The Adidas Prince

Not very long ago, there lived a royal family in their expansive castle upon the majestic peak of Mount Carmel, Israel. The king and queen were of Iraqi descent; thus the sounds of affectionate yelling, name-calling, and the occasional flying pan could be heard echoing through the marble hallways and corridors. Delectable aromas of mint and jasmine floated about the castle, beckoning anyone with a stomach to make his way over to the restaurant-style kitchen, where professional chefs were cooking every type of kubbe (Iraqi meatballs) and baklava in existence.

The king and queen had two sons and two daughters, each more beautiful than the next. All of the children had a certain presence about them, as if one could sense the royalty exuding from their auras. The second son, age 16, was exceptionally beautiful. He was tall, muscular, and had long, luxurious black wavy hair. His sparkling emerald eyes were framed by thick black lashes, and his face- gorgeous. No one in the castle could bear to look at him for more than a moment, for fear they would go into a trance or faint.

Anyhow, Prince Knockout had his own wing overlooking the Haifa bay. Night after night, he would look through his powerful telescope at the city that never seemed to sleep. Its lights flashed brightly, and he could almost hear the people laughing and talking as they strolled through the busy streets.

Life in the castle became quite boring for Prince Knockout. He and his siblings followed a strict routine of praying in the morning, followed by a luxurious seven-course breakfast, and private learning after that. He finished his studies in the early evening, and his social time consisted of family walks through the royal gardens or enjoying mint tea under the shades of the oak trees. With time, he found himself less involved with family conversation as he daydreamed of living the exciting life down in the city of Haifa.

Late one night, he decided to sneak out of the castle and make his way to the beach-side promenade and clubs. He knew he couldn’t go dressed in his royal robes with his long hair- surely, he would be found out. So he decided to change his look.

He shaved off his beautiful, long locks and kept a wide strip of hair in the middle, a la BA from the A-Team. He trimmed off his beautiful black beard, which had given him such a dignified look. He could barely recognize his face as he put on the black Adidas track suit that he had kept hidden in the back of his 600-square-foot walk-in closet. He quietly snuck out without a sound, as the new running shoes he was wearing didn’t click on the marble floors like his Pradas did.

As he exited the taxi in front of one of the clubs, his heart was pounding with excitement. This was what he had been missing out on! Fun! Youth! Girls! The techno music beckoned him inside, where a new world awaited him.

He surveyed his surroundings in awe, watching the girls and guys flirt, drink, and dance together. The girls noticed that a new face had appeared in the usual crowd, and what a face it was! They desperately tried to claw and shove past each other, each hoping to be the one Prince Knockout would find most attractive.

The prince happened to be an incredibly sharp guy, even at the very young age of 16. He instantly realized that if all the girls were going crazy for him, he could take his time and pick the best from the bunch. In the meantime, why not sample the rest?

His nightly adventures started to change his princely demeanor. No longer was he the refined, soft-spoken prince. He had lost his dignified appearance and had begun to behave in a boorish manner. Instead of gliding briskly and elegantly through the castle, he developed a swagger and a head nod that no one understood. Even his speech lost its refinement. “Pssshhhtt,” and “yo,” were his new favorite adjectives, making him sound like a commoner. He also had a short temper and intolerance for his siblings, whom he pitied in their ignorance. If only they knew that an amazing, exciting world existed outside of the castle!

The king and queen suffered tremendously as they helplessly watched their precious child become tainted by the coarse, ignorant masses. He didn’t care about his studies or prayers. He was addicted to fun, and didn’t want anything to do with his former life.

His mother suffered the hardest from his transformation. Night after night she would cry and wonder- is this what she brought him into the world for? So he could waste his life on social media and hanging out with friends? What would become of him? How could take over as King if he continued on this terrible path? She prayed that one day, he would mature and realize that the life he was living would lead him nowhere.

* * *

To me, this story resembles the descent of the pristine Jewish soul into the klipot (spiritual husks.) What should have been housed and nurtured in a pure and holy body is instead being degraded and polluted with all types of disgusting behavior; behavior that is unbecoming of such a lofty soul.

Unfortunately, many Jews are in this exact position. They have shunned their royal Divine roots and have instead replaced them with the coarse, superficial, and insanely meaningless life that the rest of the world leads. Instead of using their free time to work on refining their souls and doing holy tasks such as helping others, they waste time on stupidity such as Facebook and YouTube.

Instead of reading a good book that pushes the brain’s capacity to understand complex concepts such as reincarnation or the descent of Hashem’s light through the ten spheres called the Tree of Life, many prefer to zone out like lobotomy patients in front of the TV and movie screen.

I see these Adidas princes and princesses everywhere I go. I can almost see the fire of holiness that is inside of them. To me, it looks like this holy fire is suffocating underneath their cheesy, unoriginal, and very overpriced track suits. On the other hand, maybe their souls are suffocating because it’s 100+ degrees right now.

What is it going to take for the sons and daughters of the King of kings to reclaim their royal status? How much longer will the queen, the Shechina, have to cry over our tragic mistake?

To me, the worst part is that most Jews don’t even realize that they’ve made a mistake to begin with. The way they live is normal and acceptable for them, and furthermore, they have no desire to know that they could live a more spiritually-oriented life.

What do these Jews think is going to happen when the Mashiach comes? Do they think they will get their royalty handed to them on a silver platter by their Arab butlers? And, even if that were the case, would they be ready to live the life of royalty? As far as I know, a royal life can be pretty restrictive. You can’t behave how you want, because not only is the entire world watching your every move, but you are expected to live at a higher standard than the rest of the world. You can’t waste time doing meaningless nonsense, unless it means vacationing on your private yacht in Monaco. I have no problem with that.

The spiritual life is no different. Jews are expected to live at a higher standard than the rest of the world- the standard of Torah observance. Social media and YouTube can’t exist in the world of Mashiach. Neither can nightclubs and indecent websites.

It’s time we reclaim our royal status of our own accord. Before long, our king will make his long awaited appearance, and the spiritual life will be the only option we have. Unfortunately, most of us just won’t be able to handle it.

Will you?