Wayland temple introduces Biblical characters using March Madness
The month of March means the beginning of spring, clocks ahead one hour and, for many, college basketball.
March Madness is a staple of the American sports calendar as 64 college basketball teams compete to be crowned national champions. As well as the spectacle of watching collegiate athletes compete at the peak of their sporting achievements, we also have the friendly competition among thousands of individuals filling in their brackets and predicting the outcome of the tournament.
But for our Temple Shir Tikva synagogue in Wayland, this year’s March Madness isn’t about basketball; Instead, it’s about the Bible. We’ve assembled a party of 32 biblical characters who will compete to be crowned Biblical March Madness champions.
It never ceases to amaze me that even people who don’t know anything about basketball are tricked into doing a bracket. To me, the bracket model provides a framework for people to learn about different characters in the Bible. But instead of researching college basketball stats, they can look up some interesting, heroic, and challenging numbers in the Bible and learn some of our stories.
The biblical bracket follows the traditional March Madness structure, but instead of a game between two college basketball teams, different characters are judged on criteria such as kindness, compassion, and caring for the planet. We invited Rabbi Greg Litcofsky, executive director of Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and a former synagogue rabbi to judge the various competitions, and we promised to receive regular video updates on the results and the reasons for the selection .
As Rabbi Litcofsky said, “When Danny asked me to attend, I thought it sounded like a really fun idea, and I was thrilled to be part of it. As I looked at the matchups in the bracket, I realized that this might be a bit more difficult than I expected, as it’s going to be difficult to judge between some of these characters. I hope it encourages people to turn to the Bible and read some of the stories.”
The synagogue has already published a few videos about the competition and used them as a teaching opportunity. In a video now available on social media, I give an overview of all 32 biblical characters in the competition. The bracket competition is fun for the community, and it is an exciting way to teach people about the Bible, its characters, and its relevance to our lives in new ways.
Just like with the college basketball March Madness brackets, people have until March 16 to submit their brackets (you don’t have to be a member of the Temple to enter). One of the participants, Michael Weiner, shared: “It was interesting. I found myself looking up some information on lesser known characters. It was refreshing to think about which person could be considered the kindest and most compassionate.”
For more details and how to participate in the Temple Shir Tikva Biblical March Madness, visit: www.shirtikva.org/marchmadness.
Danny Burkeman is Chief Rabbi at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland.