D’var Torah – October 18

Moses the G.O.A.T

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!

I hope this finds you all well.

There’s this kid, and from a young age, he’s a football prodigy with many in his county proclaiming that he’s the best wide receiver they’ve ever seen. The pee-wee coaches go as far as to declare that he could put Don Hutson and Jerry Rice to shame. He smashes the record books in middle school football, sails through the JV squad, and once he hits varsity, not only is he a local celebrity, but every college scout and coach in the country is chomping at the bit to get him into their program.

Well, he goes off to a big-name college just as you’d expect, but once he’s there, he’s…really good, but he’s no longer the best. He’s no longer #1. There are folks who are better than him. He still does really well though and after four years he gets drafted into the NFL. But once he’s in pro-ball, he’s…average. He plays a couple seasons, doesn’t really shine, is let go from a couple of teams, gets injured, and before you know it, five years after college, his professional career is over.

The point of all this: this guy was great, phenomenal even, but there were players who were better than him. And you know what? That’s ok. Does that invalidate him, his accomplishments, his accolades, or his career? No, absolutely not.

As we near the holiday of Simchat Torah and begin our yearly Torah reading cycle once again from the beginning, I am reminded of one of the last verses of our sacred text:

“Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses – whom God singled out, face to face.” [1]

I’m guessing that some could take this to mean that Moses was the G.O.A.T – the greatest [prophet] of all time.

But here’s the thing: so what if he was? Does this invalidate or devalue the work of the other prophets?

Does this mean that Jonah’s preaching to Nineveh was unimportant? No!

Does this mean that Ezekiel’s warnings to his fellow Judeans didn’t matter? No!

And does this mean that Isaiah’s words of comfort can’t help repair a wounded heart? No!

In the famous 2006 Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights, a young Ricky Bobby is told by his wayward father (played by Gary Cole), “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”[2]. This toxic advice transforms Ricky into an arrogant, uncompromising, and destructive adult.

If we lead our lives and tell others to live theirs by the mantras “first or last”, “100 or 0”, “best or worst,” “valedictorian or dunce cap,” or “gold or bust,” both our days and theirs will ultimately be filled with sadness, stress, and heartbroken disappointment.

Bizrat HaShem, may we all remember that we don’t have to be the best at something in order to make a positive, lasting impact. Sometimes it’s great not to be the best, it’s great to be good, and it’s great even to just be ok. May we in this new year of 5785 show gentleness, kindness, and understanding to both ourselves and others.

Wishing you a Good Shabbos and a very happy holiday.

Bivrakha,

From the desk of: Rabbi Aaron Stucker-Rozovsky

Beth El Congregation | 520 Fairmont Ave, Winchester, VA 22601

(540) 667-1889 (office)