In Echoes of the Maggid, Rabbi Paysach Krohn tells a story of a young boy with severe learning disabilities named Shaya who was walking past a park with his father when he saw a group of boys playing baseball. He asked his dad if he thought they’d let him play. Although Shaya couldn’t even hold a bat properly, the father asked one of the boys, who surprisingly said yes.

The boy knew Shaya and reasoned that the game was almost over. His team was six runs behind, so he said, “He can play the outfield, and we’ll try to put him up to bat in the last inning.”

Unexpectedly, his team rallied. When Shaya came to bat, there were two outs, the bases were loaded, and the game was on the line. The boys kept their word and let him come to the plate.

After a clumsy swing, a teammate went up and held the bat with him. The pitcher moved closer to lob the ball in softly. With his teammate’s help, Shaya hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. He could have easily thrown him out and ended the game, but he deliberately threw it over the first baseman’s head. Everyone started yelling, “Shaya, run to first. Run to first!”

Wide-eyed with excitement, he ran. The right fielder saw his joy and intentionally made another bad throw. Players on both teams shouted for him to keep running. The shortstop helped him run in the right direction.

To the cheers of “Run home, Shaya!” he got a hero’s welcome at home plate as all 18 boys from both teams cheered him for his game-winning, grand-slam home run.

Shaya was deliriously happy, and his father wept knowing he’d just experienced a perfect moment in a perfect game.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

* This commentary was adapted from one that has circulated widely on the Internet under the title “Run, Shaya, Run.” The original version was published by Krohn as “Perfection at the Plate” in his 1999 book. He attests that the story is true, which he claims he heard from Shaya’s father, a friend of his. The full story and an interesting critique (which finds fault with the message because, in the writer’s view, treating such children in a patronizing manner is disrespectful and unhelpful in the long term) can be found at http://www.snopes.com/glurge/chush.asp.