The Shape of the Hoophead
Originally posted on Omertime:
Each day, we will select one basketball player who best embodies the combination of sefirot for that week and day and whose jersey matches the day. You might think that would be too limiting, but according to Basketball Reference, 332 players in NBA history have worn the #3 at some point in their career. When you include, WNBA players and the Olympics, it’s almost too much. Players will be chosen based on: Their embodiment of that day’s combination of sefirot. Their overall greatness as the player Their performance wearing that jersey number. Their overall contribution to…
Day 49: Malchut & Shekhinah
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 49 of the Omer. Malchut sheb’malchut. Within Kingship there is Kingship. What an amazing feeling to be counting the final day of the Omer, Day 49, where we feel the fullness of this journey from redemption to revelation. Reflecting each day on the combination of sefirot, gives us…
Day 48: Nazr Mohammed
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 48 of the Omer. Yesod sheb’malchut. Nobility that leads to Foundation. After winning two NCAA championships in three seasons at Kentucky, Nazr Mohammed left college 18 credit hours short of his bachelor’s degree, to become a first round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers. He established himself as a solid…
Day 47: The Computer
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 47 of the Omer. Hod sheb’malchut. Nobility that manifests as humility.? The first player to win championships at every level – high school, college, NBA, and the Olympics, and one of only three to ever do it, was Jerry Lucas. He was an All-American in high school, the…
Day 46: All of Australia
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 46 of the Omer. Netzach sheb’malchut. Impacting winning by realizing potenial. On Day 44, we began to explore malchut as the full realization of one’s potential. Few recent NBA players have done a better job of it than Aaron Baynes. Baynes was born in New Zealand, but moved…
Day 45: His Airness
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 45 of the Omer. Tif’eret sheb’malchut. Royal equanimity. Rumor has it that Michael Jordan was heartbroken not to be selected on Day 23 of the Omer. However, I have good news for His Airness: you are our selection for Day 45, tif’eret sheb’malchut. The third day of the…
Day 44: The Logo
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 44 of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’malchut. Nobility that leads to power.? In 1960, after helping to lead the US Olympic team to a gold medal, Jerry West entered the NBA as the 2nd overall draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first year, West became an…
Day 43: Jack Sikma
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 43 of the Omer. Hesed sheb’malchut. Kingship that leads to loving-kindness.? Tonight begins the seventh and final week of the Omer, the week of malchut, or kingship. This week we’ll be highlighting players with championship DNA, who have contributed to title-winning teams. On Day 43, hesed sheb’malchut, our…
Day 42: Big Game James
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 42 of the Omer. Malchut sheb’yesod. The championship foundation. In 1982, the Los Angeles Lakers brought home the NBA title behind two all-time greats, 3x League MVP Magic Johnson and 6x League MVP, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Their championship roster included two more future Hall of Famers (Bob McAdoo &…
Day 41: Dirk Nowitzki
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 41 of the Omer. Yesod sheb’yesod. The ultimate foundation.? Every team yearns for a foundational player. The type of player who can carry an offense over a whole season, while being adequate on defense. The type of player who can make their teammates better and still take over…
Day 40: The Senator
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 40 of the Omer. Hod sheb’yesod. Righteousness that manifests as humility. Staying grounded is difficult when fans, coaches, and the media want to hype you up. It would have been easy for Harrison Barnes to lose his sense of humility after leading Ames High School to two undefeated…
Day 38 + 39: Wonder Boy
Originally posted on Omertime:
The sixth week of the Omer, is the week of yesod. Yesod is translated as foundation and is associated with the tzadik, or righteous person. During this week, I’ve been looking for foundational players or players who embody righteousness. Day 38 of the Omer is tif’eret sheb’yesod, demanding a player whose…
Day 37: The Ojeleye Factory
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 37 of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’yesod. Strength that emerges from righteousness. Yesod (foundation) integrates and channels the energy of the upper sefirot into malchut. It is associated with Joseph because he was able to resist temptation and live a righteous life. One Day 37, that righteous, focussed energy…
Day 36: Marcus Smart
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 36 of the Omer. Hesed sheb’yesod. Generosity that flows from justice. Was there any way that I was not going to choose Marcus Smart for Day 36? Absolutely not. The week of Yesod, which begins today is associated with the Biblical figure of Joseph, who is one of…
Day 35: Mad Dog
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 35 of the Omer. Malchut sheb’hod. Humility that leads to Kingship. I got to interact with Mark Madsen a bit at Stanford University. He was so genuine, so humble. There was nobody on those great Stanford teams that I was happier to see become an NBA champion. In…
Day 34: The Dream
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 34 of the Omer. Yesod sheb’hod. The Humble Pioneer. Day 34, ultimately came down to two 7 foot superstars with Nigerian roots: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Hakeem Olajuwon. On yesod sheb’hod, you can’t go wrong choosing between two humble superstars who have become pioneers in professional basketball. Giannis is…
Day 33: The Ideal #2
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 33 of the Omer. Hod sheb’hod. The Ideal Humility. Hod is associated with Moses’s brother, Aaron, who is the ideal #2 in Torah. He complements his brother Moses, speaks on his behalf in Egypt, and serves as a priest and peacemaker for the Israelites while they wander in…
Day 32: The Big Aristotle
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 32 of the Omer. Netzach sheb’hod. Humility that leads to winning.? Sometimes you have to look for the specific moment in a player’s career to really understand a combination of sefirot. Shaquille O’Neal is the definition of larger than life. At 7’1”, 325 lbs, Shaq was too big…
Day 31: The No-Stats All-Star
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 31 of the Omer. Tif’eret sheb’hod. Humility that manifests in balance.? It’s taken me a few days to wrap my mind around this week’s sefirah of hod and connect it to the world of basketball. In Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow, Rabbi Art Green writes that “Hod is…
Day 30: Breanna Stewart
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 30 of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’hod. Humility that manifests as power.? In only three years in the WNBA, Breanna Stewart has been a 2x All-Star, League MVP, and WNBA Champion, while averaging 20.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists/game. That’s a small sample size, but she’s simply been…
Day 29: Paul Silas
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 29 of the Omer. Hesed sheb’hod. Humility that manifests in generosity. The best NBA player to ever wear #29 was Paul Silas. Silas was a dominant rebounder and defender who won three NBA championships. The 2x All-Star and 5x member of the All-Defensive Team, nearly averaged a double-double…
Day 28: Getting Iggy With It
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 28 of the Omer. Malchut sheb’netzach. Winning that manifests in Kingship. How do you become a King? By beating one. And that’s exactly what Andre Iguodala did with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers and King James, while winning Finals MVP.* After moving to…
Day 27: Eternal Teammates
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 27 of the omer. Yesod sheb’netzach. Eternal Teammates.? Netzach means eternity, and for the sixth day of the week of netzach, we celebrate someone who was willing and able to be a good teammate for eternity, #27 Jack Twyman. Twyman was a 6x All-Star and Hall of Famer,…
Day 25: Big Shot Bob
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 25 Netzach sheb’netzah. #Winning #Ringz When you look at the list of NBA players with the most championships, 8 of the top 9 are members of the great Boston Celtic teams of the 1950s and 60s. The 9th is Robert Horry aka “Big Shot Bob.” Besides those Celtics,…
Day 24: The Professor
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 24 of the Omer. Tif’eret sheb’netzach. Within endurance, there is beauty. Andre Miller first came on my radar as the point guard for the University of Utah basketball team, led by Keith Van Horn in 1995. In 1998, with Van Horn gone, he led the Runnin’ Utes to…
Day 26: Kyle Korver
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 26 of the Omer. Hod sheb’netzach. Humility that emerges from endurance. Throughout his 16 year NBA career, Kyle Korver has carved out a role as an elite three point shooter and floor spacer. Four times, he’s led the league in three point shooting and for his career he…
Alternative Day 23: Maya Moore
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 23 of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’netzach. Power that comes from victory. If Day 23 were just about victory (netzach), Maya Moore would be a perfectly defensible selection. In 2017, Sports Illustrated called her “the greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball.” It is tough to argue with…
Day 23: Jordan vs. LeBron
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 23. Gevurah sheb’netzach. Endurance/Victory that manifests in Power. Well, if you thought the choice on Day 21 was hard, welcome to Day 23. Who you got: Michael Jordan or LeBron James? I’m not talking about the debate for G.O.A.T. I’m talking about who most embodies gevurah sheb’netzach, the…
Day 21: The Big Ticket or The Big Fundamental?
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 21 of the Omer. Malchut sheb’tiferet. Beauty/balance/truth that manifests as Kingship. Jersey numbers are strange. 300 players have worn the #21 in NBA history. Only 26 have worn the #29. Why? I don’t think 29 is that bad of a number. But when it comes to choosing one…
Day 20: The Scientist
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 20. Yesod sheb’tiferet. The beautiful pioneer. With the 57th pick from the in the 1999 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected an unknown guard from Argentina, Manu Ginóbili. Once Ginóbili made his NBA debut in 2002, it didn’t take long for Manu to make a name for…
Day 19: The Captain
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 19 of the Omer. Hod sheb’tiferet. Compassion that leads to Gratitude. If you know one thing about Knicks great Willis Reed, it’s probably his heroic appearance in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. After suffering a torn thigh muscle in Game 5, his…
Day 18: The Zen Master
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 18. Netzach sheb’tif’eret. Balance that leads to winning. On Day 18, two days before Yom Haatzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, I’d like to give a special shout to the best NBA player ever from Israel, Omri Casspi. But todays’ final choice came down to two 6’8”/6’9” left-handed, power forwards,…
Day 17: Hondo
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 17 of the Omer. Tife’ret sheb’tif’eret. Balance & beauty. Today’s player is an 8x NBA Champion, 8x member of the All-Defensive team, and 13x All-Star. John “Hondo” Havlicek was a well-rounded Hall of Famer, who grew from a rookie hanging his hat on defense to retiring as the…
Day 16: Kung Pow
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 16 of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’tif’eret. Power that flows from balance.? For the second day in a row, during this week of tif’eret, we are honoring a European big man with an all-around game. There are a few players with more balanced games or more balanced interests than…
Day 14: Cynthia Cooper
Originally posted on Omertime:
When the WNBA launched in 1997, I knew all the best American players. They were the members of the 1996 Olympic Team that had just won the gold medal. At least that is who the WNBA marketed, players like Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Rebecca Lobo.? And then here comes #14,…
Day 15: Big Honey
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 15 of the Omer. Hesed sheb’tif’eret. Generousity that flows from balance. Today begins weeks 3 of the Omer, the week of tif’eret, which connotes beauty, harmony, balance, and compassion and the different ways they manifest in the world. There are few players in the NBA with a more…
Day 13: The Godfather of the Euro step
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 13. Yesod sheb’gevurah. Laying a foundation through power. Heading into the 1988 Seoul Olympics, US Men’s Basketball Team had lost only once in its history, to the Soviet Union at the 1972 Olympics in an extremely controversial ending. But there was no debate over their second loss, again to…
Day 10: Name the Player
Originally posted on Omertime:
Today is Day 10. Tif’eret sheb’gevurah. Beauty that emerges from strength. All-American in high school. Two-time national champion in college. Voted the top collegiate point guard in the country three times. College player of the year as a senior. Number one draft pick. Three championships in the pros. Eleven All-Star appearances. …
Day 4: Dolph Schayes
Originally posted on Omertime:
4/12 – Netzach sheb’hesed Today is Day 4 of the omer. Netzach sheb’hesed. From love, there emerges eternity.? One of the things that’s becoming clearer to me is that while the sefirah of the week is primary, the way that it manifests on each day will be different. During this week…
Day 3: She Got Game
Originally posted on Omertime:
Tif’eret, often translated as beauty, compassion, or harmony, is the perfect integration of hesed (love) and gevurah (power). So on Day 3 of the Omer, we are going with the woman that Doris Burke calls the “most versatile women’s basketball player that we have ever laid eyes on.”? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxsz2v_1AQQ The 2x…
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