Recently, I heard someone talking about his late father, an observant Jew.. His father, he recalled with pathos, was a GREAT basketball player. A legend. A Jewish Jordan. [Almost as good as I was as my career was winding down:-)]. Tops. The best.
But now his father is DEAD. Yet, that remains his legacy. That is how his son so fondly remembers his father. Ball. But wait. He is just a soul now. Where he is - there is no ball!! Basketball is no currency. All that matters is how spiritual he was in his lifetime. How many people he helped. How much tzdaka he gave. How much kavana he had when davening. How careful he was in what he saw, said, ate and thought. The list goes on. He has been a soul for quite a while now and every second of his existence [he is in a place with no time but you get my point] is determined by what he did in this world for better or for ... The more good - the greater the pleasure of the soul. Less good - less pleasure and more suffering, G-d forbid.
So drop the "ball" thing. In our world we value people who can through a ball on a hole or achieve other acts of athletic excellence. Barack Obama said [I heard him say it] that one of his heroes growing up was Muhammad Ali, a man whose main claim to fame was that he could punch people so hard in the face that they were knocked out silly. In this world those type of people are heroes. But in the real world, G-d doesn't give reward for people who can punch really hard [even if their last name sounds eerily like my first name].
The currency up there is good deeds, holiness, spirituality, kindess and LOVE. Love of Hashem, fellow man and all of creation.
In conclusion, I am really troubled that a Jew's legacy is how much he loved basketball and how good he was at it. Enjoy your games, everybody needs down time. But don't make that your mark on this world. I am sure that his father did many mitzvos and he would better be remembered that way. I also don't think that in people's memories we should name sports competitions. I can't imagine that this gives them the same עילוי נשמה as learning mishanyos or giving tzdaka. So when I die [and that is the plan:-)] no "Elchonon Ehrman Memorial Basketball Tournament". The world will continue the same without me. I have not made much of a difference to anyone [other than my landlord who graciously accepts my monthly rent] but I don't want my memory desecrated by naming a tournament after me.
Thank you.
This was a public service message brought to you in memory of the legend Red Auerbach, the famous Boston Celtic general manager and coach, who dedicated his life to hoops. Where he is now, he appreciates that life would have been better spent trying to emulate his cousin [I would guess] Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach....
