Last of the Mohicans

No, it can’t be. You must be kidding. Not him!

This past week, the world was yet again shocked by the disclosure of one of the most famed athletes in sports. The man who could do no wrong, with a bright smile that adorned his face, he was the crème de la crème of role models.

Another one bites the dust? Tiger Woods has shown that his personal life isn’t very personal. Its hard to call it personal when so many people are involved in your personal life.

I have no claims against Tiger, I’ve got claims against myself (and perhaps at all those who thought like me). Should we be surprised that a multi-million dollar golfer- the best in the world – has succumbed to infidelity and the desires of celebrity life? We shouldn’t be surprised…but we were. We thought he was the last pure sports hero. Someone who played the game and otherwise led his life in humility. Admit it, you thought it too.

Why do we fool ourselves into thinking that he should be pure. Perhaps its because we are excited at his accomplishments and want to live vicariously through him. I think its because we idolize him to some extent. Since he is an icon in many of our eyes, he needs to live up to our values and be at the top of the pedestal.

Once we realize that all he is is a great golfer and nothing more, our icon/idol begins to crumble. Why? Because we aren't that shallow to idolize something which has no moral or religious standards of living. This is precisely why we don't want to believe it, because we want him to be our icon.

It is amazing how this story unfolds one week before Chanukah (Hanukkah), where the Jews recognized the same thing. The human body can do wondrous things, but its the human spirit that is even more amazing. The Greeks focused on the celebration of the human body, the sport of life. Anytime the soul and one's spirituality are relegated to 2nd class status, its a sure recipe for failure. You will fall off the pedestal.

This struggle is also found in this week's Torah portion regarding Yaakov (Jacob) and Esav (Esau). This struggle that Yaakov went through, fighting the angel of Esav, is the same Tiger Wood's struggle. Not Tiger's struggle, OUR Tiger Wood's struggle. Fighting for purity when everything else seems so much more fun and exciting.

When will we learn to search for the real people to look up to. The people who are true through and through. The one's who look to elevate themselves in more than just the physical.

We must keep trying to find our inner core values and inner core self. Don't be fooled into 'new and improved' marketing tactics; search inward.

Keep searching, we are not out of the Woods yet!