As we’ve been doing for a number of years now, with the help of sports enthusiast students and alumni, we try to prepare a set of inspiration and life messages or Jewish/Torah connections to this year’s Superbowl to share on Superbowl Shabbat and in the Hakhel-Halftime packages. You can see our Insights & Messages for Superbowl 2024 here and here’s the link to our Insights and Messages for Superbowl 2023 and here’s Insights and Messages from the 2021 Superbowl, and here’s some general Football Messages from 2019 and browse around our website and there’s bound to be more… as the Baal Shem Tov taught, if we’re seeing/hearing it – we ought to learn a spiritual life lesson from it!
SUPERBOWL LIX (#59) 2025 INSIGHTS, MESSAGES & CONNECTIONS:
(1) THE BILLS, THE BILLS…
Many of our students and alumni have been rooting for the Bills – hoping they’d knock off the reigning chiefs for a chance at the Big Game. And the Bills-Chiefs game was SO close, the Bills lost by a field goal, not even a touchdown apart, and some say it all came down to bad call by the refs and this and that…
One thing that differentiates the Chiefs (for now) is how they play in the post-season. The Bills won the Chiefs in the regular season, and actually have a good track record against the Chiefs in regular season games. But they can’t yet pull it off in the post-season. The playoffs is where the Chiefs rally, they seem to be stronger under the extra pressure.
A lot of this is QB Patrick Mahomes. He does amazing under tremendous pressure. It’s not easy to keep focus, to keep that level of skill, split-second decision-making and precision when the stakes are so high and the level of play is so intense. He’s great at that.
In some ways you might say, Judaism is now playing playoff games. The stakes are higher, we’re closer to the Big Game, each piece of yardage is huge. This is when we have to shine, not buckle. Don’t lose focus!
(2) ANDY REID – AGAINST THE EAGLES
Andy Reid coached the Eagles but was fired because he couldn’t win The Big Game. He ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs, drafted Mahomes, and here they are again in the Superbowl. coming off 3 Superbowl wins. Somehow he couldn’t do it with the Eagles, but seems to be doing it very very well with the Chiefs. There’s an expression “Mishaneh Makom, Meshaneh Mazal” (change your place, change your luck). Avram and Sarai couldn’t have children in Haran, they had no future, but G-d told them Lech-Lecha, to go forth and restart their lives in a new place (on a new team) in the Land of Canaan, to later be the Land of Israel, and indeed, everything changed for the better. (Heard this one from a student parent: A. Rosenbaum).
(3) JOSH ALLEN AS NFL MVP
Josh Allen is the beloved Buffalo Bills QB, the team who narrowly lost the AFC championship game and Buffalo’s chance at the Superbowl. Yet he was awarded the coveted MVP Player Award from the NFL for the 2024 season, the Most Valuable Player! There’s an important life lesson here. You don’t have to win everything to be the most valuable player.
This reflects a Chassidic concept (too long to fully explain here), Alter Rebbe’s Tzadik vs. Beinoni in the Tanya. The Tzadik has better results, better on accomplishments. The Tzadik goes onto the Superbowl, the Beinoni does not. But the Beinoni puts a lot more into it, for the Beinoni its more about the struggle, the challenge and the effort he/she puts into it. Alter Rebbe considers the Beinoni to be the MVP! (This one is for Ari K. who is a big Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen fan, and also a big Tanya fan!)
(4) LOSING SLEEP OVER SAQUON BARKLEY
Many of our students here at UAlbany go back a number of NFL seasons with Saquon Barkley, only then as a New York Giant. Now he’s a standout Running Back for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants miscalculated letting Saquon go to free agency and not pay what it took to retain him, only to have him sign with their rivals the Eagles, where he had his best season ever, and may possibly break some running back records, too! There’s a viral clip going around from the deliberations inside Giants management whether to try to keep Saquon or not, and John Mara, the Giants owner saying that he would have trouble sleeping if Saquon were to leave for their rivals the Philadelphia Eagles – which he went and did, and did it so successfully! To add insult to injury, he’s wearing the same #26 at the Eagles as he wore for the NY Giants. (Thanks to alumnus Seth B. for the tip-off to this very interesting backstory).
I guess the first lesson is not to underestimate people, though hindsight of course is 20/20 and not always easy to recognize and realize at the time. Gotta value your players. Ethics of our Fathers (Avot 4:3) teaches us: “Don’t scorn/dismiss anyone, for everyone has their hour!” Obviously, sports team managers can’t keep everyone on the roster and pay premiums for all their players, but its something to think about when it comes to valuing and appreciating people on our team, friends, workers and co-workers, members of our community.
Another Ethics of Our Fathers (Avot 2:1) quote comes to mind: “Consider the cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression against its cost.” Sometimes we pass up opportunities now but end up paying dearly for them later. Or we take up something negative now, not realizing the cost of it longer-term. It can be harder at the time, but we ought to evaluate what we’re giving up or let slip by now, and what longer-term costs that may cost us. Longer-term it may not be worth it, it may cost us lots of lost sleep… important to keep that in consideration.
(5) THREE-PEAT
The Chiefs are eager to become the first “three-peat” of consecutive Superbowl wins since the Superbowl was established in 1966. (Green Bay technically won three seasons in a row, but their first one in 1965 wasn’t called Superbowl yet). A few teams have more than three superbowl wins, but the key-word for three-peat is consecutive.
The Talmud is very into “three times establishes a pattern”. This law is known as Chazakah, and is the subject of much discussion in the 3rd chapter of Talmud tractate Bava Basra, especially in regard to real-estate law and establishing proof of ownership. And as with the Chiefs dreams to win this year, a Chazakah must be three consecutive seasons, one after another. (Want to thank alumnus Ben Z. for this idea).
From the Eagle’s perspective, their goal is to do whatever possible to thwart any chances of the Chief’s Superbowl three-peat win. In the Talmud this is known as a “Mach’ah” in which there’s an objection to the establishment of a Chazakah, to legally thwart that possibility.
As for us? Goal is to continue good habits, get in a good groove and make good patterns, while to try and thwart and disrupt negative routines, habits from forming in ourselves.
(6) THE TIGHT-END
So much attention on Travis Kelce, who aside for being an excellent football player is famously dating Taylor Swift. So much media attention on the Swift-element, that the uniqueness of his particular football position is often overlooked. Travis is a tight-end which is the only player of the offensive line who can also act as a receiver. Ironically, the offensive line acts as a defense for the quarterback and running backs, but they aren’t allowed to participate in moving the ball forward down the field. Aside for the tight-end position who can do both.
It so happens that our (Mendel’s) first connection or awareness of a tight-end was meeting the father (a lumber expert appraiser who worked for some time in the Adirondacks) of a Jewish tight-end, John Frank, who played that position in two winning Superbowls with the SF 49’ers. He caught an important pass from Joe Montana (if that name rings a bell) during the winning touchdown drive. He left the NFL in his football prime to go back to medical school, he’s a hair restoration surgeon now.
The versatility of this position makes it more challenging. A tight-end multi-tasks, has to be ready to both block and to receive. He needs to have the size, bulk and strength of the offensive line, but also the nimble agility and speed of a receiver. An exceptional tight-end has to excel on both ends, and that is quite exceptional!
And speaking of Tight-Ends, don’t underestimate Noah Grey, the second Tight-End for the Chiefs. Or Dallas Goedert the TE for the Eagles, even he’s not dating Taylor Swift. It’s not always about your first-string, better-known players!
(7) THE BROTHERHOOD
I’ve heard the Eagles Offensive Line referred to as The Brotherhood – due to their close-knit, cooperative, teamwork dynamic, in it with and for each other. The Talmud says that two who carry a weight or burden together can lift more collectively than the sum of what each can lift individually. There is added strength in cooperation, unity and good healthy team dynamic. Players may have outstanding individual attributes, but there’s added collective strength when doing it as a group and putting the group first.
Like the “Cold Snap” story we shared this Shabbos, there are two ways to deal with the cold: one can warm themselves with insulators like mittens and scarves and added blankets and thicker coats – but that only warms yourself. Or one can light a fire that also warms others.
(8) THE ARMS AND LEGS OF THE QB
The main role of the QB is to pass the ball and get it out to players further afield. But a QB can also run with the ball himself. In this Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup, Patrick Mahomes has the better, surer arm (even/especially when rushed & under pressure) but Jalen Hurts, the Eagles QB, is better and faster on his feet and has a mean running game himself, too.
Passing game usually can get the ball further down the field. Running game is usually a shorter stint.
Nu, what’s in this for us? The goal is to get the football into the end-zone and we have limited time and tries to make that happen. Do whatever possible to keep going forward, keep gaining (even small amounts of) yardage, don’t stay stagnant. Sometimes that means holding the Mitzvah tight and close as you move it ahead, sometimes you set something good opportunity in motion, and its out of your hands, and you’re hoping it lands right – and further than you could ever do on your own! Some good deeds are in our hands start to finish, but there are also many good deeds we do that are more like a passing game – we can’t control and hold onto it the whole way, but we put our very best into it, and G-d help us with the rest!
A QB with a good running game offers some advantages not only in that he can gain some yardage and restart first down in a tight spot, but it also adds a dual-threat component and adds pressure that can confuse and split the efforts of the defensive line.
This tactic is strategically and manipulatively used in many areas of life, not just football. The issue with “fake news” isn’t only that piece of information itself, but the confusion and doubt it sows into everything we see and read. We risk losing trust and second-guessing almost everything!
(9) EAGLES AND CHIEFS IN THIS WEEK’S YITRO TORAH PORTION
We said this for Hakhel-Halftimes back in 2023, the last time the Eagles and Chiefs were in the Superbowl. That year they played on the Sunday just after the Parshat Yitro Torah reading, this year they are playing again, on the Sunday leading into the Yitro Torah reading.
Eagles are mentioned once in Yitro but outright, when the verse (Exodus Yitro 19:4) says that “carry you on wings of eagles and bring you to Me”. And Chiefs? Maybe not as direct but multiple times, especially in the verse with Jethro’s advice to delegate and appoint (Exodus Yitro 18:21) “leaders/chief(tans) of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens”. And some Chumashim translate the word “Kohain” in Jethro’s title in the opening verse of this Torah portion as Chief(tan).
(10) THE COMMERICALS
They say there will be some 80 ads in Superbowl LIX, 16 of them are companies who have never been featured before. Some people watch the Superbowl mostly for the ads!
And it appears there’ll be one or two ads fighting antisemitism. What are your thoughts on the ad(s) they did? Do you think that approach is effective?
If you had some $10 million to throw at a Superbowl ad against antisemitism in 2025 – what would your ad be?
to be continued and filled in in time for Superbowl Sunday, thanks to alumni and students who help us with the sports info and insight, and the meaningful connections and lessons….