Tag: NL

baseball, hesed, tiferet

day 15: another jewish ballplayer

Today is 15 days, which is two weeks and one day of the omer: hesed she’b’tiferet. I swear, “Sandy Koufax didn’t play on Yom Kippur” is the baseball equivalent of “Abraham Joshua Heschel marched with King”: that is, a event that absolutely happened, was extremely significant at the time, and unnecessarily overshadows the commitment of many others. (You can experience my soapbox on the Heschel-King relationship here.) … Continue reading day 15: another jewish ballplayer

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce6 Comments
baseball, gevurah, malchut

day 14: mr. sunshine

Today is 14 days, which is two weeks of the omer: malchut she’big’vurah. My preferences in ballplayers come together today in an athlete who is both a native Texan and a career-long member of one team: Chicago Cubs infielder Ernie Banks grew up in Dallas and came to baseball in the last days of the Negro Leagues, where he was discovered by the Kansas City Monarchs, … Continue reading day 14: mr. sunshine

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce3 Comments
baseball, gevurah, yesod

day 13: the perfect storm

Today is 13 days, which is one week and six days of the omer: yesod she’big’vurah. I know you didn’t think I was going to choose A-Rod today. I also know you didn’t think that I wasn’t going to start with Texas. As it turns out, today’s honoree, left fielder Carl Crawford grew up in Houston and suffered the indignity all too common for people of color in … Continue reading day 13: the perfect storm

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce1 Comment
baseball, gevurah, netzach

day 11: mr. national

Today is 11 days, which is one week and four days of the omer: netzach she’big’vurah. I will always have a soft spot for Ryan Zimmerman because he and the Nationals and I all arrived in D.C. at the same time, in 2005. For many years, I split Nationals season tickets with several friends, and I regularly cheered for the home team — except of course when … Continue reading day 11: mr. national

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce1 Comment
baseball, gevurah, tiferet

day 10: the hawk

Today is 10 days, which is one week and three days of the omer: tiferet she’big’vurah. I’m not totally sure why day 10 has given me such fits, but I had a hard time deciding whom I should highlight today. Chipper Jones, Phil Rizzuto, Miguel Tejada, Lefty Grove — but I’m finally happy with Expos and Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson for this day of “splendor within strength.” Dawson … Continue reading day 10: the hawk

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce1 Comment
baseball, omer, sefirot

day 8: little joe

Today is eight days, which is one week and one day of the omer: hesed she’big’vurah. Today Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun was a contender because he’s Jewish (and you know, a pretty good ball player), but using PEDs, denying it, attacking the test collector, and only later admitting his use is not #goodfortheJews. Instead I’m going with Reds second baseman Joe Morgan — and not just because … Continue reading day 8: little joe

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce2 Comments
baseball, hesed, netzach

day 4: the master

Today is four days of the omer: netzach she’b’hesed. I could have chosen Gehrig, but we did the Yankees yesterday. So I’m going with another hometown hero, New York Giant Mel Ott. (This is the team that became today’s club in San Francisco, a move that didn’t inspire as much fiery, enduring ire as a certain other New York team’s decampment to a certain other California … Continue reading day 4: the master

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce1 Comment
baseball

ein sof; or, making room for something new

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

Unknown's avatarSalem Pearce2 Comments