On Sport Competition in Jewish History:

It was taught in the Mishna: An incident occurred where both of the priests were equal as they were running and ascending on the ramp, and one of them shoved the other and they fell and their leg was broken. The Sages taught in the Tosefta: An incident occurred where there were two priests who were equal as they were running and ascending the ramp. One of them reached the four cubits before the colleague, who then, out of anger, took a knife and stabbed them in the heart. (Talmud, Yoma 23a:11)

This case of a running race that ended in stabbing was concerning to the rabbis. The discussion went back and forth about the broken leg, the stabbing, and a lottery being establishment to prevent such competition. (Based on Yoma 23a 13,14)

So Jews have always been competitive?

Resh Lakish, Gladiator turned Torah Scholar:

The Gemara tells of Resh Lakish who was described of being of great strength, and, sold himself to gladiators. (Gittin 47a)

The word for Gladiators is לְלוּדָאֵי.*

_{*The context for this word in Talmudic dictionaries is that it’s people who buy others for gladiatorial contests. (Jastrow p.695)}

Ultimately, Rabbi Yochanan, who went on to become one of Resh Lakish’s closest confidents, convinced Resh Lakish that studying Torah was a better than use of skills than being a gladiator and Resh Lakish should use his strength for that.

It served Lakish well. The strength, agility, mental acuity became tools to devote to Torah. (To read more: Reish Lakish and Rabbi Yohanan on the Power of Repentance: A Reappraisal – The Lehrhaus)

Devotion to great strength is a positive trait not only for Torah Study:

In the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides (also a physician) writes: “Since maintaining a healthy and sound body is among the ways of God – for one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator, if one is ill – therefore, one must avoid that which harms the body and accustom oneself to that which is healthful and helps the body become stronger.” (Mishneh Torah: Human Dispositions 4:1)

Some Jews have succeeded in professional sports:

• Sandy Koufax: Arguably one of the most famous Jews in sports! Sandy Koufax was faced with the decision of whether to pitch on Yom Kippur in Game 1 of the 1965 world series. Koufax chose to sit the game out and is widely mentioned for doing so.
• More recently, Shawn Green, who played for the Dodgers at the time, ended a 415-game streak by not playing on Yom Kippur. September 26, 2001. (To read more: MLB has more Jewish players than ever; none has Yom Kippur dilemma | The Times of Israel)

Do you think world events of 9/11/2001 played a part in his decision?

• Another prominent Jewish athlete is Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz. In the 1972 Munich Olympics, Spitz set a record for winning 7 gold medals in one Olympics. The accomplishments as a Jewish athlete were marred the next day when the horrendous, tragic massacre of 11 Israeli athletes took place. (To read more: Mark Spitz made Olympic history in 1972. Here’s why his Jewish identity mattered in Munich – The Forward)
• Side note: Spitz’s record was consequently broken by Michael Phelps in 2008. Phelps isn’t Jewish, but 2 members of the incredible 4×100 race that brought one of his medals have been inducted in the National Jewish sports hall of fame. Garrett Weber-Gale (2013) and Jason Lezak (2010). (To read more: THE NATIONAL JEWISH SPORTS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM – Suffolk JCC — syjcc.org)

*Confession – Garrett Weber-Gale is a wonderful person and we’ve known each other since he was both a camper and synagogue confirmation student. Any time I get to mention him in a resource sheet, I do! 😊

• While professional Jewish athletes might best be known for swimming and baseball, hockey is another area where Jews shine. In 2022 there were close to a dozen Jews playing hockey. One making history is Jordan Harris, who played for the Montreal Canadiens and is the only Black Jewish hockey player on the ice. (To read more: Black Jewish NHL player Jordan Harris has a goal to diversify hockey – The Jerusalem Post — jpost.com)

Questions to Consider:

• What role is there for competition in Judaism?
• How does competition motivate or not motivate you in your life?
• Do you think that the notion that Resh Lakish was deterred from being a gladiator demeans the role of professional athletes? Can you imagine a change in reaction from the Rabbis if professional sports then were as huge as they are now?
• Professional athletes devote much time and attention to their physical strength, diet, body conditioning, practice, and structure as an athlete. What are some benefits and drawbacks from this? How does this impact the issue of concussion related injuries that we see so much of in Hockey and football?
• Does an athlete’s Jewish background influence your appreciation of them as an athlete? What are the benefits or drawbacks for a community focusing more intently on Jewish athletes?