Tif’eret, often translated as beauty, compassion, or harmony, is the perfect integration of hesed (love) and gevurah (power). So on Day 3 of the Omer, we are going with the woman that Doris Burke calls the “most versatile women’s basketball player that we have ever laid eyes on.” The 2x WNBA MVP and the 2016 WNBA champion is the perfect blend of power and finesse. … Continue reading Day 3: She Got Game
Tonight is day two of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’hesed. Within loving-kindness there is restrictive power. I had the privilege of celebrating my birthday this year by attending the best game of the 2019-20 NBA Season, a 141-133 double overtime victory for the Boston Celtics over the visiting LA Clippers. Besides seeing the Celtics win and Jayson Tatum dominate down the stretch, the highlight for me … Continue reading Day 2: Kawhi not?
Today is two days of the omer: gevurah she’b’hesed. (Because of Shabbat, I’m posting this before the second day actually begins.) I should be writing about Derek Jeter. I know it, you know it, my blog co-authors who know only a little about baseball probably know it. My cats know it. Jeter is pretty much undisputedly the best player to ever wear the number 2. But these … Continue reading day 2: the homage
Today is one day of the omer: hesed she’b’hesed. One of the things that I like about the ritual of the omer is that we count up, which in my view downplays the number 1. The intractable pursuit of being on top can be dangerous (see, Houston Astros), and one can be a lifelong fan of a team that was never the best (see, Houston Astros). In … Continue reading day 1: the wizard
Today is day one of the Omer. Hesed sheb’hesed. Within loving-kindness there is loving-kindness. Which basketball player (who wore the #1) most embodies pure hesed? That is our goal, as we begin the Omer tonight. For the first week, we will focus on players who embody hesed, an open-hearted, free-flowing form of loving-kindness. Each day will carry a secondary value, but today is all about … Continue reading Day 1: Pure Loving-Kindess
The ein sof (literally, “without end”) is understood in kabbalah as Gd before any self-manifestation. It is Gd’s act of tzimtzum (“contraction”) that allows for everything else to come into being. In particular, the ein sof is the origin of the sefirot (“emanations”), which have come to be associated with days of the omer, the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot. Just as primordial boundlessness gave way to a … Continue reading ein sof; or, making room for something new
Hockey, like all sports, is a world unto itself. Full of ancient rivalries, team colors and precise pre-game rituals (for players and fans alike), the parallels to religious traditions are not hard to find. In fact, it seems clear that professional sports occupies the same place for many people in the 21st century that religion used to, and without having to learn a foreign language, … Continue reading Hockey & The Omer: Tapping Into Something Bigger
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Sports lovers rejoice! While the entire Jewish world is focused on Passover, as soon as the first day of Passover is over, we are headed to Omertime! The Omer is a 49 day period between Passover and Shavuot when it’s a mitzvah to say a blessing and count each day. This incredibly simple, two minute nightly ritual, is also deeply mystical and can be the … Continue reading We’re Going to Omertime
When I haven’t stepped on the court in a long time, from the moment I pickup a basketball, I am on fire. I cannot miss. Figuratively speaking that is. (My shooting percentage is not 100%). But I feel like I cannot miss. After a long layoff, with little warm-up, I am in the flow of the game. The first few times this happened, I thought … Continue reading The Undeserved Grace of Passover
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Each day, we will select one basketball player who best embodies the combination of sefirot for that week and day and whose jersey matches the day. You might think that would be too limiting, but according to Basketball Reference, 332 players in NBA history have worn the #3 at some point in their career. When you include, WNBA players and the Olympics, it’s almost too … Continue reading The Shape of the Hoophead
Omertime 