I never thought of myself as being very tech savvy. In fact, I still don’t. If you would’ve told me two years ago that I would be a media director, I would have told you that you got the wrong guy. But for the last two summers, I’ve been the media director at Camp Dora Golding and have enjoyed it immensely.

My role can be summed up as sharing a taste of the magic of camp with the outside world, most importantly with parents of campers and camp’s alumni. I oversee the pictures and weekly camp videos that are disseminated and posted on the camp’s website. In addition, I create videos for various functions within camp, such as Olympics, special learning programs, videos shown as part of Tish’ah B’Av programming, and the compilation of events video at the end of the summer.

Camp Dora Golding is renowned for its incredible learning program. Under the tutelage of our esteemed learning director, Rabbi Noach Sauber, the program has had tremendous success. Part of its success has to do with the incredible prize auction held at the end of the summer. The prizes include very expensive and coveted autographed sports memorabilia. Many of those items are valued in the hundreds and some well over $1,000, as well.

Throughout the summer, the various sports memorabilia are announced and shown to the campers to help maintain the hype of the learning program. Usually, the item is introduced with a video depicting highlights of that player. I am usually tasked with creating those highlight compilations for camp.

Many campers who do not do well in school report that their summer learning in Camp Dora Golding gave them their first real experience of the sweetness of Torah study. Many alumni of camp contribute to the prizes each summer, in an effort to “give back” to the program that inspired them years earlier.

One of the most beautiful sights in camp is to see staff members learning with campers on Shabbos afternoon. To that end, this summer, an autographed Mickey Mantle baseball was donated to be given as a staff prize.

In preparing the intro video for the Mantle baseball, I was looking for highlight clips about Mantle, and I was perusing some articles about Mantle.

I remember my father telling me how, in his youth, he watched “The Mick” play for the Yankees. Mantle possessed exceptional talent, including being a switch-hitter with speed, power, and a strong arm as an outfielder. Coupled with his good looks and youthful vigor, Mantle was the hero of many baseball fans, even beyond New York.

His personal legacy, however, is not quite that impressive.

Mantle had a drinking problem that he didn’t address until very late in life. Despite how great of a player he was, there is always doubt as to how much better he could have been. To be fair, he was plagued by numerous injuries that stunted his career. However, his terrible off-the-field habits unquestionably had a deleterious effect. He was out drinking and partying every night, including being unfaithful. During his years with the Yankees, his drinking didn’t impede his performance, at least not visibly. Still, it’s impossible to know how much his negative habits made him more injury prone.

His last years as a player were subpar. He retired as a .298 hitter, despite the fact that he was an above .300 hitter for the majority of his career. In his later years, he agonized over the fact that he retired with an under .300 average. Although he hit a whopping 536 homers, had he remained healthy he could have hit over 600.

Mantle also wasn’t very involved in the lives of his children while they were growing up. He was too busy living it up himself.

In his final press conference, shortly before his passing, a contrite Mantle expressed his frustration with himself:

“G-d gave me a great body and an ability to play baseball. G-d gave me everything, and I just…pffft! I’d like to say to the kids out there, if you’re looking for a role model, don’t be like me.”

It was amazing to me that a person who was such a celebrity and hero on the field, could be such a failure in his personal life.

Everyone wants to be successful. But the golden and vital question is how one defines success.

Success is often measured in terms of amassment and adulation. Being popular, wealthy, and influential is the mark of “making it.” But such success is temporal at best. No one remains young and vibrant forever, and nothing remains forever.

The Torah tells us, “See that I have placed before you life and good, and death and evil” (D’varim 11:26). “See” doesn’t merely mean to look with physical eyes. It adjures us to look beyond, to contemplate and ponder a deeper truth than what is immediately available. It is a call to “see” the real truth: what is truly good and what is truly living.

So many individuals who are deemed successful by society, and have earned the accolades and jealousy of millions, have tainted personal lives at best. There are often multiple failed marriages, they may have no relationship with their children, and they personally feel empty inside. Many have been destroyed by their success.

On the flip side, there are many people who seem to live an unremarkable life, but they attain inner fulfillment and a beautiful legacy.

One can be successful by society’s standards and live a fulfilling life, but only if he never forgets what true success is. Of course, one can also live an unremarkable life and have nothing to show for it.

The Torah also tells us to choose life (D’varim 30:19). It may seem like a trite statement. However, one needs only to look at the foolish choices many make, sacrificing long-term fulfillment for short-term, fleeting fun, to know that it’s not such a simple idea.

In the words of Robert Frost:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Long before Frost wrote those words, the Sifrei (quoted by Ohr HaChaim at the beginning of Parshas R’ei) writes that there are two divergent paths. One appears straight and clear at the beginning, but after a few steps, it will be overgrown with thorns. The second path has many thorns at the outset, but later becomes straight and clear.

The path of Torah and the path to fulfillment are not always smooth sailing. But it is an investment that will always reap wonderful returns in the long run.

Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, is a popular speaker, columnist, and author. He is a rebbe at Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, NJ. and principal of Mesivta Orchos Yosher in Spring Valley, NY. Rabbi Staum is also a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and at www.strivinghigher.com.