The Wizard of Oz and the Jews
5 min read
3 min read
4 min read
Success isn’t linear. The best football team punts the most because setbacks are often the very engines of growth.
The Denver Broncos are tied for the best record in the NFL—and simultaneously lead the league in punts. At first glance, those numbers shouldn’t coexist. Punting signals failure: an offense that couldn’t advance, a drive that came up short. How can the team that punts more than anyone else also be one of the winningest teams in the league?
My friend posed this question to me and I gave him this possible answer. The contradiction itself holds the message. Success isn’t linear. You can’t score on every drive, control every play, or expect uninterrupted progress. Sometimes you win precisely because you’re willing to punt—because you know when to step back, reset, and refocus on the larger goal.
The very act of “punting” isn’t a detour from success but an integral part of it.
As much as we wish life were simple, steady, and predictable, it rarely plays out that way. Life moves in waves—ups and downs, wins and losses, forward strides and frustrating setbacks. Our instinct is often to resist this pattern or feel upset by it. But the healthiest approach is to recognize that this rhythm is part of being human and to keep steering ourselves in the right direction.
Life is like an EKG reading. A flat, perfectly straight line means the heart has stopped. The rising and falling fluctuation lines show that someone is truly alive. Life works the same way. The moments of both inspiration and struggle signal growth and inner vitality. A perfectly smooth life might sound appealing, but it would mean no movement, no challenge, no real development.
The moments of both inspiration and struggle signal growth and inner vitality.
Jewish tradition captures this in a famous teaching from Proverbs: “Sheva yipol tzaddik v’kam”—a righteous person falls seven times and rises. At first glance, it sounds like success happens despite failure. But our sages explain something deeper: the righteous person rises not in spite of the falls but because of them. Each setback becomes part of the process that builds resilience, clarity, and strength.
One Chassidic master, the Chiddushei HaRim, explains that what a person gains from a fall can never be gained from uninterrupted success. Failure humbles us, sharpens our character, and makes us more sensitive to others’ struggles. It forces us to acknowledge our limitations and reconnect with something higher than ourselves. In that sense, the fall isn’t a break in growth—it’s one of the most powerful engines of growth.
The verse doesn’t say, “A person falls seven times, and then a righteous person rises.” It says, “The righteous person falls seven times and rises.” Meaning: the very act of getting back up is what makes someone righteous. Their identity comes not from avoiding failure but from refusing to be defined by it. The setbacks become the rungs of the ladder they climb.
Tennis legend Roger Federer once illustrated this beautifully in a famous commencement speech at Dartmouth. Over his career, he won nearly 80% of his matches—but only 54% of the individual points he played. Even the greatest players in the world lose almost half their points. Because of that, Federer said, he learned not to dwell on every mistake. Each point—good or bad—was just one point. Once it passed, he let it go so he could be fully present for the next one.
Champions aren’t the ones who never fail; they’re the ones who learn how to recover.
He went on: whatever game you’re playing in life—career, relationships, dreams—you will lose sometimes. Everyone does. The key is not perfection but how quickly you reset, refocus, and move forward. Champions aren’t the ones who never fail; they’re the ones who learn how to recover.
Michael Jordan echoed this in a famous Nike commercial. Walking out of a dimly lit arena, he recounted his failures: over 9,000 missed shots, nearly 300 lost games, 26 game-winners missed. Then he concluded, “And that is why I succeed.”
So the next time you fall—and you will—remember:
The first-place Denver Broncos punt more than any team in the league.
Roger Federer lost nearly half his points.
Michael Jordan missed thousands of shots.
And Judaism’s model of righteousness includes falling seven times.
Your stumbles don’t disqualify you from greatness. They’re the very path to it.
Don’t fear the fluctuations. Embrace them. They mean you’re alive, growing, and on a real journey. They mean your heart is still beating.
What an uplifting and inspiring essay!
A very important lesson to learn and keep close to your heart.
Yoshar Koach.