We all know the old joke, partly true and partly self-loathing, about the shortest book in the world — Great Jews in Sports. But every once in a while there is one, and in this most recent case, he doesn’t even take to the court. He’s Idan Ravin, the Hoops Whisperer.
Is it just kibbitizing and good marketing, for both of which Jews are already well known, or is this something more? Has Ravin tapped into a variety of Jewish experiences including the importance of staying nimble in rapidly changing circumstances, and the kind of healthy competitive spirit, known in Hebrew as kinat sofrim, which animated rabbinic debate starting with the Talmud?
Whatever is going on here, Ravin is the hottest new thing in professional basketball. And how often does that happen?