Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel

Year 3 Day 215

“That equality is a good thing, a fine goal, may be generally accepted. What is lacking is a sense of the monstrosity of inequality. (Insecurity of Freedom pr. 93)

Rabbi Heschel, in 1963, recognized the truth that “equality…may(bold is mine for emphasis) be generally accepted. We are still in this state of may some 61+ years later, as we have been since humankind was created. We have the call for equality in the Bible when we are told “there should be one law for the citizen and stranger alike”, yet even in Israel, the home of the Bible, this “fine goal” is one that “may be generally accepted.” It certainly is here in America, the “land of the free and home of the brave”. We are so free that we are willing to be ruled by despots, by people who are willing to tear down the rule of law, shred our constitution, etc. We are so brave that we have to bow down before a liar and a grifter, we watch in horror, some of us, while the people elected to do the “people’s business” instead do the ‘business’ of their party elite, the rich, etc.

What will it take for all people to adopt the belief and take the actions necessary to make the words of the Talmud alive and well in our everyday living? These words from Tractate Sanhedrin, page 37a tell us that every soul has infinite worth and dignity, every soul has equal worth and dignity and every soul has unique worth and dignity. Equality is not the same as socialism or communism as some have equated it with. I hear Rabbi Heschel’s use of the word above is that everyone has equal opportunities to learn, to grow, to live their talents in the world, to speak their truth and to be judged in a court of law, a court of public opinion based on the facts, the truth, etc without fear or favor. Equality, as I am hearing Rabbi Heschel this morning, is a level playing field where race, religion, creed have no sway in being hired, in being heard, in being voted for, in being judged, that what matters is “the content of character” and the veracity and validity of what a person is saying. Equality doesn’t mean giving equal weight to the lies and deceptions that one should be giving to truth, it does not mean nepotism, it is not interested in legacy enrollments, it is about the merits (and demerits) of each individual and policy, each educational system and religious beliefs, respecting each soul as precious and a reflection of part of the image of the divine. Equality is not sameness!

I am stuck on this paper that Rabbi Heschel delivered at the White House Conference on Race and Religion because it is relevant to our lives in this moment. There is a proliferation of movies about survivors of the Shoah, we have watched the Tattooist of Aushwitz and We Were the Lucky Ones and both show the resilience of people yearning to be free. The power of family in the latter and the power of love in both. The yearning to be free is no less in the majority of the Palestinian people than in the majority of Israeli people. The yearning to live equally in the world is as strong in the Jewish people as it is in Christian people. The yearning to be free of Russia is as equal in the Ukrainian people as the yearning to be free of China by the Tibetan people. In our world today we see the power of love, the power of resilience in Israelis, in Ukrainians, in Tibetans and in Palestinians who could come together and solve the issues if their leaders would see the truth. There is certainly equal suffering-no matter what anyone says, suffering the loss of loved ones, the terrorizing of Oct 7th, the fear of reprisals and being used as puppets and shields - no one suffering more than another, all sides are equal in their suffering and their loss of humanity.

With equality, comes, I believe, freedom- freedom to be a slave if one wants, freedom to be deceived if one chooses. It also is the freedom to mature one’s spiritual beingness, the freedom to expand one’s mind and one’s emotions. The freedom to see oneself in the face and the world of another human being. The freedom and ability to serve something greater than one’s selfish needs and desires. Equality brings us to recognize our need for one another; we need the people to haul our garbage just as much as we are needed to do our work. No one is exempt from the Covenant with God, we are all equal as it says in Deuteronomy 29:9-11: “You are all standing here…tribal heads… your wives, your children, the stranger within your camp from woodchopper to water drawer to enter the covenant with your God..” There is no one who is more or less in the ‘eyes’ of God, in the words of the Bible. We are not all tribal leaders, we are not all kings and queens, priests and prophets and we are all equal in that who we are and our unique talents are equally valued and needed to make our world draw near to the vision the Bible has for us.

I am realizing that my actions have caused some people to feel that I did not treat them with equality. I know that I attempted to and I was not always good at explaining myself. What is good for one person is not necessarily good for another and, because we live in a comparative world, we think we should all be treated the same or at least if there is any deviation, it should only be for me. I have done the best I can in each experience to see the worth and dignity of another person, I have a manner that may be too loud and boisterous for some and my way should not be used as an indictment against me or a denigration of my gifts as it has been by some throughout my lifetime. I realize that my deficiency has been my sensitivity to what another thinks and my frustration at not being heard and not being understood. In a world that values “equality”, I pray that you hear the call of my soul as I hear the call of yours. It doesn’t happen 100% of the time and, I believe, I practice this at least 80% of the time:). God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark