This week the Olympic Games began in Beijing. For most people, the first thing they think of when they hear Olympics is probably the five interlocking rings. In this week’s parsha, we have what is probably the first thing people think of when they think of Judaism: the Shema. Hear Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One. This is one of the first things Jewish boys and girls learn, no matter how religious they are, and is the one verse that probably every Jewish person knows.

I recently was listening to Rav Jonathan Rietti and he said a very interesting thought. One of G-d’s names is Elokim, which the root of this word is Kel (alef, lamed). The word Kel means Power and the word Elokim is in the plural, so it means Powers. Elokim is the greatest Power. He is the Power behind all Powers and there is no Power besides Him. This is what we are saying in the Shema when we say that the Lord is One. He is the One and only power that exists in the entire universe. Nothing could exist if it were not for G-d.

Now that the Olympic Games are going on, I think it is a perfect time for us to focus on this idea. Millions of people from around the world are watching athletes compete and show their strengths in difficult events. These are truly the world’s best athletes. But as we watch them, we should keep something in mind: although they are the best at these events, the only reason they have power to compete is because G-d has given them this power. The proof is very simple to see because if we fast forward ten years or twenty years or even a hundred years, we will see that these same powerful athletes competing are extremely weak. For example, there was once a boxer who could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”. Where is this powerful heavyweight champion of the world now? Today, I could probably knock out this former professional boxer and I am a weakling. And how about the great gymnasts? Once these women reach 25 years old, they can no longer participate because their power has disappeared. They are no longer able to perform the jumps and flips that they can do in these younger years. The reason is because people are not all powerful. Our strength disappears.

But G-d’s power is forever and does not diminish a single bit. This is something we should constantly think about and definitely think about anytime we say the Shema. We should remember that G-d is One and there is none like Him. His powers far outweigh any of our might. By concentrating on this we will make ourselves much humbler human beings and will have a greater appreciation of the most Powerful. This is certainly a goal worth striving for and much better than a medal made of gold.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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