The Torah Life

One of my best friends from my NFL days called recently. He wanted to let me know that he was coming to town for some meetings. He’s a very successful sports agent, a successful businessman. So I picked him up at the airport and rightaway when he saw my beard, he was like, “Wow! That’s awesome!” He didn’t say a word about my yarmulke, not a peep about my tzitzit hanging out.

A few nights later, he called and said, “You know I’m at the airport and I’m getting ready to go to New Mexico for a meeting.” His voice cracked for just a moment, “My father passed away,” he said. “I’ve lost some of my connection to God and with faith and I’ve done some things that I shouldn’t be doing. I want to know how you handle it?”

“Well, it’s no secret,” I told my friend. “I wear a yarmulke. It keeps me out of trouble. It keeps me from going into places I shouldn’t be going into. I’m in shul every morning and I’m in shul every night, always thinking and praying and thinking, planning the time I’ll have to learn about the Torah life.”

That’s the Jewish way of life. It keeps us on our path.

By contrast, my lawyer, also a Jew, had a different take on my newly grown beard. “What’s with this beard?” he bantered, “You live in the 21st Century. You live in the world, man. You’re doing business. I don’t understand,” he said, “You know this isn’t working any more.”

”It’s very interesting that you say that,” I told him. “If I pop an earring in, let that beard grow down, buy a Harley Davidson, put on a black leather vest, blue jeans, black boots and drive up and down A1A on Los Olas, and cruise all around town Saturday morning, you’d be like: ‘Veingrad’s a pretty cool guy. Vinegrad’s a cool cat, eh?’” And he’s like, “Yeah, it’s kinda cool.” “But yet I want to have a beard because I want to have a relationship with G-d. That’s not cool? Does it make any sense what you’re saying?”

“God wants us to live in the world,” I told him. “He wants us to be affected and affect people, and live a Torah lifestyle in the world. That’s what He wants. He wants our time here to mean something. He wants us to be out doing things, working. Spreading Yiddishkeit. Helping people.”