Steroids

It says in the Talmud-Book of Law that one can not do a good deed through a bad deed—we should not steal to do charity. When a person at the top breaks a rule it is a huge thing because of the rarified atmosphere where they exist. These frontrunners are the front bird flying in a V; the one at the front is the best of them all, but the front bird also has a purpose—to break the force of the air rushing towards the flock. It is the bravery and the strength of the front bird to lead the flock, but when the front bird falters another takes the place.

Whether it is steroids, bribes, power or indiscreet behavior, we require those at the top to be perfect. Those who composed the great works of the Oral Torah 2000 years ago: the Talmud-Book of Law, the Midrash-Book of Metaphor and the Zohar-Book of Secret held themselves to the highest degree of self-abnegation and yet stories abound in these books about how the Rabbis made mistakes. Perhaps the lesson is even in the essence of one’s being, the desire to excel, is riddled with difficulty.