Making the Target

On an extended carriage ride to visit relatives in Poland, a couple passed an abandoned barn whose sides featured numerous targets, all bullseyes. Stopping at a cafe in a nearby village, they inquired about this impressive marksmanship. 
“Just about every visitor asks me about him,” the proprietor replied. “He really isn’t that good. He just shoots at the barn and then paints targets around the holes.” 

I utilize this story, variations of which appear in a range of cultures including Hasidic sources, to elicit discussion around the theme of misperception and the importance of not being quick to make assumptions. 

Is the marksman deceitful or just playing a joke? Is he seeking attention due to some underlying personal reason? Might the perfect targets serve as a security measure to deter trespassers? Could the colorful circles represent a public art display?     

While some of these questions may sound far-fetched, they can prompt associations that yield insight and humor. But even more implausible is the notion that painting a target around an already fired shot may actually represent the scoring of an authentic bullseye.  

I once met a prominent member of a large congregation who’d scheduled her son’s bar mitzvah date several years in advance. However, due to an office error, the date hadn’t actually been placed on the temple’s calendar and subsequently given to another bar mitzvah family. Faced with a choice she never imagined, the member (who rightfully thought she fully possessed the date) had to reluctantly accept a rare late-afternoon service held the same day.

The service proceeded characteristically until the rabbi took the bar mitzvah before the open ark to share spiritual encouragement and offer the Priestly Benediction. Just as the rabbi placed his hands on the young man’s shoulders, a shaft of bright sunlight burst through a large window and shined directly on them. The sight of what appeared to be an almost supernatural phenomenon sent chills through the sanctuary, causing a collective gasp of awe and delight. Afterward, the mother expressed gratitude for the change of service time because a bullseye had been painted around what she’d considered to be a missed target.  

Due to unanticipated circumstances, high school students are sometimes obliged to attend institutions that were not their first choice. Nevertheless, this choice often affords them an outstanding college experience. 

Similar situations often occur in the employment world when the unsuccessful effort to land one position leads to securing another that proves exceptionally gratifying. Obviously, not all second choices work out, but this may be attributable more to a person’s attitude than the choice itself. 

The road of life rarely unfolds according to plan. There are undoubtedly going to be potholes, detours, and bad weather to contend with. But these challenges cultivate growth by compelling us to reroute in ways that reveal previously undiscovered capacities for self-reliance, resourcefulness, and reimagination. 

Inbal Arieli, one of Israel’s most influential high-tech leaders, fondly recalls a popular television show from her childhood that featured the main character, Yatzek, falling in a different way at the conclusion of each episode. Arieli explains, “naturally, the kids who were watching would be concerned. To reassure them, he always said: ‘Kids, no need to worry; Yatzek always falls and gets back up.’” An entire generation of Israeli young people received this impactful message about perseverance on a weekly basis. 

In Israel, missing the target is not looked on as a failure so much as a way to acquire valuable lessons. This is a defining aspect of Israel as the startup nation: missing the mark often becomes the springboard for recontouring targets that result in bullseyes. 

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for target, matarah, derives from a linguistic root meaning “rain,” the object of many prayers in a region where the lack of water threatened famine and the devastation of entire communities. Those who survived and prospered followed weather patterns, moved to new locations when necessary, discerned where to best dig successful wells, created cisterns, and built aqueducts. In many respects, the target didn’t make them, they made the target.