Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel

Year 3 Day 225

“Daily we should take account and ask: What have I done today to alleviate the anguish, to mitigate the evil, to prevent humiliation?” (Insecurity of Freedom pg 94)

People who have left the world of faith, who have erroneously believed (because of poor educators and clergy) that God is almighty and can do anything, need to hear these words of Rabbi Heschel. People who are so-called ‘religious’ and act out on their erroneous interpretations of the Bible and cause “anguish”, humiliation” and perpetrate “evil” need to imbue Rabbi Heschel’s teaching into their souls, into their core.

I am hearing Rabbi Heschel reminding us that the Bible never says “anguish, evil, humiliation” will leave us. Au contraire, he is demanding we face the “anguish, evil, humiliation” and do what we can to “alleviate, mitigate, and prevent” these desecrations from happening! Nowhere is there to be found in these words the ridiculous idea that God will end all of this on God’s own. Maimonidies tells us that we have to bring about the messianic era by our deeds, not just sit around and wait for the Messiah, the second coming, the Rapture, and other myths. We have to be actively involved in the ‘coming of the Messiah’, the ‘second coming of Jesus’; not just wait, not just have faith. As Rabbi Heschel says elsewhere: “A Jew is asked to take a leap of action rather than a leap of faith.” Faith is important, it is not crucial, action is crucial as the words above import to us.

Taking a dive into what Rabbi Heschel is saying above, after experiencing the “dark night of the soul” I wrote about yesterday, we see that the questions are all in the positive. There is no mention of what we did wrong, how we may have caused “anguish, evil, humiliation”, only how we have “alleviate, mitigate, prevent” these horrific experiences when they happen. Which begs the question: are we aware of the “anguish, evil, humiliation” that is around us, are we mindful of our need to “lift up our eyes and see”(Gen.13:14)?

Herein lies the issue that many of us have with the so-called ‘religious’ groups who proclaim they know God’s Will and then proceed to cause “anguish,  and humiliation” rather than “alleviate or prevent” them from happening. Today, we are witnessing, once again, the blessings these religious charlatans, these idolators bestow upon the authoritarians in our midst or wanna be authoritarians who revel in the “anguish, evil, and humiliation” they can, do and will cause! We are, as the Catholic Church, as many Protestant Ministers did in Germany in the 1930’s going along with the power so they can ‘get theirs’, so their so-called ‘enemies’ will be defeated and destroyed and doing this in the name of God!! Where does it say that “Jews will not replace us” is said by “good people” as the ‘chosen one’ of these false religious leaders says? Where does it say ‘treat the poor and the needy with contempt’ as their false ‘messiah’ preaches? Where does Jesus say ‘throw rocks and keep throwing them at the people attempting to stop the Romans from crucifying their ‘enemies’? Yet, many of the masses believe these Idolators, these False Prophets because they wear the cloak of Clergy and spew our lies and deceptions in the name of a False god! How sad, how frightening and how this goes against the teaching above.

We, the people, however, have the obligation to refute these deceivers and these spreaders of mendacious thoughts, ideas, and actions. We have the joy of looking at ourselves each and every day through prayer, through study, through making an inventory and seeing how we have engaged in “alleviate the anguish, to mitigate the evil, to prevent humiliation”. We have the honor and privilege of looking ourselves in the mirror, figuratively or literally, and realizing the power that is within us to do all this for another and for ourselves. We take the actions necessary to raise our souls and our standard of living to the level we are meant to each and every day. We “lift up our eyes and see” the Promised Land is right here if we are willing to make it so. We take seriously the call to “care for the needy, the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger” knowing that without them, our society is incomplete. We realize the gift that those who need our help give us by allowing us to be of service to them, to promote our unique gift and talent in the world which leads us to “alleviate the anguish, to mitigate the evil, to prevent humiliation”!!

As one who caused “anguish, evil, humiliation” during my years of being ‘out of this world’ through my self-exile from God, from Biblical teachings, from being a decent human being in all my affairs, I read the words above with trembling awe! I also know they have been the cornerstone of my recovery and my life’s work. While I am bombastic, loud, in your face and not everyone’s cup of tea, I have, each day since December of 1986 worked diligently to live into and up to Rabbi Heschel’s teaching above. I did it directly through my work as a “Jewish Jail” worker, my work as one of Rabbis of the Community, my living my T’Shuvah each day, and I do it now through this blog and the people who carry on the teachings and actions the words above call for, of which there are many. I learn more and more each day how to fulfill Rabbi Heschel’s words without having to put myself down, without having to make someone else bad, to rejoice in the actions I take and the ones so many people I know take to “alleviate the anguish, to mitigate the evil, to prevent humiliation” that is rampant in our world today. I am  proud to be a part of the Army of human beings who continue to bring kindness, love, compassion, truth and joy to our world. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark