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Comments (0)What do baseball and Judaism have to do with each other? According to popular rabbi and psychotherapist Rabbi Yisroel Roll, the answer is quite simply: everything.
Rabbi Roll demonstrates how to look into the flashing leather of a fielder’s glove and extract spiritual and religious meaning from America’s favorite pastime. His observations are striking: this is not just another self-help book.
The life-lessons portrayed in Rabbi Roll’s writing, shrouded in baseball imagery, are also realistic. He isn’t asking his readers to become the next Jewish Babe Ruth; rather, he advocates that a consistent approach to life, as in baseball, is the key to success.
Rabbi Roll illuminates how the commitment one feels for his hometown team can be devoted to an individual’s religious world. Through careful parallels, Rabbi Roll illustrates that even when someone strikes out, the game is far from over.
“Step Up” is effective because it addresses the issues that complicate our lives in a light designed to alleviate frustration. Baseball is a game; it exists for our enjoyment. As such, Rabbi Roll demonstrates how to enjoy life without sacrificing personal integrity or passion. This is not reducing our existential problems but rather raising the game of baseball. He uses baseball as the medium to view life’s problems from another perspective.
The book teaches us about life: about taking charge, about winning and losing and about playing the game the best that we can. It demonstrates how to adjust to life’s curve balls and hit them out of the park for a home run and stresses the need to be a member of the team and deal with striking out, even when the bases are loaded.
In “Step Up,” Rabbi Roll demonstrates his pedagogical skills through his unique styling. This engaging read is perfect for the baseball fanatic, searching Jew and everyone in between.