BE A SPORT!

“The Lord said to Moshe: Until when do you refuse to observe My commandments and My laws? See that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore, He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Remain each man where he is; no man shall leave his place on the seventh day. The people rested on the seventh day.” (Shmot 16:28-30)

Shabbat was one of a handful of mitzvoth that Moshe taught the Israelites prior to the Revelation at Sinai (Sanhedrin 56b). In particular, Shabbat observance was a major component of how the manna was distributed and collected.   God told Moshe that no manna would fall on Shabbat. Consequently, there would be a double portion on Friday, so that there would be food for two days. The Israelites were warned not to venture out on Shabbat to search for manna because they would not find it. Nevertheless, some of the people did venture out and thus Hashem castigated Moshe for failing to teach them adequately about the holy day. It was in this context that Moshe was told, “Remain each man where he is; no man shall leave his place on the seventh day.” What is the meaning of this seemingly restrictive command? The simple explanation (see Ibn Ezra and Chizkuni) is that no one should leave his home to seek food because the food required for Shabbat would be provided on Friday. The Sages (Eruvin 17b) derived from this verse the prohibition of travelling beyond a certain city limit on Shabbat. Rabbi Steinsaltz elaborates (Weisfeld Edition of the Humash), “It would seem that when the verse refers to one’s place, it does not mean the small space in which an individual stands or sits, but the area in which one generally conducts himself on a daily basis. God commands the Israelites not to travel from this area on the Sabbath, as the Sabbath is to be a day on which one turns inwards and rests, rather than journeying far away.”

For centuries, Shabbat was a family time during which people mostly stayed in their houses, only leaving home to attend shul or to join another family for a meal. This changed in the twentieth century and one of the primary reasons for this change was the proliferation of sport in the western world. In his fascinating doctoral thesis, Tradition, Accommodation, Revolution And Counterrevolution: A History Of A Century Of Struggle For The Soul Of Orthodoxy In Johannesburg’s Jewish Community, 1915-2015, Dr David Fachler describes how the playing and watching of sports led to a major fight in the Johannesburg Jewish community in the 1950s. Fachler notes (page 57), “One of the primary features distinguishing the first generation Jews born or bred in South Africa from their parents, and one which contributed to their acculturation process, was their participation in and watching of sports events. Already in the early 1900s, Jewish children, who for the most part attended government schools that laid a great emphasis on playing sports and rewarded athletic skills, would mingle with their Christian counterparts on the sports fields. As the years progressed, many young Jews who were the children of immigrants that were treated with “disdain” by the broader public, grew up to become national sports heroes celebrated by all. At the same time, Jewish sporting clubs became a regular feature of the South African Jewish landscape. Though Chief Rabbi Rabinowitz criticised these clubs for their antagonism to the most basic tenets of Judaism, he readily boasted “that there [were] few ministers who appreciated more than [he] did the value of sport, and perhaps fewer who participated in it more than [he] did.” In a “sports crazy” country where young Jews at that time would follow and participate in sporting activities with “religious devotion,” the Chief Rabbi’s admission of being a sports enthusiast must surely have been welcomed.”

But not everyone shared the Chief Rabbi’s view. Rabbi Rabinowitz, whom Fachler describes as an “accommodator”, was often challenged by his more conservative colleagues called “traditionalists” in the thesis. Chief among these were the successive heads of the Beth Din (who were also presidents of the local chapter of the religious Zionist Mizrahi movement), Rabbi Yitzchak Kossowsky and his son Rabbi Michel Kossowsky, both of whom were educated in traditional eastern European yeshivas. 

One of their fierce disagreements centered on sport, as Fachler records (pages 58-59), “In February 1954 Mizrachi’s president, and [Rabbi] Michel Kossowsky was greatly distressed by the decision of the visiting Israel national soccer team to schedule some of its matches in South Africa on Saturday. It perturbed him that this would cause thousands of Jews to violate the Sabbath. Almost “singlehandedly” he led a campaign against what he considered a desecration of G-d’s name. Amidst the controversy, the Chief Rabbi was asked for his opinion. Setting aside the problems caused by attending the matches, Rabinowitz dealt with the question of playing sport on Shabbat and responded that Israel’s first Chief Rabbi, Abraham I Kook had permitted it. This prompted the Mizrachi affiliate, HaPoel HaMizrachi, to produce a cable from Chief Rabbi Herzog declaring Rabinowitz wrong and stating that when Herzog’s predecessor, Kook, had received a question from Australia about playing  football on the Sabbath he had expressly forbidden it.   Approached by the editor of the S. A. Jewish Times for clarification, Rabinowitz devoted an entire article to the matter. After confessing he may have misquoted Kook, he provided a Halachic exposition proving that ball games are permitted on the Sabbath. Explaining that in the case before him he was aware of the “wholesale desecration of the Sabbath involved in mass traveling to see the match,” he nevertheless thought it was important specifically now to clarify that there was no prohibition on playing sports on the Sabbath. He believed one had to “move with the times” and reject the strict interpretations of Jewish law formulated in Eastern Europe. One had also to acknowledge the “importance our generation places on sport… and the demand for a more congenial spirit of Sabbath observance… in sunny South Africa,” and to prefer religious authorities who permitted playing sport. This attitude was lauded by the weekly. Congratulating Rabinowitz for displaying “no little courage to urge change where change is necessary,” it begged those opposed not to slate the rabbi’s views “mercilessly.” In issuing this decision and in explicitly distancing himself from the tradition that had prevailed in Eastern Europe, the Chief Rabbi was broadcasting his opinion that where Jewish law permitted it, changes should be made, and the lenient view should be preferred.”

It is somewhat difficult to find precedents in pre-twentieth century rabbinic literature about the permissibility (or otherwise) of playing or watching sports on Shabbat. In the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 308:45), Rabbi Yosef Karro, the mechaber (author) and his Ashkenazi counterpart, Rabbi Moshe Isserles, disagree about handling a ball on Shabbat. Rabbi Karro forbids it and Rabbi Isserles permits it and states that “we are accustomed to be lenient”.   Contemporary authorities disagree on whether modern balls, such as those used for soccer, are the same as the balls in the Shulchan Aruch. In a later chapter (Orach Chaim 328), the Shulchan Aruch prohibits exercise on Shabbat, where one “pushes one’s body with force so that he will tire and perspire”. A nice brisk walk to keep healthy, however, is permitted (Mishna Berura 301:7). As a general rule, someone who wants to pursue sports professionally will have to desecrate Shabbat. Many sporting contests take place on Shabbat and although the sport itself might not involve breaking Shabbat, travelling to and from the venue is problematic as is the use of various technologies, such as time-keeping instruments. Notwithstanding the difficulties religious athletes face when it comes to Shabbat observance, a few have excelled in their fields while doing their utmost not to desecrate Shabbat. A famous local example is Mandy Yachad who played cricket for the national team and often walked to matches on Shabbat. A more recent example is Beatie Deutsch, a strictly observant mother of five who is the Israeli national champion in the marathon and half marathon. Although these are the exceptions to the rule, they demonstrate that it is possible to excel in sports while still observing Shabbat.

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom. Rabbi Liebenberg

Rabbi’s YouTube message: https://youtu.be/nrngUtGvz_Q?si=8_FsK6PsABH7Dm9W

TU B’SHEVAT – THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2025

Tu B’Shevat, the 15^th day of the month of Shevat, is the New Year for trees for the purpose of determining tithes in the Land of Israel. Tithes may not be given from the produce of one year for another year and the 15^th of Shevat is the cut-off date for fruit. Thus, any fruit that began to blossom before the 15^th belongs to the previous year and any fruit that began to blossom after the 15^th belongs to the current year (Mishna Rosh Hashanah 1:1). It is customary to eat fruits on this day and some people hold a special Tu B’Shevat ‘Seder’ that is rooted in Kabbalistic wisdom. In particular, the special fruits of the Land of Israel are eaten – grapes, pomegranates, figs, olives and dates.