The first time I attended a Buffalo Bills game a decade ago, it was half empty. The mood in the stadium was apathetic, fans hardly paying attention to what was going on below on the field. After sixteen years of not even making the playoffs, losing felt inevitable. The past six years have been a completely different story. What changed? A 6”5 man beast from Wyoming named Josh Allen playing quarterback not only transformed our team’s fortunes, but our city’s as well.
The first two words of this week’s Torah portion tells the story of why each of us matter to one another. “Vayeitzei Yaakov – Jacob left.” According to commentators, the absence of our patriarch from his birthplace changes everything. In response to these first two words, Rashi tells us, “the departure of a righteous person from his city makes an impression. As long as a righteous man is in his city, he is its glory and splendor and beauty; when he leaves it, there depart also its glory, its splendor and its beauty.”
Whether we are talking about Josh Allen or any one of us, one person can change everything. We matter to one another. By putting down a stake in any location, we have the opportunity to transform it. How lucky we are to have full stadiums at Bills games! How lucky we are to have one another!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex