Wo-ho! The Chicago Cubs won the World Series! The curse has been lifted. Thousands of fans and millions of well-wishers can brag. True enough, the Cleveland Indians are deserving of a victory as well, having not won since 1948, but I always root for the underdog and a gap of 108 years without a trophy is greater than 68 years.
Many toasts will be made and accolades will be given. For the next year(s) Cubs’ fans will brag about 2016. Some fans will enjoy the bragging rights pleasantly and others will be obnoxious. It prompts me to wonder if Judaism allows us to brag.
By way of addressing this question, let’s examine Noah immediately after the flood. Everyone has disembarked from the ark and Noach has planted a vineyard. Reaping the grapes, he ferments them, enjoys too much wine, gets drunk, and disrobes. His youngest son sees him and tells his older two brothers. The two oldest sons walk backwards and drop a cloak upon their father so that they not see his nakedness. Upon awakening, Noach realizes that something has occurred. The text before us is void of details and we are left to guess why Noach blesses the two oldest sons and curses the youngest.
In modern parlance we might say Noach brags about the oldest sons and their respect for him. While the youngest son potentially ridiculed a father, the two more mature sons recognized that a parent made a mistake and did their best to respect their elder. We can emulate the behavior of the elder brothers and live a life of acceptance of our loved ones and their faults, supporting them when they err in a non-judgmental manner or we can ridicule a loved one when he/she happens to take a misstep. How we live brings honor or dishonor upon ourselves, our loved ones and God. In answer to my question about the permissibility of bragging- I would say bragging is acceptable if the ‘bragged behavior’ itself is respectful and the act of bragging is not overdone. We all know when we cross the line.
Shabbat Shalom.
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