Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 2 Day 172
“Living in “the light of the face of God” bestows upon man a power of love that enables him to overcome the powers of evil. The seductiveness of vice is excelled by the joys of the mitsvah. “Ye shall be men of holiness unto Me” (Exodus 22:30).”(God in Search of Man pg 376)
Holiness is a state of being in which we experience being set apart, elevated, and connected. While these three experiences may seem different, they are, in fact, very connected. Rabbi Heschel is, once again, reminding us and/or teaching us what it means to be human, what it takes “to overcome the powers of evil”, holiness through the mitzvot. We are called to be “a holy nation”, a “nation of priests” which means we do not relegate holiness to ‘those exalted few’, rather we are all responsible, capable and needed to live in the state of holiness. As imperfect as we may be at any given moment, we still have the obligation and reward of being holy.
We do not set ourselves apart from other people, we set ourselves apart from the “seductiveness of vice”. In turning and returning to our primordial state of being holy, we live into and lean into the “power of love” that abides in our guts and is diminished and defeated by our fears, our giving into “the powers of evil”, our self-deception that we are not good enough nor are we capable of being holy. Living into our innate holiness allows us to see the beauty of our souls, the power of our talents/gifts, and the strength to follow through on our calling and live our purpose and passion out loud. It is hard to do in the world of mendacity and illusion which has overpowered and sneered at our basic goodness of being and our holiness. Holiness is a gift that we are given at birth, and as Einstein reminds us, “we have forgotten the gift and worship the servant” which is what gives the “seductiveness of vice” its shine and allure.
We elevate our self and our world through “the joys of mitsvah”. The mitzvah is a pathway and a roadmap to our returning to our authentic self and being of service to God, other people, and our selves. It is our guide to finding the purpose and meaning in the seemingly smallest of acts and in the grandeur of living morally. Rabbi Heschel is calling out to us in this and every one of his teachings to “come home”, to leave the superficiality of ‘how things look’ and immerse ourselves in the joy, the learning, the liberation and freedom that engaging in mitzvot gives us. He is demanding we live up to our calling, live up to our being a partner with God, live up to the divine need we are created to suffice. We can only do this when we elevate our self from “the powers of evil” and return to “living in the light of the face of God”. We are capable, we are needed, we yearn to do this, it is only the deception of another(s) and our self-deception that prevents us.
As we set ourselves apart and elevate our self, we are connected to our souls and to the souls of everyone around us. Setting ourselves apart and elevating ourselves gives us the opportunity to relate to one another on a soul-to-soul level rather than on a role-to-role level. We also relate to God on a soul-to-soul level which replaces the infantile vision of God, replaces the anthropomorphic ideas of God and we relate to the creative energy, the morality, the kindness and compassion, the truth and justice of God. We are able to accept people for who they are and not “need” to make false images of them nor buy into the false images they present. We are able to accept our self with our imperfections and not need to hide behind facades and mendacity. Being connected gives us the “power of love” and the experience of “the joys of the mitsvah”.
In recovery, we set ourselves apart from the negative version of our selves that we engaged in with veracity and vengeance. Through the steps, through the mitzvot, we elevate our daily living and “act our way into right thinking and feeling”. Being a part of recovery allows us to know we are connected to one another and we are needed by another(s) and we need them as well. Being in recovery is being in holiness, being in recovery is hearing and heeding God’s call and Rabbi Heschel’s teachings.
I do not always live into my holiness, I make mistakes and have a negative impact at times. Yet, I also know how often I am living into holiness and how much joy I receive from the mitzvot. As I grow in my understanding of Rabbi Heschel’s wisdom and in my own recovery, I find the “power of love” overwhelms me and allows me to feel sad for those who are stuck in their Egypts and joyful in connecting with others who “trudge the road to happy destiny’ with me. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark