Ten Commandments of Sports/Precious Memories

 Dear Friends,



On this Shabbat when we read the 10 Commandments, I wanted to share something that is very special to me. (See below)

 My father copied them down when we visited the Baseball Hall of Fame when I was 10 years old.  He took them to the railroad office of the Indiana Harbor Belt where he worked and typed them with the following font.  I have adapted them to be more egalitarian and continue to find them to be meaningful.

I hope that perhaps you will pass them along and let people know that a man named Harry Aft who worked for the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad taught these diligently to his son.  And...by the way, while we were there I got to pitch from the mound at Doubleday Field, where they play the annual Hall of Fame baseball game.  I affectionately remember my mother, Muriel Aft filming us playing catch from the dugout with an old 8 millimeter camera.  I treasure the memories of two of my biggest fans.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Bruce Aft

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SPORTS




Thou shalt not quit.



Thou shalt not alibi.



Thou shalt not gloat over winning.



Thou shalt not sulk over losing.




Thou shalt not take unfair advantage.



Thou shalt not ask odds thou art unwilling to give.



Thou shalt always be willing to give thy opponent the benefit of the doubt.



Thou shalt not underestimate an opponent or overestimate thyself.



Remember that the game is the thing and (s)he who thinks otherwise is no true sportsperson.



Honor the game thou playest, for (s)he who plays the game straight and hard wins even though (s)he loses the game.

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