When I was a kid, I was a HUUUUGE Knicks fan. My favorite player was Michael Ray Richardson, known as "Sugar Ray" who was their explosive 6'5 point guard. He was descended from African slaves who were brought over to America, he was raised in Denver by his mother in poverty and received only one scholarship offer - to the University of Montana. There he majored in "Basketball" and minored in "Ball". He was a STAR!! He was picked up in the first round of the draft ahead of Larry Bird [in retrospect - not the best move:-)].
But alas, as happens to many athletes, he had a drug problem. Eventually, after three strikes he was booted from the league by Dovid Stern, a Teaneck boy who doubled as the N.B.A. commissioner. He played for the rest of his career in Europe and his stay in the N.B.A. was all too short. A sad story.
What is interesting is that he had many, many wives. Most of them for only one night. But he had a few for longer periods. His second official wife was actually a Jewish woman with whom he had two children. The mother raised them as Jews. One is named Tamara [!!] and she is a doctor [!!!].
Here is an amazing idea. Sugar Ray Richardson has Jewish children - and now grandchildren. They will live forever as part of Hashem's chosen people. כל ישראל יש להם חלק לעולם הבא. This partying-drug-abusing-hedonist has the zchus to be responsible for that. And who knows - maybe his grandchildren will come to Eretz Yisrael and learn Torah.
The gemara says מבני בניו של המן למדו תורה בבני ברק. We can say that אם ירצה השם the grandchildren and great grandchildren of this poor fatherless black kid from Denver, will one day also learn Torah in Bnei Brak. Shloime Richardson, Duvie Richardson, Racheli Richardson etc. etc.
THAT is the Purim story. היפוך - ונהפוך הוא. Everything can turn around. From the lowest depths - his ancestors were slaves in Africa and later America - to the greatest heights, star members of the Jewish People, studying Torah in Eretz Yisrael. And even if they don't - nobody can take away from them that they are Jewish. ועמך כולם צדיקים!
May we also be zoche to turn EVERYTHING around and transform all of our trials and tribulations into great successes. That would be "sweet as Sugar [Ray] ":-).
