Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel

Year 3 Day 180

“It is time for the white man to strive for self-emancipation, to set himself free of bigotry, to stop being a slave to wholesale contempt, a passive recipient of slander” (Insecurity of Freedom pg 87-88)

Tonight, Jews across the world will celebrate the Exodus from Egypt by retelling the story of liberation from Pharaoh, the liberation from their own inner slaveries, the crossing of the Red Sea. Yet, as Rabbi Heschel says earlier in his talk on Race and Religion, “Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate”.

In our self-deception, too many of us believe we are already free, we are already whole and we need to hold onto the past tightly. In doing this, we continue to give power to the Pharaoh, both within us and outside of us. Rather than heeding Rabbi Heschel’s words above, the “white man” has ensconced himself in “bigotry”, he relishes his “being a slave to wholesale contempt”, and imbues “slander” with an insatiable appetite. And, in order to be ‘like the man’, many other races have joined in their own “bigotry”, “wholesale contempt” and “slander”! It is sad, it is devastating, it is blasphemy.

Just as Easter and Ramadan are holy days of liberation of the spirit in the here and now, so too is Passover holy days of spiritual liberation, liberation from the slavery of ‘stinking thinking’, liberation from the slavery of a sick soul, liberation from the slavery of bad actions. We are to invite in the poor and the hungry so they can eat, we are to invite in the needy so they can join in the liberation, we are to “obligated to see ourselves as if we too had been brought out of Egypt”. Yet, we keep believing we have already been redeemed, not realizing redemption is a daily exercise, the Pharaoh within us is “not ready to capitulate”.

While many people defend their “bigotry”, give ‘rational’ reasons for their “wholesale contempt”, and relish in being “a passive recipient of slander”, the truth is there is not defense, no ‘rational’ reasons, nothing to relish in our behaviors. These ways of being are the antithesis of what it means to celebrate Passover, Easter, Ramadan, etc. We have become so enslaved to the past, we have become so enamored with our lies, we are unable to see the “forest for the trees”. We are so involved in minutia, many of us are blind to the call to help the poor, welcome the hungry, leave Egypt with the help of people who are ‘not like us’ and have so much to teach us, so much love to give to us, so in need of the love we can/should be giving to them.

The inability to “set himself free of bigotry…” unfolds before us daily. Whether it is Bibi or Trump, Putin or Orban, Hamas or Iran, as well as all of their proxies and adherents, we are bombarded with the “slander” they spew, we are ensconced in the “wholesale contempt” for them and their followers, and our “bigotry” towards them seems holy and right. The pro-Hamas protestors who use the Palestinian people’s plight as their shield for hatred of Jews and their goal of destroying Israel, are seen as righteous in their “slander”, “wholesale contempt” and “bigotry” towards the Jewish people and anyone who supports Israel’s right to exist. The right-wing religious zealots in Israel and around the globe who believe killing a Palestinian is a good thing, ordained by god, are unembarrassed by their “bigotry”, “wholesale contempt” and “slander”. The Republicans who parrot Putin’s lies and disinformation with such vitriol and fervor, Fox News, et al, who make shit up just to deify Trump and enslave anyone not like them, ie white, rich, privileged, all are slaves to their “bigotry”, “wholesale contempt” and “slander”. While this alone is horrific, the real tragedy is how many people they infect, how many people have become mesmerized by their “bigotry” etc. They have, through their “wholesale contempt” for the people they reach, engaged in “slander” and deceit to line their pockets and seek to destroy democracy, bastardize Biblical teachings, and set themselves up as Pharaoh.

Tonight we will gather to read the Haggadah, the story of liberation. We will sing the songs, say the prayers and, most importantly, tell the stories of our own liberation from slavery-both in prior years and the slavery we are leaving tonight, this year. It is imperative for all of us, even those who are “wise, knowledgable” to tell the story of liberation so we can defeat our own inner Pharaoh. We know the parts of us that want to give into “bigotry”, “wholesale contempt”, and “slander” and we also know the Moses within us that wants to and is capable of redeeming us from these slaveries. We are also aware that we have to “lift up our eyes and see” the miracle of the full moon, the miracle of the sun rising, the miracle of liberation, and all the other miracles we experience daily and no longer be oblivious to them. We are also aware of Dayenu, enough-we have enough to give to another in need, we have enough spiritual wellness to let go of our “bigotry” because we are aware of our need for one another, we have enough love to share, enough time to spare to help another, enough clarity to see everyone as our brothers and sisters, part of our human race. This, I believe, is the goal of Passover, this is the goal of Rabbi Heschel’s words above.

I know the difficulty of getting our inner and outer Pharaoh to capitulate. I have been engaged in this work for the past 35+ years and Pharaoh still subtly creeps into my mind daily-hence my need for a spiritual program. I have rooted him/her out mostly and an abundance of time-yet I need to apologize to those who have been impacted when I haven’t been able to. To those who think I have been their Pharaoh, I am sorry. To the people who still feel “wholesale contempt” for me, I am sorry and forgive you. I am leaving the Egypts above a lot more this year and I am grateful to all of you who have helped me see the nuances of life better. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark