As we approach the 50th Yahrzeit of Rabbi Heschel this week, I am dismayed at the lack of the Jewish World to take proper notice and heed his immense wisdom, compassion, strength, and spirit. In 2023, we will commemorate the 55th assassinations of Rev. Martin Luther King, Senator Robert (Bobby) Kennedy, and the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy. While we, as individuals commemorate our own personal, familial losses, I bring these 4 people up to all of us because they each, in their own way, with their own charisma and spirit, sought to better the plight of all people, sought to make this a more perfect union, and, in the case of the last 3 people, were assassinated for their efforts. Next weekend is Martin Luther King weekend, where, as with Rabbi Heschel, his words will be celebrated, his accomplishments will be celebrated, and most people have no idea that to celebrate great spirits and their wisdom is to take actions in their name, from their teachings and carry on the work they started.
This is a prime example of the intertwining of “the good impulse and the evil impulse…” as Rabbi Heschel reminds us of above. Most of the disciples of all of these leaders, these spirits, believe we are carrying on their work when, because of the confusion of our impulses, because of our self-deception, we are only parroting their words and not, as Rabbi Heschel teaches, immersing ourselves in them. This phenomena is not limited to Rev. King and Rabbi Heschel, Bobby and Jack, it goes all the way back to biblical times with Adam and Eve hiding and blaming after they disobeyed God’s command. It continues with Noah’s drunkenness, Sarah’s denials, Rebekah’s subterfuge, Jacob’s conning, just to name a few. We have continued to bastardize and ‘re-interpret’ the wisdom of Scripture to where people are saying Christ wants ‘white supremacy’! While it is easier to point out the confusion and intertwining of powerful people, of people in government, celebrities, etc; we have to remember that all of us are born with these two impulses and all of us confuse and intertwine them knowingly and unknowingly.
“Tshuvah is the most unnoticed miracle” Rabbi Heschel writes when he was in Nazi Germany in 1936, and it is such, I believe because so few of us engage in it. We are so confused and conned by our “evil impulse” that we cannot see the error of our ways, we are oblivious to our inaction of the wisdom and the work started by our teachers, guides, prophets like Rabbi Heschel and Rev. King. Many people believe that Rev. King was a leader in the Civil Rights movement for Black people, he was a leader in the Civil Rights movement for all people, which is why his coalition included so many different people. Rev. Jesse Jackson tried to carry it on with his Rainbow Coalition, and it has never reached the power of Rev. King’s movement because of the selflessness, the wide tent and the power of speaking to people in ways they could understand, Scriptures were explained and personalized by both Rev King and Rabbi Heschel. This love of God, love of all of God’s creations, love of humanity, horror and misery over how we have confused “the good impulse and the evil impulse” is the cornerstone of their teachings, their lives’ work along with an amazing optimism in the face of negativity, derision, and hatred.
It is time for all of us to learn from the insanity of this week’s House of Representatives, like Chamberlain, Kevin McCarthy sought to appease and give away the store to fanatics who believe the election of 2020 was stolen, Jews have space lasers that cause wildfires, black people are not capable of voting, immigrants who are of color should not be allowed into the country, and hatred is a badge of honor. If this isn’t an example of intertwining “the good impulse and the evil impulse”, I don’t know what is. The 90% of the Republicans who stood with McCarthy were sold out for the sake of crazies and none of them are standing up for themselves and their constituents and the country? In our willful blindness and self-deception we don’t stand for and with what is right, as Rabbi Heschel, Rev King and the Kennedy brothers taught us, showed us and engaged us in, rather we spout their words and act in opposition to their ways, their teachings, their brilliance; much like we do with the wisdom of the Bible, much like we do with changing the Gospels into the “prosperity gospels” and believing poor people are less loved by God, by Christ, what poppycock!
In recovery and in my own life, I and we work diligently to unravel these impulses, we immerse ourselves in the dream of being “judged on the content of their character rather than the color of skin”, we immerse ourselves in Radical Amazement and Wonder, staying optimistic and hopeful. We dream of what isn’t and ask why not. We are students, torch bearers, participants in evolution of the revolution that the 4 men above carried on from Biblical times. I pray all of us make this year the year of participation in their wisdom and love for all. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark