On Winners and an Ah-hah Moment – Day 26

26 Elul 5774
By Susan Jasper

While relaxing at my favorite sports venue, I was suddenly hit by an “ah-hah” moment. As I looked around the stadium I realized that the that there were about 46,000 who represented all walks of life – rich, middle-class and poor, ages from newborns to 90 plus years old and varying nationalities, colors and probably religions. The majority of the fans were fervently rooting for the home team. The people had banned together wishing that G-d would provide their team with a much needed win. There are no questions, no decisions, no problems with their desire on that given day, just a genuine love for a baseball team.

How did this passion get started? What reasoning is there that G-d would prefer one team over another? What keeps this devotion alive? This type of adoration and devotion occurring for such a varied group of people is open to so many questions and so many answers.

I believe that God is all around us, and that is apparent when you look at the trees, the flowers, the moon and every other unexplained thing in the universe. I wonder how G-d can be all things to all people – all hoping their team will be victorious. How can there ever be a winner?