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August 2, 2025 - 8 Av 5785
Photo by Josh Collesano on Unsplash Dear Friends, Tomorrow evening at 7PM, we’ll commemorate Tisha B'Av, the annual fast day on which several tragedies in Jewish history occurred. The commemoration will take place in the sanctuary and the Megillat Eicha will be read by our very own David Isaak. Please join us. This week the baseball world lost a legend, and way, way too soon. Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg succumbed to his battle with metastatic prostate cancer on Monday at just 65 years old. In his 15 years as a Chicago Cub, Sandberg hit 282 home runs, 1,061 runs batted in, stole 344 bases, made 10 All-Star teams, and won 9 Gold Gloves as the best fielder at his position in the league. One of the best hitting and fielding second basemen in Major League history, Sandberg was known as an even better person and leader than he was a ballplayer. And that's saying something. He was known as an incredibly hard worker who never took shortcuts, and whose foundation was all about respect. In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, exactly 20 years ago yesterday, Sandberg shared the following: "I was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager and never, ever your uniform. Make a great play -- act like you’ve done it before. Get a big hit -- look for the third base coach and get ready to run the bases. Hit a home run -- put your head down, drop the bat, run around the bases, because the name on the front is more -- a lot more important than the name on the back." "Ryno," as they called him, was an old-school ballplayer, a throwback to a different time. Most importantly, he never made it about himself. No matter how amazing and clutch he was, he never seemed comfortable being showered with accolades and praise, though always responding with class, dignity, and gratitude. He was driven to win, but always recognized he was just one person, and that one player can only do so much. He hustled every day and every night, for his own integrity, and to be an example to others, inspiring them to work at least as hard as he did. This is best exemplified by the 1984 season, in which he won the National League MVP, and led the Cubs to their first playoff appearance in just under 40 years. A longtime camp director I had the pleasure of working with many moons ago used to say to the unit heads, "Remember this most important thing: it's not about you." Ryne Sandberg would definitely have agreed with that sentiment. And so would Moshe Rabbenu. This week, we enter the fifth and final book of the Torah, D'varim. In English we call it Deuteronomy, meaning "the second telling," as Moses gives a recap of the Israelites' travails in the wilderness through his eyes. This is the figurative final chapter of Moses' life, now looking back on where he and his people have been. He wants to ensure they remember the journey in its entirety, -- the ups and downs, the miracles and marvels, the violence and plagues -- and ensure that his legacy of coalescing this people will live on long after him. Like Ryne Sandberg, he knows that the contribution of his life's work is substantial, and yet, is also just one part of a much larger whole. Moses knows that it can't be just about him, and if it is, it won't last. As Alexander Hamilton sings in "The Room Where It Happens," "God help and forgive me, I wanna build something that's gonna outlive me." These words might well have been uttered by both Ryne Sandberg and Moshe Rabbenu. May we be inspired to give all we can to the "team" of the world and humanity, and be part of a legacy that long outlives us. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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