As Phillip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts made their charge down the field at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park last Saturday, was there anyone among us who didn’t hold their breaths in terror or look away altogether? After twenty-five years of failures, it seemed inevitable that we were destined for more heartache. But, as Micah Hyde knocked down the ball, we knew something had finally shifted in the universe – the Bills had officially won an NFL playoff game.
They did so in the old fashioned way, the same way Moses approached Pharaoh in this week’s Torah portion, Vayera, to overcome hundreds of years of ineptitude, by following the three central rules of successful leadership:
- Never go it alone – Moses had Aaron and God by his side. From the beginning this would be a team effort.
- Have a plan of action – No one said this would be easy. To overcome the Egyptians, Moses would have to be persistent and resilient. Their plan would require many steps, some harder than others. They would have to endure disappointment and loss, keeping the end goal always in sight.
- Do it for others and not just for yourself – Each time Moses and Aaron confronted pharaoh they did so not solely on their behalf, but on behalf of the entire Israelite community that stood behind them.
Following these rules meant anything and everything is possible – even, dare I say it, the Super Bowl. For the only people unafraid as the seconds ticked away of the game were the Bills themselves, confident that they could overcome any opponent that stood in their way.
Shabbat Shalom and Go Bills!
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 02/13/2021 by Marc Slonim