Did you know that even in heaven, everyone’s busy with the World Cup? That’s right. Apparently, Satan challenged the Almighty Himself to a soccer match. It would be the ultimate contest, heaven vs. hell.
So, God laughs. “Are you meshuga, Satan? Are you feeling suicidal? Don’t you know I have all the best players in history up here in heaven?”
So Satan emits one of those infamously wicked cackles and, with a snicker, says, “Yes, God. You may have the players, but I have the referees!”
Let me share a message from soccer for our Jewish lives.
Every game has rules, and we may not always be allowed to tamper with them. We can, of course, suggest some fine-tuning. Indeed, over the years, the technical regulations have changed from time to time: the golden goal rule, the exact definition of offside, the introduction of the VAR system using video review to help officials make decisions and more. But the basics of the game haven’t changed.
For example, no one has ever suggested that to make the game more exciting and allow higher scores, we should move the goalposts. Nor has anyone ever recommended that we introduce a second ball in the game. With more balls come more chances and more goals, and the game would be much more entertaining.
Such ideas would be anathema to players and fans. Everyone understands that changing such basic rules could be different and even exciting—but then again, that’s no longer soccer. You can call it Australian football, Padel or whatever you like, but soccer it is not.
How many times have I been asked to change the rules of Judaism? Too many!
“Rabbi, so what if the girl’s conversion wasn’t done by an Orthodox beit din? Be tolerant. Be flexible. Do the wedding. You’ll make so many people happy.”
“Rabbi, so what of it’s not certified kosher? It’s only fish. Don’t be so rigid!”
Believe it or not, rabbis aren’t mean people. Sure, they’d like to accommodate requests and make everyone happy. Still, if you change the fundamental, eternal rules of the Jewish faith, it may seem very nice, but that isn’t Judaism!
Many years ago, I got a phone call from an elderly woman asking me a question on halachah, Jewish law. She wanted to make her own wine for Passover. The problem was that she only had whisky barrels. Could she use them? she asked.
I explained to her very gently that whisky is pure chametz, which is forbidden on the holiday, and if she used the barrels, the end result would unfortunately not be kosher for Passover.
She said, “Rabbi, I’m an old woman. I haven’t got enough money to buy new barrels now. Can’t you give me a dispensation?”
I replied, “I’m afraid I cannot change the halachah, so I cannot give you a dispensation. What I can do is give you a donation so you can buy new barrels for Pesach.”
If we move the goalposts, it may sound compassionate, but it’s not Judaism.
This is but one message from the current global football festival; there are many. I will add just one. This year, one particular team took the world by surprise: Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde. It qualified while many larger countries did not. They went on to win matches and ended their adventure with a thrilling battle against world champions Argentina, who they came very close to beating.
Most people on our planet have never even heard of Cape Verde and have no idea where it is. They couldn’t find it on a map.
Indeed, it is a collection of little islands off the coast of West Africa with a population of a little more than 500,000. And yet, such a tiny country went so far in this prestigious international competition. With no superstars and no expensive strikers, they shocked the world and earned global respect.
What a powerful lesson from their courageous story. Strength is not measured by size alone. Effort, energy and passion can be more vital than raw talent. What hope and encouragement it gives to the smaller countries of the world!
I can’t help but think of Israel, a country so small that there isn’t even any space on a world map to spell out its name. And yet, look what a strong and mighty nation it has become in only 78 years.
Israel is a world leader in so many areas—technologically, medically, academically and agriculturally. It has leading museums, culture and the arts. Equally important, it is a military powerhouse, able to defend itself against the combined forces of a hostile region. You can say that such hostility has made it strong.
May we all learn valuable lessons from “football” (soccer, if you prefer). But don’t move the goalposts. Values and moral principles are not negotiable. And greatness is not defined by quantity, but by quality. Every one of us can make a real difference, no matter our strength, size or resources.
At the end of the day, the ultimate final is not Argentina versus France, or whatever team will be the finalists this year. The true competition is between good and evil, light and darkness, heaven and hell.
Let’s hope we will all be on the winning team, bringing honor and glory to God’s world.
