Maimonides (Mishnah Torah, Laws of Prayer 1:2) writes that when we pray we should praise God, then plead that God grant us our needs, then thank God for all the goodness we have been given.
This approach to prayer is not only the basis of the daily Amidah (silent devotion), but has also been recently popularized by Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos.
During the recent football season, when he achieved success on the field, Tebow dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and offered thanks in a widely imitated posture that has now become known as “tebowing.”
Tebow was raised in an Evangelical Christian family, and claims that these prayers are a true expression of the faith in which he was raised.
Many ministers of his faith praise Tebow for doing this and hold him up as a model for others. Cynics criticize him for so bringing religion and prayer into the secular world of sports.
There are two often-stated reasons why tebowing may trouble us. First, we have enough difficulty figuring out why the master of a universe filled with more galaxies than any human will ever count should be concerned with the foibles of humanity without presuming that he even bothers with sports.
Can God really care about a small leather ball, even if teams of human judges use multiple camera angles and instant replay to painstakingly determine its exact location when the knee of the man carrying it touches the ground?
But however you or I may feel, don’t try telling a running back that just got slammed to the turf diving for a first down that sports are unimportant. For NFL players, making a tough catch or reaching the end zone can mean millions of dollars in salary, let alone fame and endorsements.
In our prayers we petition God for sustenance. If we allow in our liturgy for a salesman to appeal for God’s blessing in consummating a deal, for a fisherman to request bounty in his nets, and for a job seeker to ask for God’s help in making a favorable impression in an interview, why shouldn’t a professional football player ask God to help him succeed in his profession?
Perhaps fans who come bare-chested to stadiums for games in the winter with messages written on their skin and go into mourning if their team loses are taking a spectator sport too seriously.
But to professional athletes, sports constitute their livelihood. Especially in such a high risk, high-pressure activity as professional football, it only seems natural that athletes with religious faith turn to God.
A second concern about prayer in athletics is: What about the other team? Every success of the Broncos’ offense is a failure for their opponent’s defense.
While Tebow offers his thanks, what prayer should the outraced cornerback or juked out linebacker recite? Should they direct their frustration and disappointment towards God?
Perhaps they will. Perhaps players who feel at fault for their team losing the game will search their souls and turn to God for solace. But why should that stop Tebow from being thankful when he succeeds?
Many facets of our lives are competitive, just less obviously than sports. Other firms are also vying for the account when a salesman makes a pitch. They may also have families to feed and be desperate to pay their bills.
When one person succeeds in business, a competitor will likely suffer. Should this stop someone from being thankful if they get the job or land the client?
But this is only thanks. What about prayers for victory? When one team wins the other looses.
Athletes of faith may roam both sidelines and gather in both huddles. Each team can count numerous religious devotees and even clergy among its fans.
It seems silly for them all to pray to God for victory. How can one team and its fans presume to have more influence with the divine than the other? Each side must realize that God cannot make both sides’ wishes come true.
In truth, however, who among us has never said a prayer that we doubt will be answered? We pray to God that the very ill recover from their sicknesses, knowing that many will not. We pray for peace most fervently when war is imminent, and pray for safety when faced with danger.
We do not anticipate that all our prayers be heeded since we accept that death and suffering will never be purged from our world. So why should Broncos players not ask God to let them advance in the playoffs, as long as they recognize that sometimes the response from heaven is no?
I find no fault with turning to God by professional athletes. Let them offer prayers for long completions, touchdowns, and even victory, and thanks when those events happen.
But I do have a complaint about Tebow. Not because of the prayers he says, but with regards to where and when he says them.
In his authoritative Code of Jewish law written in 16th century Safed, Rabbi Joseph Karo details how personal thanks and petition should be added to the Amidah (Laws of Prayer, chapter 119). Prayers for health go into the blessing thanking God for healing, prayers for sustenance go into the prayer for an abundant harvest, and so forth.
All these additions have one thing in common. Our personal prayers are inserted into the silent Amidah, not into the repetition recited out loud by the leader. Why? Because personal prayers should remain private between the individual and God.
The whole congregation doesn’t need to hear about any individual’s needs, problems, or good fortune. And how would someone reciting a prayer for bread on the table feel if forced to listen to another congregant’s gratitude for success in the stock market?
Humility demands that thanks be offered discreetly in order to not seem presumptuous and to not arouse the ire of those not similarly blessed.
What’s wrong with tebowing is when it is done on the field in play, in full view of television cameras, the fans, and the other team. There is nothing wrong with Tim Tebow or any other athlete offering prayers, but they should do it in private before or after the game.
When Tebow dropped to one knee after throwing the winning overtime touchdown pass to defeat the Stealers in the first round of the playoffs, I also said a little prayer. That God should teach the young, rising star quarterback to be a bit more humble.
Rabbi Shlomo Levin is spiritual leader of Lake Park Synagogue.
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