The individual and the group
Shabbat Shalom to all our readers.
A manager had a team of 40 young, bright, and hardworking people. Unfortunately, he had a problem with their efficiency. Individually, everyone excelled. However, as a team, they were not good, which was crucial to the organisation. To solve this issue, he planned a team outing that everyone attended.
All present were invited to a hall for a game that lasted three rounds. First, he instructed everyone to blow up a balloon on the table and then write their name on it (without bursting it). Everyone did so. He then told them all to wait outside for the next round.
When he called them back to the room there were more balloons scattered around without names. They had 15 minutes to find the balloon with their name on it. The first three people to find their balloons would win. Anyone who burst their balloon would be disqualified.
After 15 minutes, no one had found their balloons, so he stopped the game. He told them that for the next round, any team member finding a balloon with a name on it, had to give the balloon to the person whose name it had. Within a couple of minutes, everyone had their balloon with their name on it.
The manager went to the dais and said: “You see, in the second round, no one was able to find their balloons since we were working on individual targets. In the final round, everyone had their balloon within a couple of minutes. That’s the power of teamwork and sharing.”
Parashat Bechukotai, the Torah portion for this week, recounts the various blessings the Jewish people will receive if they listen to God’s ways. A number of wonderful blessings are enumerated. However, in one case, a mathematical error seems to have occurred.
When an enemy tries to harm you, the Torah tells us that “Five of you will pursue 100 and 100 will pursue 10,000.” Looking at the proportion of these two blessings, the second requires a much smaller proportion of people to chase 10,000 of the enemy!
Here, however, the Torah of course reveals an obvious but not always easy-to-implement truth. To achieve success in life, to achieve accomplishments, there needs to be teamwork. It is not just true that “many hands make light work”, but that, ultimately, the proportion of what becomes possible when more people work together grows exponentially!
Consider the different areas of your life in which you are involved, whether they are family, work or community.
Consider how people in those areas are working together (or perhaps not working together). Think about your own involvement and if you’re working alone or if you’re trying to contribute your strengths and skills to the greater goal. There will no doubt be a better outcome for all involved if improvements can be made. Ultimately, if you’re just looking for your balloon, you may never find it. Helping everyone else, it will likely only take only a few minutes.
Daniel Rabin is senior rabbi of Caulfield Hebrew Congregation and immediate past president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria.
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