A Tale For Fans

Maya Angelou knew why the caged bird sings. I know why the Rams beat the Saints in the National Football Conference (NFC) championship in 2019.

It’s about faith and the hand of God.

My buddy Charles came over to watch the game, a tradition in my family. A cantankerous, single, loud and proud Jew with three adolescent children, he’s concerned about his town, the nation, the world, and the future of and for his kids. With roots in Los Angeles, he roots for the Rams. He was thrilled to see them have a shot at the Super Bowl this year in their playoff contest against the Saints.

I sat down next to him in my cozy TV room, as hostess. “How are you, Charles? How are the kids,’ I asked.  “Mo, they’re Jews, anti-semitism is increasing, and they’ll have targets on their backs.  I’m worried.  I can’t sleep at night with all the anxiety.’

I reeled back a bit from his rush of blood and guts on a nice Sunday afternoon over the guacamole and craft beers. At the same time, I was honored by his confidences.

‘What do you mean, Charles? You live in one of the safest, most liberal and tolerant places on earth, with the most liberty, and self-determination. What anti-semitism have you experienced?’

‘I haven’t experienced anti-semitism, but you know, people are talking about it. I’m freaking out.’

‘Charles, you’re a smart guy, very successful. You’re a good dad with smart kids. You’re raising them tough and strong. You have to have faith that they will figure out whatever is placed in front of them. And anyway, what kind of Jew are you, that you have no faith?’ I said.

‘Judaism isn’t about faith, Maureen. It’s about arguing, debate, questioning. The Jewish mind is never at rest. Faith is not a part of Judaism.’

Over my lifetime, I’ve perfected the internal eyebrow raise. I can even raise my internal eyebrows while smiling sweetly, warmly, and mentally, heartfully embracing the person in front of me. It’s been long, hard work, with hours of practice, but I’ve mastered this: the Poker Brow.

The Hebrew Bible, Charles’ holy book, has many fundamental stories about the stuff of life and overcoming odds. Genesis and the Sabbath; Daniel in the Lion’s Den, David and Goliath; and the Binding of Isaac. It is this last one, the Binding of Isaac, that is so deeply fundamental to Jews and, of course, is ALL about faith. I don’t know a religious Jewish man who does not get the story of the Binding of Isaac. Yet, here was one sitting in front of me in the winter of 2019.

‘Abraham, take your son Isaac up to the mountaintop, bind him and make a sacrifice of him,’ God says. Abraham, loyal to his lord, does as asked. Just as Abraham is about to strike Isaac, his hand is restrained by the hand of God. Isaac, the beloved son, lives. Abraham proceeded in faith, and his faith saved him and his son.

How could Charles have missed this lesson?

Charles confirmed for himself what is true for many Jews I know, despite the seders, the bar and bat mitzvahs, the temple memberships, fundraising, Purim spiels and aliyot. He is a secular Jew. I pushed a little harder…’Charles, are you an atheist?’

What sounded like a peep of assent came out of this big, strong man.

I reached over to the bookshelf, where I picked up a copy of a Jewish prayer book and held it out to him. ‘Charles, look at this. Your people couldn’t have persevered for 6,000 years if not for faith.’

Charles took the book from my hand, and moved it forward and back, forward and back, in front of his face. ‘Mo, I left my glasses at home – I can’t see what the heck this says.  What is this?’ he asked. I told him, and he was flaccid in his response.

“Charles,’ I said, ‘you’re a Mets fan. You know the story of Pray4Mets, right?’ ‘Sure, Maureen, you’ve organized a group of people to pray for the Mets. What does that have to do with anything?’

‘Charles,’ I said, ‘I organized Pray4Mets at the beginning of the 2015 season, when the team was in the tank. The fans were in the tank. The sportswriters were throwing spitballs.  By June, spirits were lifted, and by October, we got them into the World Series.’

‘You don’t really believe that, do you?’ he asked. ‘Charles,’ I said, ‘I don’t know. But I do know that you have to have faith, especially if you have children. You can’t give up.  You can’t give in.’ Now he was raising his eyebrows.

‘Charles, will you play along with me? The Saints are ahead, and have been pretty much the whole game. Your team is losing, and has been expected to lose. It’s the fourth quarter. There are two minutes left in the game. Would you like to see the Rams win?’ ‘Of course I’d like to see them win,’ he said. ‘Will you say a simple prayer together with me that the Rams win?’ I asked.

‘No way, Mo, I would never pray over anything like a football game. How silly,’ he said.

‘Well, my friend, I will pray for something to be a signal to you. A big signal. And, if you don’t take it, that’s on you.’

I said my small prayer quietly in front of him. The other guests were unaware.  ‘Lord, give us a sign so that Charles will know there is a god, that there is a god who will look out for him and his children, give him strength and allow him to see a path through his hard times.’

Internally, eyebrows & all, I said, “Lord, smack this guy upside the head.”

It didn’t take long. As most of America knows, with the Saints firmly on their way to a playoff victory, all of a sudden, there was a crazy no-call –  inexplicable referee behavior – something that should not have happened. Final score: Saints, 23, Rams 26. The Rams were in the Super Bowl.

Charles looked at me in disbelief. The party ended. He couldn’t speak. He barely uttered a thank you as he left the house with our other guests. As he stumbled through the door, I leaned in closely to him and said, ‘Charles, just never forget that I got BOTH of your teams to their championships. You owe me.’

Time has passed. These days, Charles speaks freely about faith. He reprimands others in his cantankerous way when they are weak. He doesn’t argue all the time, any longer. He’s fine. His kids are fine. They will be fine.

Angelou knew why the caged bird sings. Charles & I, pretty much alone in America, know why the Rams won the 2019 NFC Championship game. Son of Holocaust survivors, I hope he will never forget this, too.

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Come together on Wednesdays for 2019 Mets games at Tierney’s Tavern, 136 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey USA. Wear your colors. Never speak ill of other teams or others. Have hope. Let’s make a memorable 50th anniversary year of the 1969 World Series win. You gotta believe.

Questions, comments? Email pray4mets@gmail.com or post on our Facebook page or group;

Cheers,

Maureen Edelson, Creator, Pray4Mets

Montclair, New Jersey  USA