Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 3 Day 49
“It was through our failure that people started to suspect science is a device for exploration; parliaments pulpits for hypocrisy, and religion a pretext for a bad conscience. In the tantalized souls of those who had faith in ideals, suspicion became a dogma and contempt the only solace. Mistaking the abortion of their conscience for intellectual heroism, many thinkers employ clever pens to scold and to scorn the reverence for life, the awe of truth, the loyalty to justice. Man, about to hang himself, discovers it is easier to hang others.”(Man’s Quest for God pgs. 149-150)
I am in awe of Rabbi Heschel’s wisdom, vision, and prophetic words. Writing this in 1938, expanded and published in 1943, his words echo today’s reality in chilling realness. We have come through a pandemic that is still being called a hoax by some people who want to ‘hang’ Dr. Fauci and the other scientists who gave us good scientific advice and developed cures for Covid-19. We witness the anger of people and their opposition to the different preventative techniques and paths that science gave us. Their belief that these were governmental controls on our freedom, we didn’t need them and we suffered needlessly is but one example of “people started to suspect science is a device for exploitation.”
Our governments have become “pulpits for hypocrisy” all across the world. The authoritarian/‘populist’ dictators say one thing and do another. Trump’s “I am your retribution” and other such statements are words to convince people of the hypocrisy of “the deep state” while being the “deep state” himself. Rather than stand up to the liars and deceivers, rather than stand up for truth, some in our government want to stand up for the liars and deceivers, the authoritarians and the hypocrites because it gives them ‘power’. We are witnessing a time, similar to the pre-civil war times as I learned about them, where some of our elected officials are not interested in upholding the Constitution as much as they interested in holding onto their own personal power. We are hearing and seeing actual fighting or threats of violence in the Chambers of Congress. We are hearing and seeing legislation being brought forth that limits Voting Rights, a woman’s right to choose her own health care, bargaining for the safety of our allies, and a witch-hunt to help Donald Trump get re-elected! George Santos is the extreme example of hypocrisy that the Republicans were wont to overlook until it became too extreme even for them. Yet, we have Marjorie Taylor Greene spreading lies and conspiracies about Jan. 6, 2021, we have Jim Jordon promoting baseless lies about President Biden, we have Tommy Tuberville preventing the promotions of our Military harming the readiness and morale of our volunteer Armed Services. We have ‘the squad’ promoting the extermination of Jews and the end of the State of Israel by promoting the words of the Hamas terrorist organization “from the river to the sea”, calling them ‘freedom fighters’ who killed innocents, riddled babies bodies with bullets, took hostages, glided into a music festival about peace with guns and mowed down over 300 young people! Is it any wonder that people see “parliaments pulpits for hypocrisy”?
While the first two bastardizations are terrible, I believe the third, “religion a pretext for a bad conscience” is the most devastating desecration of God’s Name that we engage in. As I listen to the ‘religious right’ of all religions, to the ‘progressive left’ of all religions, I am left abandoned, I am left alone, I am left in sadness for God. People like Mike Johnson who claim the Bible is their north star and offer legislation that will turn away the strangers, impoverish the poor and the needy even more, cut aid to the elderly, stand idly by the blood and calls of our allies, is it any wonder people refuse to believe religion has anything good to offer? When the Rabbis supporting the settlers teach it is okay to murder innocent Palestinians, when they are spreading venomous lies and denigrating the Image of God all people are born with, for their own political and power grabs, is there a question about their desecration of God’s Name-the worst sin in the Jewish tradition? When Hamas and the Palestinians refuse to acknowledge the rights of Jews and Israelis to the State of Israel in the ancient homeland of the Jewish People, when the Arab States, in the name of Allah call for the extermination of the Jewish People, is there any doubt as to their using faith as “a pretext for a bad conscience”?
We can learn from the failures of our ancestors, from the failures of our parents and our own failures. I believe Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith learned from the failures of doctors, therapists, professionals, and their own experiences to form Alcoholics Anonymous. I believe Rabbi Heschel learned from the failures of Jewish History and world history to form his teachings on how to live well. We have the gift of their wisdom and the wisdom of many other ‘failures’. Just as Edison kept trying new ways with electricity, we have to “fail forward” in our recovery of science, government and religion to help us live well. We do this by engaging in the Spiritual Revolution that the Recovery Revolution promotes. We do this by coming out of hiding, by shining lights on our failures, on the failures and mendacity of societal norms that are unhealthy and unholy, repairing the damage of these failures and finding new ways to promote the benefits of science, government and religion.
I have “failed forward” for 36+ years. I am bewildered as to why the liars, like Hamas and individuals like Trump and those closer to home, are believed while my words, the words of the Israelis have to be “verified”. I realize the damage my lies prior to my recovery wrought and I work to repair the damage each day. I seek truth and do my best to live in truth in a world of lies and masks. I miss the mark and I continue to get up, make T’Shuvah and move forward. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark