Vayikra: 6: 3-4
Career Day was one of the most popular programs among the first grade students at the Nachmanides School. That was the day when the students would bring in one of their parents or grandparents to tell the class about his or her occupation. Most participants tried to make it fun. Doctors would bring in models of the body for the children to explore or they would each do their own shtick: Richie Leonard’s mom blew up surgical gloves into balloons for the whole class, and Adam Mendel’s dad gave out funky band aids. Dentists usually came with toothbrush samples, although Chaya Rubinson’s dad brought in a giant set of teeth with an equally large toothbrush on which the children could practice brushing. The parents who were lawyers usually brought small toys for the kids, although Raphael Burstein’s mom, a well known litigator, tried to run a mock court in the classroom.Iit fell apart when Rebecca Feldstein, who had been chosen to be the judge, found her teacher, Morah Roberta, in contempt and tried to have her ejected. Donny Feingold’s dad, who worked for a hedge fund, tried to give out money, but Morah Susan convinced him to redirect his efforts, and each child gave tzedakah at the end of his presentation. Sophie Nadel’s mom, a baker at a fancy café in Hoboken, came with cupcakes for the children to decorate, a big hit with the group. Cory Benzaken’s dad, a policeman in Hackensack, brought plastic handcuffs for all the kids, but half of the class had to be extricated from the playground with wire cutters after recess.
This year, the presentation the children were looking forward to the most was that of Robby Drachtman’s father. Mark Drachtman worked in a magical place in the Bronx known as Yankee Stadium, and this year Career day coincided with baseball’s spring training. Boys, girls, even Mets and Red Sox fans wanted to hear what he had to say. What was Mariano Rivera like? Could he get them free Yankee tickets? Did they have a chance this year? Are Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter still friends? Why do baseball players put black stuff under their eyes?
Morah Roberta presented Mark Drachtman, and he stood before the class in a Yankee cap, a polo shirt with the Yankee emblem, and a grass stained pair of slacks. The class applauded loudly.
"Thanks, kids, that’s a really nice welcome. I’m Mr. Drachtman, Robby’s dad, and I’m the chief groundskeeper at Yankee Stadium."
"A groundskeeper," Moshe Lipman called out. "What does a groundskeeper do?"
"I take care of the field at the stadium. Along with my team, I make sure the grass grows and is well cut, and that all the dirt in the infield is well maintained. I also protect the field from rain, snow, sleet, and gophers."
"So then you don’t work with the players?" Shimmy Wallach asked.
"No, not on a regular basis. But I do work with the coaches and the management team if there’s a problem."
Mark could tell that the group looked a little disappointed.
"It’s a very serious job, taking care of the Yankees’ homefield. We have a six man crew that works all year round to keep the field in perfect condition. We mix different kinds of grass seeds, like Kentucky Blue Grass, Colonial Bent, and Perennial Rye to keep my three-and-a-half acre domain that beautiful emerald green you see from the stands."
Robby’s classmates still looked a little dazed.
"Does anyone have any questions?"
A few hands went up around the room.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever met Bernie Williams?" David Eckstein asked.
"Of course. I’ve known Bernie since he was a rookie. He always put serious divets in my center field grass when he sprinted for a line drive, so I would say to him, ‘Bernie, go easy when you dive for the ball.’ But he never listened. None of the players ever think of my beautiful turf when they sink their cleats in it."
"What’s the most important part of your job?" Rachel Weiner asked.
"Hmm, good question. I would have to say aeration. You have to keep the field well aerated by putting lots of holes in the dirt to keep the grass healthy. We have a really cool machine that does that. You should see it."
"Uhuh."
"What’s your favorite part of the job?" Lauren Roberts asked.
"I love when we go out to rake the field during the games. At the end of the fifth inning, they play the Village People’s YMCA over the loud speaker system, and me and my ground crew go out and rake the dirt in the base paths to make it nice and smooth for the later innings. We stop and spell the letters Y-M-C-A with our hands when it gets to that part of the song" Mark said, demonstrating the proper hand movements, "and the crowd goes wild."
Clearly the class was less than enthused by his presentation. Mark could tell they had been expecting someone more like Derek Jeter.
"Listen, kids, taking care of the field is a very important part of the game. It lets all the amazing home runs by Alex Rodriguez and the strike outs by Mariano Rivera happen. It’s a team effort to make the Yankees a success."
Clearly they weren’t convinced.
"You know, in this week’s parsha, Tzav, the Torah tells how the cohanim, the priests, were responsible for cleaning out the ash from the altar after the sacrifices were offered. G-d commanded that the cohen should wear michnesay bad, special linen garments, to clean out the ash. The parsha even explains exactly how the removal should be done. Clearly Hashem felt that even cleaning out the charred leftovers from the altar should be considered a holy act, worthy of priestly garments and a special procedure. It was called terumat hadeshen, the separation of the ash."
Mark looked over at his son. "Robby, why do you think the Torah made the cohen wear special garments to take out the ash?"
Robby shrugged politely, not excited to be receiving extra attention.
"I think that what the Torah was trying to teach us is that every action can have sanctity if it is approached correctly. Every part of the service is important for the completion of the Temple worship.
"Who here has heard of Derek Jeter?"
Everyone but the boy in the Red Sox cap raised their hands.
"Now Derek Jeter is a natural born shortstop. He can field a bouncer or pull off a double play better than anyone I’ve ever seen. As for me, I’m a gardener. I love to seed, fertilize, and water the grass so that it grows perfectly. We each do our part to help the Yankees succeed, and both roles are important to help the team win. If we take our roles seriously, they have importance.
"So I’m a groundskeeper for the Yankees, and I wear my Yankee cap and my grass stained pants with pride."
Mark looked around the room and could see that most of the kids got his point.
"And speaking of Yankee caps, who here wants a team hat autographed by some of the players?"
The cheer that erupted in the room would have made any major league player proud.