Competition: It Helps us Grow

BH

A little boy runs into his public school three minutes after the final bell. Huffing and puffing he twirls around a corner, his school bag flopping through air. He makes a dash down the stretch to his first-grade classroom and comes to a crash landing at the door. The teacher has already begun and she won’t let him in.

The little boy knocks, but to no avail. In despair, he sets his backpack on the floor, sits down next to it with his back against the wall, lowers his head and begins to sob. After a few moments he hears a voice. “Evan, this is G-d. I hate to see you so sad, why are you sitting in the hallway crying?”

Momentarily startled, Evan lifts his head and looks around but sees no one there. He speaks out into the empty hallway. “I’m sad and I’m crying because they won’t let me into the classroom.”

G-d calmly replies, “Don’t worry son; these days, they won’t let me in either!”

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I mention this joke for a reason. We as people – especially Jewish people – have been conditioned to question G-d. We all secretly convince ourselves that we could even do a better job creating the world if we were given the chance. In truth, that’s Jewish mentality!

In this week's Torah reading, Parshat Re’eh, it states, "Behold I place before you today the blessing and the curse," i.e., good vs. evil, life vs. death. This in itself develops many questions. Why create evil? Why make it a choice? Why not just create everyone happy and peaceful?

Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum, a writer for Chabad.org actually makes a comparison as such:

“A few years ago members of the Department of Education issued had a “brilliant” idea: from now on no scores were to be kept when umpiring kids' sports. Losing, competing and all those other nasty vices went against the latest political correctness manifesto.” Writes Rabbi Greenbaum.

“The only problem” continues Rabbi Greenbaum, “ was that the kids didn't buy it. Sports, by definition, are competitive. Without a method of keeping score, with no winner or loser, the exercise becomes pointless.”

This past week I attended the JCC Maccabi Games in Richmond, VA as a volunteer. I realized first hand that taking the “competitive” out of sports would be ultra silly. 800 young Jewish athletes from across the USA, Canada and Israel came together to compete – not just to play.

The competitions however aren’t based on hate; they are based on love and friendship. We are playing with each other as Jewish people. These young athletes aren’t growing up with hatred towards others for having lost along the way. It’s in fact the exact opposite. When one team loses, they in turn learned how to better themselves to prevent the same result next time.

In life we have the same exact scenario. God created good and evil. There is a reason he didn’t create a leveled playing field. Would that not pull the purpose out of what we do? If there was no evil to overcome, what would be so wonderful about “good”? It wouldn’t be “good” it would just be!

At the Maccabi games, I volunteered for three days to man Chabad of Virginia’s booth at Hang Time, the “chill area” for the athletes. We had Teffilin, Shabbat candles, prayer books and more. I was amazed at how many people came over to the booth to participate.

These athletes knew that in everycompetition, you need help to win and for many of them, that help came in the form of G-d. Even in a society where so many grow up questioning G-d or even choosing to not believe, the Maccabi athletes proved something to me: No matter what walk of life, we all believe that there is “something” out there that can help us.

“We did the Tefilin at the games last year and we won every game! We want G-d on our side again!” exclaimed one young man who was on his way to a soccer match. Dozens of girls took home their very first set of Shabbat candles and over a hundred boys donned teffilin, dozens for the first time!

Without a scoreboard, the Maccabi Games become pointless. Without good and evil, life becomes pointless. The way it was set up, leaves us with a purpose and a desire win.

If you have followed me in the last couple of years, you’ll know that I have done many thing like this. I’ve been to far flung places to assist Jewish people with their observance. I’ve led Passover in Africa, I’ve led dozens of American college students on trips to Israel, and now, I have volunteered at the Maccabi games.

Each time, it’s a new experience and each time I am re-inspired. Even in my own backyard.