Next week’s haftorah (reading from Prophets), “Shabbat Shekalim”, contains the following verses: (2 Kings 11:19-20; translation from Artscroll)
“He took the CHIEFS of the hundreds, the leaders, the runners, and all the people of the land, and they escorted the king down from the house of the Lord. They came by way of the gate of the runners to the royal palace, and he sat on the royal throne. The entire people of the land rejoiced and the city was tranquil...”
And now, with my interpretive comments:
“HE TOOK THE CHIEFS OF THE HUNDREDS” — Clark Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, took the team and its hundreds of employees
“THE LEADERS” — the front office people
“THE RUNNERS” — the players
“AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND” — and a large group of fans
“AND THEY ESCORTED THE KING” — Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP
“DOWN” — south, to Tampa, Florida
“FROM THE HOUSE OF THE LORD” — from the Bible Belt, where the Chiefs play
“THEY CAME BY WAY OF THE GATE OF THE RUNNERS” — The team emerged from the player entry tunnel
“TO THE ROYAL PALACE” — to the stadium, where the champion is crowned
“AND HE SAT ON THE ROYAL THRONE” — and Mahomes deposed Tom Brady as king of the NFL
“THE ENTIRE PEOPLE OF THE LAND REJOICED” — the people of the heartland, where the Chiefs play
“AND THE CITY WAS TRANQUIL” — and Kansas City celebrated peacefully and with joy
You heard it here first folks! Go Chiefs!
Rabbi Moshe Grussgott is the senior rabbi at Kehilath Israel Synagogue
