My Wednesday started with texts and posts to childhood friends about the upcoming Knicks playoff game. I was nervous, like some of my friends, that the Knicks would break our hearts with a game 4 loss.
Being a Knicks fan is a unifier, because it focuses us on the team. That is one of the spiritual appeals of sports. It lets us go beyond ourselves to a common cause, and going beyond the self is itself spiritual. That is what makes it more than a game.
A benefit of NBA basketball is that almost every New Yorker is a Knicks fan, because there is no real rival. The whole city is united around them, and that’s quite a feat in our divided times.
Another conversation that morning was among my four college housemates. Three of us grew up in Clearview. I don’t talk to them as much as I would like, but I still feel deeply connected. We chatted about the Knicks and managed to keep politics at bay.
The evening brought the wedding of David Linn’s daughter. David is a very close friend from my early days of becoming religiously observant 40 years ago, my BT (Baal Teshuvah) days. We worked on many projects together including the Beyond BT blog. I was so happy for him, his daughter, and the entire family, and it brought tears to my eyes when I was surprised with a special honor during the ceremony.
The shmorg hour preceding the ceremony was a BT reunion as I shared l’chaims and conversations with people I’ve known and cared about for the past 40 years. One particular high point was with the Rabbi of the Jewish Heritage Center (JHC) who has guided many of those in attendance. For me personally, he was crucial in helping me coach my children on the dynamics of orthodox dating. I kissed him after the ceremony with thanks.
In the break between the ceremony and the first dance, I managed a short learning session with a Wednesday learning partner. We share our BT and JHC history, and it is a pleasure to learn Torah with a longtime friend.
The first dance had still not started when we finished learning, so I wandered into another room to check on the Knicks. Another longtime BT/JHC friend had the same idea. We shared the disappointment of watching the Knicks get destroyed in the first half. Fortunately the first dance music called us back to the wedding.
The rest of the wedding was wonderful, and I trekked from Brooklyn back to Queens. The ride did not provide any Knicks relief. If the Knicks were still down badly in the fourth quarter, I was going to go to sleep to protect my early rising schedule.
As I was preparing for bed, the Knicks started to come back. I pulled up the game and was able to enjoy one of the greatest comebacks in basketball history.
What stood out, as the deficit shrank, was that nobody on the Knicks tried to be the hero. Down 29, that is the moment a player reaches for the highlight, the personal stat line, the shot that says I am the one who saved us. Nobody did. A friend in the college chat pointed out the common Villanova heritage of the Pope and a few of the Knicks starters, which made me think: a Catholic university like Villanova builds selflessness and discipline in its students, and that was on the floor Wednesday night.
I was ecstatic when the Knicks won, and I shared the joy with texts to friends. After the victory, the unity continued. The fans stayed in the Garden to soak in the feeling, and the celebrities in attendance put aside their popularity to unite with their fellow fans and fellow New Yorkers. It was a sight.
The day was a masterclass in unity. Childhood, college, and BT friends woven into one day of celebration, conversation, and shared victory. Every time people go beyond themselves toward something shared, they are drawing on the same source. The united world we yearn for seemed within reach.
It should happen speedily in our days.
