And the truth rolls on

So last night we had a Farbrengen with Rabbi Chayim Friedman in honor of the wedding anniversary of the Tzemach Tzedek and my sister's sixth anniversary. OK, so it wasn't quite in honor of her, but that's all right. Scary, but I remember the score of the Viking's game that Monday night with almost the same clarity as the wedding itself. The Vikings, if you're wondering, beat the Giants, avenging their loss the previous year in the NFC Championship Game. But I digress.
R. Friedman talked about our half-hearted efforts in life. It's true. I can not recall a time when I really tried. My theory is that if anyone ever really tried then everything would come together and the final redemption would be among us. There's a famous Mashal, parable, that I won't go into now, but essentially compares us to "Friends of Lubavitch". Sure, we respect the Rebbe, respect what he does, perhaps even love him. His Chassidim? Great guys. They do such good work. We even give a donation sometimes. Or even often. But at the end of the day, we're not given over.
So what is the difference between us, the half-baked Chassidim, and "Friends of Lubavitch"? We care. We wish we could be better. It's not much consolation, but then again, it's not like we deserve it.
In closing, I'd like to wish Mazel Tov to my friend Yankee Majeski on his recent engagement to some girl from Florida. I learned with him every day for a year in Los Angeles, and twice he bit my finger. But that's a whole 'nother story.