Early this past Sunday morning Buffalo time, the two-time defending champion US Women’s National Team took on Sweden’s national team in the first-round knockout at this year’s World Cup in Australia. The match was tied 0-0 after over 120 minutes, which meant it was going to penalty kicks. This, the final stage of an undecided contest, has five players from both sides lining up to go head-to-head with the goalie to determine the outcome of the game. The shot each player must take from twelve yards away is one of the most fraught in all of sports. On Sunday, US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher got her hands on the final shot, but not enough to stop it from going through the net. The US had been defeated for the first time in a World Cup in over a decade.
This week’s Torah Portion Re’eh begins with the verse: “See, this day I set before you blessing and curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26). This is exactly the sentiment the US women’s team members must have felt standing in front of the ball before it was struck. A hit in the right direction, past the goalkeeper into the net, would be a great blessing for the player, the team, and the country. Anything else, a tragic devastation, with the player left feeling they had let everyone around them down. Some of our best moments in life carry the weight of both feelings simultaneously. Like soccer players, part of life is learning to live with either possibility.
Megan Rapino, the face of the US team, and one of several players who missed a penalty kick, reflected on the moment in the following way: “But that’s the way it goes. I’ve definitely thought about that before – it’s always a possibility, when you step up there. But I thought I was going to make it.” Asked by reporters to reflect on this moment in her career as she heads into retirement she added: “I feel so lucky, and so grateful to play as long as I have and been on as many successful teams… it would be hard to feel disappointed in any way.” What a beautiful way to approach even our hardest moments in life.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex