A few years ago, when I began the podcast, “Rabbi On The Sidelines,” I asked Rabbi Wolpe, “Would you find it acceptable if I used my rabbinic voice in the sports world?” To my surprise, he answered, “One day, that voice will be needed.”
Over the last three years, I have interviewed athletes, coaches, owners, and fans. Ironically, on a podcast about sports, we barely speak about games, box scores, or trade deadlines. Instead, we speak about what is in their hearts and souls. When you ask anyone, be it an athlete, actor, doctor, teacher, lawyer, or rabbi what they feel in their heart and soul, you receive deep insights into the purpose people find in their lives.
As we approach Passover, we tell our story using the Haggadah. I have a collection of haggadot on my shelf. One is an IDF Haggadah from 1969 that includes the melodies the soldiers sang on their bases. Another Haggadah was published two years ago, relating each step of the seder to the world of mental health. In looking at each book, it is apparent that the words of the Haggadah stay the same, but our story as Jews around the world change each and every year.
March Madness, the college basketball tournament, comes to a close this weekend. 10 million viewers tune in to watch this sporting event.
This year was different. With three out of four coaches in the finals being Jewish, dayeinu, that would have been enough.
Yet, the top seed coach, Bruce Pearl of Auburn University in Alabama, brought his Jewish identity to the forefront of the game. At a press conference two weeks ago, before he spoke about the game, he said his players gave him permission to call for the return of the hostages still held in Gaza, including an American, Edan Alexander.
The next week, sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, a past guest of “Rabbi On The Sidelines,” took three minutes of national airtime to acknowledge Coach Pearl’s advocacy and then showed that Edan Alexander’s family was invited by Coach Pearl to attend the game. That same day, President Isaac Herzog posted on Instagram a phone call he had with Coach Pearl, thanking him for using his platform to make a difference. Coach Pearl ended the call with the words, “Am Yisrael Chai!”
This is what Passover is all about. If we only sit and enjoy our family and friends at our seder table, and sing Mah Nishtana and Chad Gadya, then Dayeinu, that would be enough.
But we must do more. We must not only tell our story but we must ask ourselves, “Who are we telling our story to?”
Coach Pearl told our story to 10 million basketball fans. It’s also time for us to tell our story.
Shabbat Shalom and Am Yisrael Chai
