07 Feb SUPER BOWL MUSINGS

They told me this morning
at the Daf that Super Bowl
Sunday is the busiest pizza
day of the year. And 1.33
billion chicken wings will
be consumed! As everyone
gets ready for a gastronomic
infusion, I would also like to
weigh-in with some thoughts. At the outset,
I would like to make a very un-American
confession: I really don’t like football. I
just don’t relish the idea of watching people
hitting another human being down to the
ground. However, as I realize that millions of
people do not share my feelings, but are rather
glued to this sport, I would like to share some
thoughts on this very American pastime.
The Chofetz Chaim, Zt”l, Zy”a, used to
say that we could learn something vital from
everything that goes on around us. He would
say that, from the telegraph, we learn that
every word counts. From the radio, we are
taught that something said on one side of the
world can make an impact even on people
on the other side of the world. From trains
we learn that being even one minute late can
make all the difference in the world. I would
like to suggest that from the sport of football
we could also learn many vital fundamentals
of life.
One of the basics of the game is that you

have four tries to get to a first down. Many
strategies and machinations are employed
to reach that objective of a first down – and
a whole new start. This is a very important
Jewish philosophy for life. The Torah Jew is
always trying to make a fresh start. In Ashrei,
which we say three times a day, we conclude
with the statement, “Va’anachnu n’vareich
Kah, mei’atah v’ad olam, Hallelu-Kah – And
we will bless G-d, from now and forever, we
will praise him.” The word mei’atah, from
now, is extremely puzzling. After all, this is
not the first time we are saying Ashrei. Many
of us have been saying Ashrei three times a
day, every day, for many decades. Yet, each
time we say ‘from now!’ The reason we do so
is that we are emphasizing that each time our
praise is new, it’s fresh, it’s a new start – and,
from now on, it will be more meaningful, more
heartfelt. We say this every time because each
time we’re going for a first down.
The smart person is always trying to make
a new start in his or her Torah studies. He
doesn’t make the mistake of looking back and
crying over all of the wasted years. He doesn’t
sigh about what he could have known by now
– for this is the road to yiush- hopelessness,
despair, and giving up. Rather, he looks to
make a new start. For example, he looks to
start the Daf Yomi cycle this coming March.
This is why the Jewish People are always

compared to the moon – for it constantly
renews itself. We, too, try not to become stale
in our marriages but rather attempt to always
make a fresh start, a new approach to our
relationship with our life’s mate. Indeed, the
laws of Taharas HaMishpochah are explained
in Masechtas Niddah to achieve the ideal that
a wife should always be to her husband like a
kallah, a new bride.
The objective of football is to score a
touchdown. This too is a very important
lesson. In life, we need to focus on goals.
Too many people live aimlessly and routinely
without defined ambitions and goals. In order
to succeed in the “game” of life, we need to
establish a set of goals for ourselves. Such
goals might include spending a certain amount
of time per week with each of our children;
it might embrace giving a certain amount
of our income to tzedakah; it might include
ambitions of Torah study such as being
ma’aver sedra, reviewing the weekly parsha
each and every week with the goal of finally
finishing Chumash and Rashi from cover to
cover; it might be a halachic ambition to get
an overall knowledge of the Mishnah Berurah
or the Kitzur Shulchan Orech; it might be the
aim of finally learning the meaning of all of
our daily prayers including the Shir shel Yom,
the Daily Psalm. Our goals might also include
plans to finally learn Tanach – something
many of us were unable to ‘tackle’ during
our yeshiva days. Of course, there are
many other goals such as giving parents
nachas, helping one’s spouse fulfill a
dream, acquiring a good friend, doing
something for your community, visiting
Eretz Yisroel, and many others.
We will find that when we set goals
for ourselves, our life will take on a
much more purposeful and meaningful
existence. And with the fulfillment of our
goals, comes the joys and thrills of scoring
touchdowns.
Then, there’s the field goal. Sometimes,
when a team is at the 4th down and the
objective of scoring a touchdown in the
conventional manner is bleak, the coach
will opt for a second best – to kick – with
the hope of scoring a field goal. While
it’s only 3 points instead of 6 or 7, it’s far
better than nothing at all. This too is a
very great lesson. Sometimes, our goals
are too grandiose and, when we attempt to
do too much, we fall on our faces and end
up accomplishing nothing. This is why
so many of our new year’s resolutions are
left behind in the dust – since, when we
made our kabolos, our commitments, we
tried to do too much.
A classic example of this problem is
when someone is motivated to pray
with more kavanah, more concentration.
He or she attempts to go cold turkey
from no kavanah at all, all the way to
concentrating on every single word. This
is setting oneself up for almost certain
failure and disappointment. It behooves

us to think about the words of the Orchos
Chaim L’HaRosh who says that we should
aim to have kavanah in the first bracha of
Shemone Esrei and the first chapter of Krias
Shema. Likewise, if we see that we can’t find
time to be with our children every day, let’s at
least go for a field goal and find ample time for
them over the weekend instead of giving up
entirely. This concept can be applied to most
areas of life.
Finally, when the receiver catches the
football, he runs and employs evasive
maneuvers with one sole aim – not to get
tackled. He never turns around and puts up
a fight. Our Yeitzer Hara, the evil inclination,
is likewise constantly attempting to tackle and
derail us from our spiritual mission. The wise
person learns to employ evasive maneuvers
in order not to come head-to-head with the
Yeitzer Hara. Indeed, the Gemora teaches
us, in Masechtas Avodah Zarah, that if one
has the choice of two roads to take, and one
of those paths passes by women while they
are bathing, if he chooses to take that path
(figuring that he will turn away when he
comes to that area) he is considered a rasha.
Such is the condemnation for one who opts for
open confrontation with the Yeitzer Hara!
Therefore, when we are in Shul, we should
not choose to sit at the table (which is generally
located in the back) where people are talking.
Similarly, if we know that a group of people
is talking Shul politics, neighborhood politics,
school politics, bungalow politics, or office
politics, we should head for the hills rather
than participate in such potentially spiritually
lethal conversations. Remember, the name
of the “game” is to avoid being tacked at all
costs. Exposing our children to unfiltered or
unsupervised Internet is like standing in the
middle of the football field and proclaiming,
“Come! Hit me!” Similarly, hanging around
with the wrong crowd can be detrimental to
married life and, of course, to yeshiva boys
and girls as well.
May it be the will of Hashem that we can
follow these “rules” improving our lives, and
earning the blessings of Hashem for a long
life, good health, and everything wonderful.