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B"H
Turning the Super Bowl into a religious experience
Vus gait dir un were a few of the Yiddish words that were an integral part of my upbringing. It can be loosely translated as ‘why do you care about this’ or ‘what does this have to do with you.’ On the one hand it expressed an important sentiment: ‘don’t get involved in matters that don’t pertain to you.’ On the other hand it could also express an even more important ideal: ‘why are you so involved in matters that are irrelevant?’ I can still hear my rabbi passionately asking his students before super bowl Sunday: vos gait dir un, oib ainer ken varfen a ‘football’ (no Yiddish word for football) fuftzig meterin uder a hundred? Why do you care if someone can throw a football 50 yards or 100 yards? How does that have any relevance to me and how does it make me a better human being?
I’m reminded of these sagacious words almost fifty years later. To many, this Sunday night is almost like a Yom Tov. Over 100 million people will sit around a large screen and watch someone throw, kick, or run with a ball. There are even traditional foods that have to be consumed. I don’t know if there is a special kiddush recited before the game, but I can assure you it’s not due to a lack of alcoholic libations. Although consuming chicken and matzo ball soup is not customary, there will be an abundance of spicy chicken wings and 12 foot hero sandwiches. People will dress in their Yom Tov finery: the football jersey of their team often with bold colors that most people would generally never wear. Instead of calling it a sweater and charging $50 they market it as an exotic line of sportsmen attire and charge $100. However, for me personally, who ultimately wins holds less interest than answering my Rabbi’s question: vos gait dir un - why do I care? To make matters worse, over 50% of those watching the game go home disappointed or upset.
I often wonder if religious people would dedicate their life to God if they thought the odds of his existence was only fifty percent. Would I be able to justify a lifelong commitment on such poor odds? However, at least with religion we believe our relationship with Hashem is reciprocal. He loves us and therefore we reciprocate by loving Him. Somehow, I don’t think Tom Brady ever heard of Rabbi Jack. Although I am on a first name basis with him, he doesn’t know or care that I or Anshei Emuna exists. (Well maybe after our PR campaign he will have heard of Anshei Emuna?)
Granted, in certain situations when the stakes are high, even a less than 50% chance is still worth the gamble. A life in eternal spiritual bliss versus eternal damnation might just be worth the gamble even if the odds were below 50%. Did you see queues when the multi-state lottery prize was 1.5 billion? The odds of winning were 1 in 320 million. Yet people lined up around the block to get their chance of winning, albeit cognizant of the overwhelming odds against hitting the jackpot. I can understand people taking a chance on God even if the odds in their mind might not be great because it becomes a question of risk versus reward. However, vos gait dir un? If the Patriots win, what reward is set aside for us in this world or the world to come? Are they going to share their newfound wealth with their fans? On the contrary, the players will demand more money and cause ticket prices to go even higher. I like Robert Kraft and hope his team wins, but if the price of the franchise goes higher will I reap any benefits? And by the way, did you look at the prices for one game? Let me assure those who think shul dues are high; shul dues are a bargain in comparison to Super Bowl tickets. And in shul the seats are more comfortable and you can sit right up front or in the boxes for no extra charge. Contrast that with the Super Bowl; tickets start in the thousands and for that price you need binoculars. Your ticket is valid for one day and not 365 days. In shul you can eat all you desire at kiddush gratis. At the super bowl a hotdog is $10 and a warm beer costs the same.
However, in spite of everything, perhaps the super bowl does have an important role to play. It allows us to put life in perspective. It promotes and opens up channel for an internal dialogue with oneself. If I’m willing to root for my team when they did nothing to deserve special consideration, I can also root for my people even if they did nothing special to deserve it. If I proudly and unashamedly walk around with a football jersey, I can walk around with a kippah and Tzitzit for my spiritual team. If I don’t mind raising my voice singing team songs and cheers, I should also be comfortable raising my voice in praise of Hashem.
On a more serious note, I was in an Uber recently and when the driver saw my kippa he asked me to put in a special prayer for his team to be victorious. I didn’t acknowledge him, primarily because his team was not the team I want to win. As a rabbi, some people imagine I receive inside information. Unfortunately, I don’t. However, I have it on good authority that God follows my Twitter page and likes the hashtag #vusgaitdirun . Sha! Don’t spread the word, but He has no greater affinity to the Patriots than the Rams. Sadly, not even a substantial donation to Anshei Emuna will alter His neutrality. Upon advisement, was it a new building that you had in mind?
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Jack Engel
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