Shabbat Shalom
As I’ve been studying to become bar mitzvah, I’ve
learned that the Torah has something to say regarding just about any
topic. So when the rabbi asked me what
my interests are, the first thing that came to mind was, of course, “Basketball,”
a game that I’ve loved since I was
literally smaller than the ball. Once I could walk, it was not long before
I learned how to shoot. So I wondered whether the Torah could have anything to
say about my favorite sport.
After all, basketball wasn’t even around when the
Torah was written. Actually, a form of
the sport was played in the ancient world – in Mexico about two thousand years
ago. But the Torah was written at least
five hundred years before that.
Still, the Torah has many things to teach about
basketball, and lots of those things are found in my portion of Kedoshim, which
is filled with important laws.
For instance, there’s the law that states, “DON’T
STAND IDLY BY YOUR NEIGHBOR.” In real
life it means to stand up for people who are in trouble. But in basketball terms, it means to help out
on defense. I can recall a number of
times when we’ve teamed up to stop a bigger player and we were able to shut him
down. Or, if my teammate was trapped in
the corner, it was my job to find an open space and call for the ball so he
could pass it to me. Basically, the
message of this commandment is to be a team player, and that we are ALL in this
together.
Another law states, “DON’T PLACE A STUMBLING BLOCK
BEFORE THE BLIND.” Of course, if we take
it literally, it means that we shouldn’t make fun of people with
disabilities. Commentators also state
that we shouldn’t mislead people, or, as we often say, “blindside” them. That happens in basketball all the time, like
when people set an illegal screen. Sometimes faking is good, like when a shooter
does a pump fake in order to get open. But in real life, we should aim to be honest
– in other words, to be straight shooters.
In another verse, the Torah instructs us to REPROVE
OUR NEIGHBOR. That means that we need to
correct things that other people are doing wrong. However, when we point out someone’s
mistakes, we should NOT embarrass them. At
one time, long ago, I had a habit of dribbling into the corners. When I did that, my coaches would quietly
correct me when I came over to the bench.
They never yelled at me in public. THEY must have read the Torah!!
My portion includes the commandment not to STEAL. It’s actually there twice. – Well in basketball, unlike life, it’s good
to steal! Sometimes, a great defensive
play can decide a game just as much as a clutch shot or a great assist.
But even in basketball, not all forms of stealing are
proper. Stealing a call, for instance,
by flopping – is not a good thing (even though I’ve probably done it a couple
of times).
The most important commandment in my portion also
happens to be the most important one in the entire Torah: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF. In basketball terms, that
means to put the team before myself. I enjoy making a great pass just as much
as a great shot. But since the verse
also says to love myself, I also need to have the confidence to take the shot
when I am open.
My mitzvah project ties into this theme. PeacePlayers International uses
basketball to unite, educate and inspire young people to create a more peaceful
world. Based on the idea that children who play together can learn to
live together, this organization brings together children from different religious,
ethnic and cultural backgrounds to develop friendship and mutual respect.
So as you can see, the Torah has a
lot to say about basketball. So now that I’m a bar mitzvah, I hope I’ll be able
to use these important lessons both on the court - and
off.
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