Some (late) thoughts on Parshat Chukat

This website is about inspiring. I had nothing to relate this Parshah to baseball (or any other sport for the matter) until midway through the Torah reading when it finally hit me. Chukim are the intangible Mitzvot. In sports, being a great player is about more than being a great athlete- you have to be able to control your mental side as well. The rare players who are able to use their mental toughness to not only help them succeed, but also to lead other are considered to have superior "intangibles". You can't really measure intangibles, but you know when they're there and when they're not, and they make each player who he really is.

Intangible can mean "not definite or clear to the mind" (thanks dictionary.com). That's exactly what Chukim are. They are Mitzvot that we don't understand. Why do we do them? Because they are what makes us who we are as Jews. It's great when there's a logical understanding to a Mitzvah, but often when there is, it's the kind of thing that's done universally. It doesn't degrade the Mitzvah at all- it's amazing that the whole world does it- but it's just the way of the world. Chukim are what separate us apart and make us understand what it means to be a Jew.

Why we were commanded to do Chukim in the first place? Well, I can't really answer that, but the Chukim are the loose ends that tie the 613 Mitzvot together. They're the challenge. Logic won't help you universally to follow the Mitzvot- you need the unwavering belief in Hashem to do these Chukim that seem so strange to us.

May we all realize their importance of the Chukim despite our lack of understanding. They're what keeps us together, and we can never forsake them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Parshat Chukat, Aharon's incredible life comes to an end. His legacy lives on through Ohev Shalom VeRodeif Shalom, and the countless people named after him, whether Aaron or Aharon. Chukat is the perfect excuse to mention the only Aharon in the history of professional baseball, Aharon Eggleston. Eggleston, an outfielder, has played Independent baseball since 2005 and hit .316 through the 2010 season with 16 homers and 105 stolen bases. His finest season was 2006 with the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League, when he hit .332 with 6 homers, 62 RBI, and 36 stolen bases.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parshat Chukat's Gematria of the week is 87, the number of verses in the Parshah. 87 is a prolific number in terms of extra-base hits for a single season. Only 20 players have hit exactly 87 extra-base hits in a single season, and 7 of them are in the Hall of Fame, and most of the others are on the way.

Let's waste some of your time and go through the whole list this time (in alphabetical order).

Ripper Collins- he was a complete nobody, but in the year in which he had 87 extra-base hits, he led the NL with 35 homers.

Kiki Cuyler- pronounced "Kai-Kai Coyler", Cuyler was a Hall of Fame outfielder, posting a .321 lifetime batting average and being a 4-time NL stolen bases champ. He accomplished the 87 XBH feat in 1925 with 43 doubles, 18 homers,and 25 triples.

Prince Fielder- Prince had 87 XBH in his 50 homer season in 2007. We'll have to see if he hits enough clean home runs to make the hall.

Charlie Gehringer- A Hall of Fame second baseman, Gehringer accomplished the feat thanks in 1936 thanks to an incredible 60 doubles.

Lou Gehrig- The Yankee Hall of Fame first baseman is second on the overall list with 117 XBH in 1927, when he hit 47 home runs, but he also managed 87 XBH in 1928, when he hit just 27 homers in a down year.

Jason Giambi- Giambi hit 47 doubles and 38 homers in his MVP season of 2001. Maybe he could have been a Hall of Famer if he didn't juice.

Shawn Green- Always nice to mention him. He hit 42 homers and 45 doubles in 1999 yet finished just 9th in the MVP voting. That's what happens when everyone's cheating.

Todd Helton- Helton's career-high for XBH was 105 in 2001, but he did have 87 in 2003 thanks to 49 doubles and 33 homers.

Chipper Jones- Jones, a certain future Hall of Famer, had his finest season when he reached 87 XBH in 1999, hitting 45 homers and also 41 doubles (and a triple).

Willie Mays- Arguably the greatest player to ever play the game of baseball, Mays managed 87 XBH at the age of 23 in 1954, smacking 41 homers, 33 doubles, and 13 triples. His career-high was 90 in 1962.

Mark McGwire- McGwire hit 65 homers in his 87 XBH 1999. He had 91 in '98. He would be in the Hall of it weren't for his steroid use.

Kevin Mitchell- A journeyman left fielder, Mitchell had 87 XBH in his career year in 1989, hitting 47 homers and 34 doubles.

Johnny Mize- Mize, a Hall of Fame first baseman, had 43 homers, 31 doubles, and 13 triples in his 87 XBH season in 1940.

Manny Ramirez- Mannny had a career-high 87 XBH in 2004, when he hit 43 homers and 44 doubles, Unfortunately, he's another one of the guys who cheated.

Alex Rodriguez- A-rod managed 87 XBH in his admittedly steroid-fueled 2001 in which he hit 52 homers and 34 doubles. A-rod should have been able to put up such numbers without PED's because a)he was still just 25 and b) he played in Arlington. But, he didn't.

Tris Speaker- Speaker, a Hall of Fame outfielder, hit 59 doubles in his 87 XBH 1923.

Mark Teixeira- Teixeira reached the 87 XBH plateau in 2005, when he hit a career-high 43 homers along with 41 doubles and 3 triples.

Frank Thomas- Thomas, a certain Hall of Famer, hit 43 homers and 44 doubles in his 87 XBH 2000 season.

Vernon Wells- Wells had his only real ridiculous season as a 24 year old in 2003, hitting 33 homers, 49 doubles, and 5 triples.

Robin Yount- Yount, a Hall of Fame shortstop, hit a career-high 29 homers along with 46 doubles and 12 triples in his 87 XBH 1982.

The final tally: 7 Hall of Famers, 2 soon-to-be Hall of Famers (Jones and Thomas), and with the exception of Collins, Mitchell, and Wells, everyone else has or did have a case for the Hall of Fame, at least before PED allegations.