Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

237
בלה תובשחמ
This point can be further illustrated with a famous story about Reb Shalom
Schwadron, the Maggid of Yerushalayim. A man had informed Reb Shalom of his
intended absence in shiur due to the upcoming soccer championship. Feigning
ignorance of the sport, Reb Shalom insisted the man explain to him the rules of
the game. When the man explained that the main point is to kick a ball into a net,
Reb Shalom masterfully probed deeper and questioned why we cannot kick the
ball into the net when the goalie goes home for the night or early in the morning
before he arrives. The man exasperatingly called out that there is no point if there
is no challenge, to which Reb Shalom replied in full agreement, “There is no
point if there is no challenge. Don’t you see what you are saying,” continued Reb
Shalom. “Go to shiur when the championship is playing; then you are fighting a
battle when there’s a challenge. That’s when it matters the most.” In our old age the
battle dissipates, the challenge is over. The time to play the game, when it matters
the most, is in our youth.
Perhaps this can help us comprehend the pasuk at hand:
”ונבזעת לא ונחוכ תולככ ,הנקז תעל ונכילשת לא“. This is usually translated as, “Do not
cast us away in our old age, when our strength weakens do not abandon us.”
However, perhaps we can offer an alternate approach to the first half of the pasuk:
“Do not throw us into old age,” referring to the plea not to end up physically
or conceptually old prematurely, which would permanently inhibit us from
accomplishing the fullest teshuva. Any handicap would put our potential teshuva
opportunities into peril, akin to being old. The pasuk now clearly fits into the
theme of Shema Koleinu. We request that primarily we should remain with our
full capabilities intact and that Hashem should be patient with us. On the other
hand, if nonetheless we end up in our old age prior to having done a full teshuva,
then we emphasize the second half of the pasuk, “Please do not abandon us even
when we have lost our potency, and please fully accept the teshuva done at that
time.” While it is human to not feel the pressure of time, our relationship with
Hashem is undeniably dependent upon the zeal we demonstrate to repair our
ways. May we all merit the highest level of teshuva, speedily in our youthful days.