Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 3 Day 221
“Equality is an interpersonal relationship, involving both a claim and a recognition. My claim to equality has its logical basis in the recognition of my fellow men’s identical claim. Do I not forfeit my own rights by denying to my fellow men the rights I claim for myself?” (Insecurity of Freedom pg. 94)
I am deeply immersed in the ideas of equality because of our current political and social climate. We are, once again, fighting the fight for equality for all rather than power for some and slavery for the rest of us. Slavery meaning being under the thumb of some faux ‘religious’ claim and/or an authoritarian who is only interested in his own power and prestige, her own vengeance and ‘getting even’.
Rabbi Heschel’s words above point out crucial attributes of “equality”- it “is an interpersonal relationship” and it involves “both a claim and a recognition”. “Relationship” comes from the Latin meaning “bring back” and is defined in the dictionary as “the way in which two or more concepts/things are connected. “Claim” is defined as “to demand by or as by virtue of a right” and the Latin is “to cry out”. “Recognition” comes from the Latin meaning “know again, recall to mind” and the English is “acknowledgement of someone’s existence and validity”.
The practice of “equality” is, in essence, a “bringing back” of humanity to our primordial state-what the Bible says in Genesis 2:18-“It is not good from humans to be alone. I will make for human a helper”, ie to match him, to stand with him and against him, as I am understanding the verse today. We are being called to return to a basic teaching that we all come from Adam and Eve and no one’s family is ‘better than’ anyone else’s so this idea of ‘privilege’ is ridiculous. There is on mention of skin color, of religion, of any characteristics that would validate the claims of some that they are the superior beings, they are the ones who know ‘god’, it is ordained they should rule and other such bullshit! Being in relationship calls for a practice of recognizing the infinite worth of both self and the person one is in relationship with. It is not a top/down experience, as I hear Rabbi Heschel today-it is a face to face relationship, much like our relationship with the Ineffable One is!
We need to do more “crying out” to one another in “acknowledging the existence of another human being and the validity of their existing” rather than yelling at another human being and denying their right to exist, their right to the same ‘privileges’ we have and their right to being treated as equally important and valid as we want for ourselves. We are in a world that doesn’t value “equality” for all, it doesn’t believe in “one law for the citizen and stranger alike”, it denies “proclaim freedom throughout the land and to all its inhabitants therein” from Leviticus that are on the Liberty Bell. There are many in America today who revere the Liberty Bell and deny the words on it! They are not even aware of their incongruence because they are under the spell of prejudice that is spun by the authoritarians who could care less about the people supporting them and only want them to hate the people who could stop their power grab. Rather than be in a relationship, rather than “bring back” a sense of community and connection, rather than “know again” the joys of togetherness and communal celebrations, we are constantly seeking to disrupt the fragile ‘ecosystem’ of being human, we seem to be constantly falling over the narrow bridge that connects us and unwinding the binds that hold us together as humanity in favor of power, prestige and hatred.
Each person is endowed with “certain unalienable rights” and yet, we forget that everyone has a valid right to be seen as equal in the eyes of all human beings. We are all sons and daughters of the Sovereign, according to a prayer we say on the High Holy Days, so we are all royalty-not just some of us! We are all related to one another by virtue of the first humans-be it by evolution or creation. We all have a need to be connected that seems to be buried in our denials, in our self-deceptions, in the lies we are believing from the Liars-In-Chief. Yet, we all “recall to mind”, we all “know again” and see the reflection of our selves in every human being we encounter, just as Jacob saw himself in Esau. We all know this truth and, yet, we constantly deny it in our actions and try to push these truths from our minds.
We have to end our self-deceptions, we have to stop believing the lies of another who only wants power, who doesn’t see us as anything but pawns for her/his own glory. It is time for us to reclaim our own humanity, to recognize the worth of another and the worth of ourself as infinite. It is time to demand our seat at the table and to demand that everyone takes their unique seat at the same table. It is time for us to end our false need to be in power and instead be humble servants who serve something greater than our own desires and wants.
I know what it is like to not recognize the “equality” of another human being as I did this for the time I was a thief and a drunk. I know what it is like to not be recognized as “equal” to another as I have experienced this my entire life. I have been told I have a “niche Rabbinate”, that I can only talk to “those people”, that I am not “dignified” enough for my role, etc. Yet, I know I have equal value and I know that even those who deny my “equality” deserve to be recognized as equal in worth by me. Even, maybe especially, those who have denied my claims have to have their claims recognized my me precisely to teach by my actions that “equality” is God-given to all of us. It is hard and I miss the mark sometimes and I keep improving and showing myself the same love I am working hard to give to another. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark