Heroic actions; miraculous feats; a heart-stopping mix of joy and sorrow; an unfolding human drama of faith, endurance, and victory – The 2012 Olympics are alot like Torah. No doubt Rabbis around the world are preparing sermons which use the irresistable imagery of the Olympics to expound upon Jewish themes: God as the Ultimate Coach! T’filah – A Team Sport? Similarly, I tried to come up with a clever Olympic-inspired post, but my attempts sounded corny and contrived. Then, on Friday night, we said Kiddush and one phrase seemed to express the wonder of the Olympic spectacle. The phrase – “maaseh v’reishit” “the work of Creation.” Look what we humans are capable of doing! Look how fast we can run; how high we can jump; how extraordinarily we can balance, dive, and row. Whatever one’s personal view of the Creation process – from Genesis to genetics; in the image of God; as an outcome of evolution; or something in between; we can all marvel at what is humanly possible when going for the Gold. After days of watching incredible Olympic events, it seemed appropriate to say the Blessing associated with seeing wonders of nature, the Blessing which ends with the words “…who does the work of Creation.” “…oseh maaseh V’reishit.” Higher! Faster! Stronger! Smarter! Amen!
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