Ahavat Aztmo

The Kabbalistic allegory inherent in goal based games.

By Mendy Greenstein

"Koleah el ha'seara." The Torah praises David's soldiers who had perfect aim and could hit a hair-breadth target.

There are many games where the goal is to hit a target or get the ball into a hole. This is like the idea of union of the feminine and masculine aspect, like Yesod to malchus.

In Soccer ones uses legs like netzach and hod, allegorically the testis, or the action potential of accomplishment in general. Basketball uses the hands, the emotional component that prepares for the union of the relationship, like chesed and gevurah.  One must reach high, above ones head, to accomplish the relationship, since it is beyond you. While basketball is over the head to reach higher, darts and archery are at eye level. Thus, you have some that are below to above and some above to below. With darts and tennis being "Kesser echad le'shneyegem", a relationship of equals.

Golf seems unique since while you hit the ball high in the air, the actual goal is literally under ground level. The reason it needs to go so high then, is not for the purpose of going high but rather because of the distance it needs to travel. For a long distance relationship or two who are coming from very disparit mindsets, you must shoot very high and long and three to five trys may be par. The goal in such a situation may even be to unite on a level lower than you started, to compromise for the sake of the union.

Basketball and soccer have players who actively attempt to prevent the union of the ball and goal. Call them the the shadchan and metteling family members. The defense team are multiple in basketball while the goalie in soccer is a virginity belt, or the concept there in. "Gan na'ul achoti kallah"," my bride is like a locked garden" etc.

Baseball the goal is the "gavrah"-person/inward based goal instead of the "cheftza", object/outward based goal. The ball is to distract those that would prevent the real goal, like the scapegoat on Yom Kippur. The bat is yesod, while the ball is a reflected light. A spark that is lifted from the other side, the pitcher. The other team are the concept of klipos who want to catch the light and get a yenika. To push the scapegoat over the cliff you must hit it out of the ball park. 

Tennis is two yesodos building up the towards a climax. It is a sin to drop the ball and pull out early, "spilling the seed" and "dropping the ball". Relationships need nurturing and constant back and forth to reach their potential.