Rabbi Mandel goes to the super bowl
at Touro Synagogue
February 2, 2019
Edited by Beth Ginsburg Levine
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It’s that time again. Super Bowl Sunday is approaching, if you like to shop, it’s a good day. Many people will be preoccupied .
Is there a lesson that the New England Patriots can teach us?
On Shabbat, Rabbi Marc Mandel of Newport’s Touro Synagogue expounded,
“Tomorrow is the big game. Once again, the Patriots are in the Super Bowl. How do the Patriots make the Super Bowl so many times? Coach Belichick says that the reason is because every person on the team plays a role. They have great teamwork.
“If you look at the Torah, in the book of Genesis there was no teamwork. It was each person for himself. It was Adam vs Eve, Cain vs Abel, Sarah vs Hagar, Jacob vs Esau and Joseph against his brothers. But as soon as Exodus began, so did the teamwork. Miriam watches her brother Moses in the water and Aaron helps his younger brother lead the nation.
“Let us learn from the Torah and the Patriots that the secret to success is teamwork.”
When I was in Egypt admiring the pyramids, which were already a tourist attraction when the Children of Israel were there, I wondered how they were built. Some of my acquaintances can’t believe that the “primitive” ancient Egyptians could manage it, and infer that a visitor from outer space was involved. They may be under the impression that our technology means that we are smarter.
I stumbled on a video by Bettany Hughes with the answer. https://youtu.be/f5JRJhmrOx4
Although the Egyptians didn’t have high tech there was plenty of labor at hand. The flooding of the Nile meant farm workers had almost six months a year available. It was a win win. They could make a little money and help ensure Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s second life.
The workers lived in a city built for them. The work was very organized. The largest pyramid consisted of one million blocks. The blocks were quarried near the site of the pyramid. They were hauled on sleds by gangs of 20 workers, up a ramp as the pyramid got higher. Each stone was finished after it was placed in its position.
In the drawings from ancient Egypt, as the blocks are being pulled, a man is shown pouring water on the sandy surface. Recent studies have shown that if the right amount of water is in the sand, about 5%, the amount of friction is reduced by almost half, meaning that fewer people can do the same work.
The work was dangerous. If a block slipped ahead of you, death or severe injury would result. The foremen got everyone to work a little harder by offering extra beer to the group that was the most productive. Ancient Egyptians and football fans will go the extra mile for a six pack.
Go Patriots!
Is there a lesson that the New England Patriots can teach us?
On Shabbat, Rabbi Marc Mandel of Newport’s Touro Synagogue expounded,
“Tomorrow is the big game. Once again, the Patriots are in the Super Bowl. How do the Patriots make the Super Bowl so many times? Coach Belichick says that the reason is because every person on the team plays a role. They have great teamwork.
“If you look at the Torah, in the book of Genesis there was no teamwork. It was each person for himself. It was Adam vs Eve, Cain vs Abel, Sarah vs Hagar, Jacob vs Esau and Joseph against his brothers. But as soon as Exodus began, so did the teamwork. Miriam watches her brother Moses in the water and Aaron helps his younger brother lead the nation.
“Let us learn from the Torah and the Patriots that the secret to success is teamwork.”
When I was in Egypt admiring the pyramids, which were already a tourist attraction when the Children of Israel were there, I wondered how they were built. Some of my acquaintances can’t believe that the “primitive” ancient Egyptians could manage it, and infer that a visitor from outer space was involved. They may be under the impression that our technology means that we are smarter.
I stumbled on a video by Bettany Hughes with the answer. https://youtu.be/f5JRJhmrOx4
Although the Egyptians didn’t have high tech there was plenty of labor at hand. The flooding of the Nile meant farm workers had almost six months a year available. It was a win win. They could make a little money and help ensure Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s second life.
The workers lived in a city built for them. The work was very organized. The largest pyramid consisted of one million blocks. The blocks were quarried near the site of the pyramid. They were hauled on sleds by gangs of 20 workers, up a ramp as the pyramid got higher. Each stone was finished after it was placed in its position.
In the drawings from ancient Egypt, as the blocks are being pulled, a man is shown pouring water on the sandy surface. Recent studies have shown that if the right amount of water is in the sand, about 5%, the amount of friction is reduced by almost half, meaning that fewer people can do the same work.
The work was dangerous. If a block slipped ahead of you, death or severe injury would result. The foremen got everyone to work a little harder by offering extra beer to the group that was the most productive. Ancient Egyptians and football fans will go the extra mile for a six pack.
Go Patriots!
May your sand and beer each have the optimum percentage of the appropriate liquid. And may each of you have the right amount of ruach (spirit) to be at the top of your game.
Shabbat Shalom from Shlomi, Israel
Shabbat Shalom from Shlomi, Israel
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