The pasuk says [Mishlei 27-21]:
מַצְרֵף לַכֶּסֶף וְכוּר לַזָּהָב וְאִישׁ לְפִי מַהֲלָלוֹ.
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, and a man according to his praise.
Says Rabbeinu Yonah [Shaarei Teshuva 3-148]:
פֵּרוּשׁוֹ, מַעֲלוֹת הָאָדָם לְפִי מַה שֶּׁיְּהַלֵּל. אִם הוּא מְשַׁבֵּחַ הַמַּעֲשִֹים הַטּוֹבִים וְהַחֲכָמִים וְהַצַּדִּיקִים, תֵּדַע וּבָחַנְתָּ כִּי אִישׁ טוֹב הוּא וְשֹׁרֶשׁ - הַצֶּדֶק נִמְצָא בוֹ, כִּי לֹא יִמְצָא אֶת לִבּוֹ רַק לְשַׁבֵּחַ אֶת הַטּוֹב וְהַטּוֹבִים תָּמִיד בְּכָל דְּבָרָיו, וּלְגַנּוֹת אֶת הָעֲבֵרוֹת, וּלְהַבְזוֹת בַּעֲלֵיהֶן (מִבְּלִי מָאוֹס בָּרָע וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב), וְאִם יִתָּכֵן כִּי יֵשׁ בְּיָדוֹ עֲוֹנוֹת נִסְתָּרִים, אֲבָל מֵאוֹהֲבֵי - הַצֶּדֶק הוּא, וְלוֹ שֹׁרֶשׁ בַּבְּחִירָה. וְהוּא מֵעֲדַת מְכַבְּדֵי הַשֵּׁם. וְהַמְשַׁבֵּחַ מַעֲשִֹים מְגֻנִּים אוֹ מְהַלֵּל רְשָׁעִים, הוּא הָרָשָׁע הַגָּמוּר וְהַמְחַלֵּל אֶת עֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ.
Just as the refinement of gold and silver is determined by a furnace and refining pot, so too a person's level of refinement can be determined by whom he praises. If he praises evil people, then it shows what type of person he is. If his heroes are Tzadikim, that ALSO says a lot about him. [When I was a teenager, my room was filled with picture of athletes on my wall. Above them all I put a nice color photo of Rav Moshe Feinstein. This expressed that even in my tinok shenishba state - I know who the real hero was.]
In our frum world, too many of our heroes aren't deserving of hero-hood. I refer, among others, to entertainers. Just because someone is an entertainer doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with him or that he has faulty character. But it also is no guarantee that he is deserving of our accolades. Yet, they are treated by us like the goyim treat rock stars. The adulation and hero worship accorded to them fly in the face of everything we are taught. Two psukim to remember:
"לֹא בִגְבוּרַת הַסּוּס יֶחְפָּץ לֹא בְשׁוֹקֵי הָאִישׁ יִרְצֶה. רוֹצֶה יְ-ה-וָ-ה אֶת יְרֵאָיו אֶת הַמְיַחֲלִים לְחַסְדּוֹ".
"כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ אַל יִתְהַלֵּל עָשִׁיר בְּעָשְׁרוֹ. כִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יְ-ה-וָ-ה עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ כִּי בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי נְאֻם יְ-ה-וָ-ה".
"כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ אַל יִתְהַלֵּל עָשִׁיר בְּעָשְׁרוֹ. כִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יְ-ה-וָ-ה עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ כִּי בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי נְאֻם יְ-ה-וָ-ה".
What ultimately matters is what type of human being he is. Kind or selfish? Generous or stingy? Does he fear Hashem or his boss more? THAT is how we judge people. It is quite damaging to ourselves and our children when entertainers, athletes, rich people etc. etc. are the main focus of our emulation.
The Rosh Yeshiva ztz"l added that not only our כח ההילול determines who we are but also our כח החילול - the power of mockery. Humor is an effective tool in putting things in proper perspective. [אמר רב נחמן כל ליצנותא אסירא בר מליצנותא דעבודת כוכבים דשריא]
I recently was reading about a Jew who owned a hockey team. Nebuch nebuch, his main source of joy and meaning in life [besides his family] was the hockey team. His last words on his deathbed after suffering from a painful and protracted illness were not Shma Yisrael but an expression of gratitude for this hockey team and what it meant to him. Now he is in a world where there is no hockey. What is he doing NOW? I am sure that he is quite miserable. [I would like to get his name so that I can daven for his Neshama]. When a person lives their life devoid of Hashem and then goes to a place where all that exists is his connection to Hashem, it is a sure fire recipe for misery. LOOOOOOONG TIMMMMME misery רחמנא ליצלן, squared to the billionth power.
If he were alive and would hear people making a mockery about the pathetic-ness of a life that revolves around a puck going or not going into a net - that might have been helpful. כח החילול. We have to know how to mock false ideologies and beliefs. The belief that whether a puck goes into a net matters is no less pernicious than the belief that the sun or moon have powers. Both are forms of Avoda Zara.
Enjoy the game if you must - but don't assign importance to the outcome or attribute special qualities to the players. You don't need their autograph and you should appreciate that you are probably far more intelligent than they are - not to mention that you also have much better character and are more spiritual.
Isn't that what matters?
כח ההילול וכח החילול.
