For “Moshiach Seudah” at the very end of Pesach 5776 / 2016, we went around the table asking everyone to share a Moshiach/redemption related message gleaned from a specific aspect of a certain game or sport. Here’s what people shared:

OTHELLO is about turning over one single game piece (would be an even better fit for Moshiach if we’re the team going from darkness to light!) that can have a major impact down the line. Each and every Mitzvah goes a long way in bringing Moshiach closer.

LEBRON JAMES & CLEVELAND Years ago Lebron James played in Cleveland. When he left us for a different team and city, we felt deserted and forlorn, it was like the destruction of the (sports) Temple. People mourned for what was lost and yearned for what could have been. Then he returned to Cleveland! Like the rebuilding the second temple, you could say! But alas, despite his return, the championship title still eluded Cleveland. We haven’t given up! We still await and yearn, for another season, another opportunity – it’s like waiting and hoping for Moshiach.

BALLET often appears so effortless and graceful to the viewer but there’s a lot of strength and stress and stamina hidden away underneath  for that glorious effect to happen on stage. Many ballet dancers actually can have fractures and bruises for what seems so fluid and flowing and pretty and artsy. So, too with the redemption, each of us (as Rabbi Mendel spoke about the “Micro-Moshiachs“) put in much struggle and overcome much challenge to produce this overall glorious “Macro-Moshiach” result.

BASEBALL’s HOME PLATE Everything starts at home plate. Then we have to run around the bases, through our merits and efforts to finally return home to where we belong. Think of it as the journey of the Jewish people throughout exile, coming back to home with Moshiach and redemption.

CHAMPIONSHIPS Most sports have a season, with a number of games that build up to a playoffs and then a championship title game. You can look at Jewish history this way, our efforts over the centuries build up momentum, leading to the ultimate game of Moshiach.

BASKETBALL DRIBBLING In basketball the ball has a lot of ups and downs, that keep the ball in play and build momentum and move it down the court in order to get that ball into the basket. So, too with Jewish history and Moshiach, our people have been through many spiritual and physical ups and downs, yet kept the ball always in play. In fact, those ups and downs can be considered “yeridah tzorech aliyah” sometimes you have to go down to go up. The descent is for the sake of the ascent.

HORSEBACK RIDING is a favorite activity of mine. After an accident I was unable to ride for a while, but getting back onto the horse was most satisfying and reassuring. The moral is get back onto the horse, don’t give up!

RUNNING THE COURSE I go for a run almost every day, and often its one of several routes with which I am very familiar. Yet, even if you run the same course all the time, you still never know what may come up on the course that day. You never know what weather challenges you’ll face or what you may encounter, how tired you may feel or what may cross your path. Lots of unknowns. But you still go out and run that course! Running into the unknown…

UNO! The point of this card game is to whittle down and peel away at as many cards as possible until you get down to the ONE! Our mission in this world is similar… peel away at the layers, reveal more and more of the hidden depth, until we reach the Divine Oneness inside it all!

FISHING You can fish from the shore, but often it’s best when you travel out to the deeper more distant parts of the lake or ocean for a better catch. So, too, with Moshiach. Yes, it’s easier and more comfortable to reach for low-hanging fruit or easier hauls but to redeem the remote sparks needed for true transformation sometimes we need to leave our comfort zone and go beyond our immediate reach.

SPEAKING OF BASKETBALL Some famous player once said: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Same with Judaism, you have to at least give it a shot. If you don’t you’ll never know what you are missing.

FANS AND PLAYERS Fans enjoy the game and may get a broader fuller picture, but only players can effect the outcome. Fans have no control over the game. The Jewish people are the players in the game of Moshiach, it’s up to our good needs to make it happen.

TARGET PRACTICE Focus is important in all areas of life, but it’s especially important when it comes to shooting. Focus is everything. I think that relates to the proper intent required during prayer and the long-term focus or vision looking towards Moshiach.

WRESTLING This is a sport between you and your opponent, no one else. You have to stand your ground and get him down. It’s like the fight between each of us and our evil inclination – in the battle for the Micro-Moshiach. He wants to pull us down, and we’re fighting to stand our ground and get him out of the way. (Indeed, indeed! See the wrestling parable at the start of Tanya chapter 26).

ANAGRAMS One new letter can change the whole word. The addition of that letter can scramble things up, not only that word but potentially other words as well. (Wow, see the Rebbe’s insight of how the letter “Alef” transforms the Hebrew word for exile “Golah” into the similarly spelled but very different meaning Hebrew word for Redemption “Geulah”.)

PANDEMIC In this game everyone has to use their talents and abilities to work together to eradicate or at least stop the spread of a disease. Think of how communally and collectively we work to bring Moshiach closer.

PHASE TEN & PACMAN Some games are played the same throughout. Baseball in the 8th inning may be more tense than the first inning, but the game itself is essentially the same. Phase Ten is different. Each phase of the game has a different challenge or goal, a different path to win. Or Pacman where the screen and opportunities and pitfalls and tempo of the game changes as you advance from screen to screen. Jewish history is like that – we have the same mission throughout, but each generation and era has its own struggles and challenges. We don’t face the same challenges today as they Jews did 500 years ago, and they faced different challenges than their preceding generations.

CAPTURE THE FLAG I’m big into camp and “Capture the Flag” is one of the big activities there. The ultimate goal of course is to capture the flag, but to reach that goal required a whole team of players each playing their own role, doing their own thing. If everyone were to rush to capture the flag, you’d expose your own flag to capture, the whole thing would become chaos. It’s much more fun, efficient and successful when done in a strategic manner – with everyone doing their thing, playing their specific role. Same is with the Jewish people, we each have a role to play!

ROCK CLIMBING One toe-hold at a time. It gets more challenging closer to the peak, but the adrenaline and excitement builds as we get closer. The same is with us as we near closer to Moshiach..

 

more coming soon…