Aaron Rodgers, center, on the “Pat McAfee Show.” (Screenshot via ESPN)

By Louis Keene January 11, 2024

Was he reviewing the Ten Plagues? Brushing up on Jewish canon for his next turn on Jeopardy!? Or seeking biblical inspiration for his next comeback?

Aaron Rodgers, the star New York Jets quarterback and erstwhile game show host notorious for his esoteric off-field habits, displayed a bookshelf containing several Jewish volumes during a remote appearance Thursday on an NFL talk show.

Eagle-eyed Jewish viewers of The Pat McAfee Show said the books behind Rodgers included an Artscroll Tanach — the complete Hebrew Bible — and a Chumash Mesoras HaRav, the Pentateuch with commentary by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Rodgers did not say where he was joining from other than “the woods,” and did not expound on the teachings of Soloveitchik, the late lodestar of modern Orthodox belief. But reading the Torah wouldn’t be the craziest thing Rodgers, who is recovering from a torn Achilles he sustained in September, has done in an NFL offseason. Previous Rodgers expeditions have included a four-day darkness retreat and a three-day ayahuasca retreat.

And it’s not like he didn’t notice the books — indeed, he complimented them.

“No darkness here,” Rodgers said with a smile. “You can tell — there’s a lot of light, there’s some good books to actually read behind me. So, we’re not doing that darkness thing anymore.”

(That plague doesn’t hit Egypt until next week’s Torah portion.)

Update: Twitter sleuths have come up with a possible answer:

Folks, the answer is very Aaron Rodgers. I knew Rodgers had a guru, Aubrey Marcus, known for "darkness retreats." Marcus has interest in Jewish mysticism. But who's Marcus's Jewish guru? Marc Gafni (uh google him). @mpershan found Gafni's library and well: https://t.co/HFt6gGFuel pic.twitter.com/5OADhj1vXG

— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) January 11, 2024

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount