Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 2 Day 187
“It is true that the commandment to be holy is exorbitant, and that our constant failures and transgressions fill us with contrition and grief. Yet we are never lost. We are the sons of Abraham. Despite all faults, failures, and sins, we remain parts of the Covenant.” (God in Search of Man pg. 378)
Reading the last sentence above demonstrates both the essence of Judaism, the call of the prophets, and the large tent that Rabbi Heschel lived in. Rather than shun people, rather than excommunicate people, rather than see differences as threats to his survival, Rabbi Heschel lived life and teaches us to live life as “parts of the Covenant”, not singular groupings, not identity politics, not blaming everyone else for what is happening in our lives and around us.
The governor of Texas blamed the victims for their deaths in the terrible mass shooting over the weekend in Cleveland, Texas. The governor of Florida blames ‘woke’ people for the troubles in his state, he probably blames them for the flooding that he was conveniently out of state for. The Republican Party joins with people waving the Swastika and spouting neo-Nazi slogans and political positions in their war on LGBTQ+ people. There is a foundation in Arizona that works with Uganda and other nations in Africa to make homosexuality a crime punishable by death. Taking away a woman’s right to choose, her ability to get an abortion to save her life, are ‘godly actions’ to some. The more conservative Supreme Court Justices defending their questionable ethics, their non-reporting and lying on income forms and complaining that people are not nice to them; forgetting that as the top appeals court in the land, they must be above reproach and non-political, non-religious in their decisions no matter their backgrounds. They show no respect for ethics, they show no respect for settled law, they show no respect for anyone or anything that isn’t in their best interest or the best interest of their benefactors and wonder why their rulings are questioned and, soon enough, will come to be disregarded as they have disregarded the rulings of earlier courts and they disregard the dictum that justice has to be blind and “bribes blind the eyes of the wise” as the Bible teaches. We have to remember, however, even with their “faults, failures, and sins” they and “we remain parts of the Covenant”.
For those of us who are aware of our “faults, failures and sins”, Rabbi Heschel’s teachings come as good news, as relief, and as a reminder of our imperfection and God’s acceptance of our imperfect ways of being. We learn that we are never “thrown out” of the Covenant, that God is always near-no matter how far away we may feel from God- and we are always accepted. It also reminds us that everyone matters, what we do has impact far beyond our self, far beyond what we believe is our “circle of influence”, what we do, who we be, matters in the universe and to God. We are so important we are not tossed aside at the first or 1000th “faults, failures and sins”. We are so needed we are told in the Bible that when we “miss the mark” we need spiritual counseling, not banishment; we need to be known for our uniqueness and welcomed for our differences; we need to welcome everyone into our home, community, way of being rather than shun and be afraid of the stranger, the poor, the needy. In Deuteronomy, we are taught that we “all are standing here” from the heads of the tribes to the water drawer, everyone is part of the covenant and everyone is imperfect. Living into Rabbi Heschel’s wisdom allows us to take our proper place rather than abdicate it because of our imperfections.
In recovery, we surrender to truth, we surrender to community, we surrender to spirit. Rather than blame and shame, we are responsible for our actions-good and not good-, we are embraced by community no matter what and we embrace another(s) so they know they are welcome, needed, wanted and loved-no matter what. We make a list of our errors, our resentments, our failures without blaming another, without shaming ourselves. We share with one another our victories and our flaws, our successes and our sins, we believe that “failing forward” is the path to wholeness and living well. In recovery, we are constantly seeking to carry the message of recovery to those who suffer in silence, shame and blame.
My recovery has not stopped my “faults, failures and sins” from happening-it has made them happen less and, usually, not cause as much damage as before. I have come to believe that we all are “parts of the Covenant” even those who wish me bad, who have hurt me, who blame me and shame me, ignore me. If I welcome those who do me good, help me, raise me up, pay attention to me, I have to welcome those who don’t-this is how big God’s tent is and it has to be how big mine is. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark