Once upon a time
there was a rabbi who really liked to play golf. One year, on Yom Kippur, he
woke up early. He realized that he desperately needed to get in a game of golf
before services. And so, as the sun was just rising, he stole off to the golf
course.
The angels in
heaven, who were watching all of this, were terribly upset. They came before
God and said, “God! You must stop this! This is a disgrace! It’s the holiest
day of the year, and the rabbi is playing a game of golf!? You must do
something! Perhaps you could bring on a thunderstorm and ruin his game!”
“Relax,” God said.
“I’ll take care of it.”
The angels watched
as the rabbi teed up. The sun was just rising. It was a beautiful day. Not a
cloud in the sky. When was God going to act? What was God going to do?
The rabbi stepped up
to the tee and swung his club and hit the ball solidly. It rose higher and
higher and higher. It was a long drive and the ball landed and bounced its way
over to the green, where it continued to roll, in a gentle curve, right into
the cup. A hole in one!
The angels were
crestfallen. How could God have failed to act? How could God let the rabbi get
away with this?
“Why, O Lord? Why?”
they cried out.
“Relax,” said God.
“Just think:” he continued, “Who is he going to tell?”
Rabbi Carl Perkins
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