The Real Championship Trophy
Last week there was a parade in Cleveland. Millions lined the streets to get a glimpse of their heroes and cheer them on.
Think of the factors behind the celebration - the successful championship run of a group of adults playing a child’s game. Overcoming adversity in the form of coming back from a 3 games to 1 deficit, an unprecedented feat in NBA history. Ending a drought so that for the first time in 52 years that the city was able to call itself a “champion.”
This week there was another parade in Cleveland. This parade was not covered by the media nor was it attended by millions of people. Instead, it was attended by about 200 people. Everyone was wearing shirts, despite the 93 degree temperatures outside. In fact, most of the participants were wearing suits and hats and were dancing in the sweltering heat! The vast majority of participants at this parade were people that most others would be happy to emulate or have their child use as a role model. Many of the attendees were rabbis with a breadth of Torah knowledge and possessing impeccable character. The crowd was addressed by their leader sharing words of Torah and inspiration. The cause behind this celebration was the completion of the writing of a Torah scroll and its being marched into its new home in a neighborhood synagogue.
With this as a backdrop to my article, let me stress that I am a big sports fan. Having had my heart broken countless times during my lifetime from our local sports teams, I too was filled with tremendous joy watching the Cavs win the NBA title last week. My mood and spirits were noticeably uplifted as I finally had a chance to savor the sweet taste of success after so much failure. I am not knocking the parade or its attendees with a “holier-than-thou” attitude. I was out of town during the Cavs parade so I wasn’t there but I can imagine had I been in town I may well have attended just to be a part of the historic event.
Having said that, I was fortunate enough to be at the second parade referenced above and that gave me a fresh and wonderful perspective on the Cavs parade.
You see, last week my father celebrated one of the rarest mitzvahs one can do – the writing of a Torah scroll. This is the last mitzvah recorded in the Torah and is not feasible for many people to fulfill due to its great expense (note – there are secondary ways in which one can fulfill this mitzvah but that is not a topic for this article). In honor of my father’s 70th birthday, family members surprised him with the most incredible birthday present imaginable – a brand new Torah scroll!
On Sunday we celebrated this auspicious event with great pomp and circumstance. After the scribe finished writing the final letters at my father’s house, we danced with the new Torah two blocks to our shul. Many from the community came out in the heat to dance and celebrate along. After all, this was not just a celebration for my father and his family; it was a celebration for all of the Jewish people. Live music played in a van that slowly led the procession and the new Torah was met at the shul by the other Torah scrolls that already call the synagogue their home and were now “welcoming” a new member to their ranks.
If you have never been at such an event, called a “hachnosas sefer Torah,” I encourage you to try and attend one at least once in your lifetime. It is a memory you won’t soon forget.
Reflecting on the celebration, I contrasted it with the Cavs parade which dominated the scene just days before.
Sure, it’s wonderful to finally celebrate a championship after 52 years of waiting. But let’s be real, is that really so important? How small and insignificant that is relative to the celebration of a new Torah scroll, the creation of yet another link in the glorious chain of the Jewish people. Experiencing true joy, celebrating an inherently legitimate accomplishment, accompanied by people whose values we share and whose character we wish to emulate.
Think 52 years was a long drought? The Jewish people have had a 2,000 year drought, full of Inquisitions, Crusades, pogroms, the Holocaust and terrorism. Through it all we had a “trophy” that has kept us alive and intact – the eternal Torah. How fortunate is our lot! It is worthwhile keeping in mind that the real trophy, the Torah and being part of the Chosen nation, belongs to us and always will! We are the true champions.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Koval
