The Final Goal: What the World Cup Can Teach Us About Tisha B’Av
After the Final Whistle: What Are We Really Playing For?
From the FIFA Final to Tisha B’Av
For the past month, the world has revolved around one event.
Kickoff. Halftime. Full time.
Billions watched as nations chased the ultimate prize. Players trained for years, sacrificed everything, and dreamed of lifting one trophy. Then, with a single blast of the referee’s whistle, it was over.
The confetti settles. The stadium empties. Life moves on.
Yet almost immediately after the FIFA World Cup concludes, the Jewish calendar turns to Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the year, when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples and nearly two thousand years of exile.
At first glance, the two seem worlds apart. One celebrates victory; the other remembers tragedy.
But both ask the same question:
What goal are you really living for?
Every championship begins with a vision. Every pass, every practice, every sacrifice serves a larger purpose.
Life is no different.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that a Jew never simply passes time. Every mitzvah, every act of kindness, every moment of integrity advances the world toward its ultimate goal—the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Third Beis Hamikdash.
Unlike sports, where only one team wins, in Judaism every good deed makes everyone a winner. Kindness is never a zero-sum game. One person’s light never diminishes another’s.
That message feels especially relevant today.
Our world seems increasingly confused. Wars rage. Hatred is becoming normalized. Political discourse has grown coarse. Technology races ahead while wisdom struggles to keep pace. We have never been more connected electronically, yet so many feel more isolated personally.
The problem is not a lack of information.
It is a lack of direction.
The Rebbe never viewed darkness as something to fear. He saw it as an invitation to create more light.
When a room is dark, you don’t argue with the darkness.
You light a candle.
That is why Chabad’s response has always been to build, educate, inspire, and reach out. Every mezuzah hung, every pair of tefillin wrapped, every Shabbat candle lit, every child taught Torah, every act of goodness pushes history one step closer to redemption.
There is a remarkable teaching that Moshiach is born on Tisha B’Av.
Judaism plants hope at the very moment of heartbreak.
We mourn the past, but we refuse to surrender the future.
As the excitement of the World Cup fades, perhaps the better question isn’t who won the tournament.
It is whether we are winning at life.
Will we be remembered for the trophies we collected—or for the lives we touched?
For the applause we received—or for the hope we gave?
For our success—or for our significance?
The final whistle of the World Cup marks the end of a tournament.
Tisha B’Av reminds us that history itself is moving toward a final victory—a world redeemed, where peace triumphs over conflict, goodness over hatred, and God’s presence is revealed to all humanity.
That is a championship worth preparing for.
And may this Tisha B’Av be the last one we observe in mourning, replaced by the joy of redemption and the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash, speedily in our days.
