You didn’t have to be a die-hard Mets fan to be closely following their NLDS 2015 Game 5 against the LA Dodgers this past Thursday night. The Mets have come a long way to get to this playoff series. And then the series was tied, with one last deciding game. During the regular season, there are so many games played, so many pitches thrown, its a huge list of stats and plenty room for error – there’s always another game. But not in Game 5. The Mets won a very tight game 5 by one run. Every pitch was significant, every stolen base mattered. The whole season, and their future post-season hung on every move of this game. Every pitch is a high stakes pitch.
This reminds me of a classic Maimonides (Rambam) text in Mishne Torah Hilchot Teshuvah. This may very well be the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s most oft-quoted Rambam: A person should always view the world and himself in a perfect balance, between good and evil. One negative act or one good deed can tip the balance.
It’s probably not good to be high-strung all the time, we can’t live under post-season pressure all year long. But the Rambam encourages us to have more of the Game 5 mentality about our Judaism. (Tanya 25 has a similar message, but that’s a story for another time). We ought to realize that our every deed matters. Our choices make a difference. Every Shabbat is a game-changer, every time we wear Tefillin we are scoring a hit, it all matters and nothing is indispensable. To the Rebbe this Rambam spoke to the power of each and every Mitzvah. Never underestimate it!
The same is true about the terror situation in Israel right now. Yes, the conflict is old and ongoing, but the terror wave crisis raises it urgency and we become much more involved and concerned even at a great distance. Kind of like the surge of interest in the Mets during the playoffs. It awakens something, we can’t be an outsider or bystander, we must invest ourselves. There’s a much higher degree of interest and concern.
And like the Rambam says: Each and every act makes a real difference. Our prayers, good deeds and vocal advocacy and solidarity with Israel in this time of crisis can tip the scale. We each must do our part, even thousands of miles away.