the source of it all. Even better, He didn't just give us these wonderful joys on a silver platter; He made it our job to earn them. It may feel good to win the lottery, but it feels even better to build your own empire. The best things in life, the strongest relationships, the moments that really mean something, are the ones we put the most effort into attaining. This is the way He set up the system.
Hope is rooted in the awareness that no matter what happens in our topsy-turvy world, it's all for our benefit.
The sweetest victories come after 86 years of trying and waiting. (Okay, rooting for a baseball team isn't quite the same thing.)
No matter what happens in our crazy topsy-turvy world, God is there behind the scenes, creating our reality and keeping us honest. He sets things up, challenges us, pushes us along, forces us to make decisions and to deal with those things we want to avoid, all along giving us the independence to go that extra step towards fulfilling our potential and creating our real selves. And the reward at the end is always the same, we become the best possible people we can be and build a closer relationship with our reality, our God.
The Jewish secret of hope is the understanding that it is all for our benefit. All the highs and lows, heartaches and disappointments are coming to help us grow, to make us stronger and better. We live in a big park with a green monster, facing opposition that is real and strong and more than able to beat us. We have the chance to step up to the plate, face the challenges and give it our best shot. Sometimes we can even win and achieve the impossible.
The Torah is showing us the bigger picture. It is this perspective that makes us strong, helps us stay sane during the long slow periods of waiting, and gives us hope.
The good people of Boston held onto a dream, and after 86 years it seems to have all worked out for the best (at least for this year). But the Jewish people can never lose. Our hope is an investment in a reality that wants us to win and will never abandon us. As a matter of fact, we've already won.
Forget the Sox. Go Jews!
(10) Tzvia Rutman, August 2, 2005 12:00 AM
I live in New York but I am a Red sox fan. Mainly because my husband is from Massachusetts. We as Red sox fans did not give up hope. Especially when it got closes to the World series! Many of my friends as well as myself kept davening, never giving up faith . Hashem was truly watching over us this year.It is true, sometimes the sweetest victories come after 86 years of trying and waiting. I believe we should strive to be the best possible people we could be in this society. We as Jews have to keep faith that everything will work out in the end.
(9) Louis Profeta MD, November 8, 2004 12:00 AM
Yankees
You know what? The series also had me thinking about Judaism....all I could come up with was....Next Year in New York....Go Yanks
(8) Anonymous, November 2, 2004 12:00 AM
Tzvi does know his baseball!
In response to the condescending anonymous posting, I can assure you that Tzvi knows plenty about baseball. From his days in music school in Boston where he experienced the misfortune of the ''86 world series to my daily briefings on the Red Sox during our chevrusas, Tzvi knows plenty about baseball. I can confirm Tzvi''s expertise on the issue and commend him on a wonderful article.
(7) Menashe Frank, November 1, 2004 12:00 AM
Another Sox Lesson
Strong parallel between the Jews and the Sox and Hope. Also, consider this: down 3-0 to the deaded Yankees, hope seemed gone. But in the matter of four nights, Hashem turned the Yankees into the all-time sports chokers and the Red Sox into the all-time sports comebackers. Just like Joseph's release from prison to become the viceroy of Egypt, Hashem can turn the world on its head in the blink of an eye, may Moshiach arrive speedily, in our days!
(6) Anonymous, November 1, 2004 12:00 AM
Preposterous!
I realize the analogy to the Red Sox baseball team is "tongue-in-cheek" (atleast I hope so). What is written concerning the Jewish people is fine. Though I am a long time loyal Yankee fan, there can be no comparisons between the Red Sox as a team and the Jewish people. Mr. Gluckin is trying to compare apples to oranges. He is way off base. He's comparing an abacus to an NEC Earth Simulator (a super computer performing 40 trillion operations per second).
To help non-baseball people like Mr. Gluckin, I would offer a simpler analysis of the Yankee-Red Sox series (not the Red Sox as a team): the Yankees were hot at the right time and went cold at the wrong time; the Red Sox were cold at the right time, and went hot at the right time.
(5) Rabbi Lipson, November 1, 2004 12:00 AM
wonderful analogy
As a Yankees fan, I thought Tzvi Gluckin's article was outstanding. Everything I have been told by my friends who are Sox fans support the article. This is a faith that is taught, passed down to generation to generation and binds the Red Sox nation over time and generations. The analogy is quite powerful, for while faith is something that ultimately must be learned and tested in each generation, Judaism is a testament to the notion that Mitzvot, behavior and Education must be passed down to the next generatio in order for faith to be instilled in that next generation. Hence the Red Sox Nation managed to survive for those 86 barren years.
(4) Chaya Ruda Kreitzman, October 31, 2004 12:00 AM
Dear Tzvi,
I love your connection between the sox win and our Exile. I think it can really reach out to a lot of jews that are far from Torah, but love baseball. Keep up the amazing work you do in Kiruv. Regards from the land of Israel.
Chaya Ruda Kreitzman (Chaim kreitzman's daughter-hillel president of 2003).
(3) Anonymous, October 31, 2004 12:00 AM
Inspired
Even though I live in St. Louis, this article hits home. Strength comes in many forms, and Rabbi Gluckin touches on the inspiration we can all get from dedicating ourselves to improving ourselves. When we work hard, we always win...that's what life is all about....p.s. I was strangely happy for the Sox
(2) nina schalit, October 31, 2004 12:00 AM
2 red sox players (kapler and youklis) are jewish on this miracle team
Gabe Kapler and Kevin Youklis are both Jewish Major leaguers (2004 Boston Red Sox), contributing to this miracle victory- It is the first time in modern history that 2 players (not owners or management) were on the winning team of the world series & this unprecedented victory defies the curse of the bo sox and the myth of baseball -that Jews are not only in management (ie. the 2003 fla marlins) but they are also active participants on the field.
(1) Joe Whitehead, October 31, 2004 12:00 AM
Not only did they win but how they won
It should be noted that the Red Sox defeated their #1 enemy "The Yankees".
Just when it looked like they were to be victims of a real beating by their enemy (3 outs away in game 4 behind 3 games to O, they fought with inspiration not only defeating the Yankees but blowing away their opponent in the World Sreies. Talk about changing the momentum!
Likewise.....Go Jews / Israel