Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

I write this as I bask in the glow of the Chiefs Super Bowl win. As a lifelong Kansas Citian and having the opportunity as a kid to go to Chiefs’ games in the old Municipal Stadium, at 22nd and Brooklyn, it takes me back to experiences shared over Chiefs, Royals and KU (mostly basketball) with family and friends.

There is much to critique about professional sports, particularly in the case of the Chiefs — the physical dangers of the games to players, and the team name and tomahawk chop (if someone or an entire group of Indigenous Americans say they’re offended, we should believe them). At the same time, we see how the success of our sports teams has a way of bringing our community together, crossing all sorts of barriers — political, religious, racial, etc.

Amidst all the angst, division and violence in the world, we can and should take time out to celebrate and have some joy in our communal lives. We as Jews understand that Shabbat and other holidays give us that opportunity to have joy on a regular basis, if we choose to take advantage of it. (We don’t have to wait for a Super Bowl win, although … it is feeling like it may be happening on a regular basis.)

We will get back to doing the hard and sometimes depressing work of striving for a more just and peaceful world, but for now … Go, Chiefs!