“Give it your all!” “Do your best!” “Put your heart and soul into it!”
When I was a kid in sports, my coaches and parents always told me these things. Pretty powerful messaging if you think about it. To give everything you have to an endeavour is no small feat. As a child barely old enough to kick a ball, I was expected to push myself to my very limit. I was asked to put all of my energy and will into this goal.
This goal of beating some other small children at a totally inconsequential game.
Don’t get me wrong, I think this was valuable messaging. Evolutionary psychologists believe that playing is actually designed to improve survival skills later in life. Physically running around a soccer field builds muscles. Psychologically conditioning yourself to push yourself to your limits builds strong will power. Sports aren’t just fun, they are good for you.
Yet, as adults, suddenly the messaging changes. Nobody says to “do your best” anymore. In fact, quite the opposite. The goal is to get an easy job and retire as fast as possible so you can just relax. People avoid having children because they are difficult. The goal of every day is to get to the couch so you can recline with a drink and watch a show.
If practising hard at sports was supposed to build us into better people, are we hobbling ourselves when it really counts?
The Torah says
“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: when someone offers a sacrifice of yourself to the L-rd, the sacrifice must be taken from the cattle, sheep or goats.”
(Vayikra 1:2)
The Torah could have said “when one of you offers a sacrifice,” why does it use instead the unusual language of “when someone offers a sacrifice of yourself?”
It’s telling us that the thing that G-d really wants, is for us to offer something of ourselves to Him.
Your coach was right. Giving it your all is admirable. And just like you put your heart and soul into a game as a kid, you should give your heart and soul to something meaningful as an adult.
It’s been a long time since people have made literal sacrifices in the Temple, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still make metaphorical sacrifices for the right reasons. Maybe you can do something challenging, because it’s the right thing to do, even if you may not feel like it in the moment. Push yourself a little…or a lot. Your coach (G-d) will be proud.
