Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel

Year 3 Day 277

During these turbulent times in our world and as we begin the Hebrew month of Elul, the month prior to Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur-the month of our introspection and T’Shuvah I am drawn to a telegraph that Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel sent to President John F. Kennedy. I am drawn to it because I believe we in America, in Israel, Jews as well as non-Jews across the globe need to take responsibility for the conditions in this world, own our parts, do our T’Shuvahs, our repairs and have new responses to events in our lives. I believe we are in need, during the month of Elul/September to have a:                                            

                                         National Days of Repentance and Change

A Yom Kippur for All of Us

A Month of Elul that is real and Life-Changing

Rabbi Heschel’s telegram:

TO PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, THE WHITE HOUSE, JUNE 16, 1963

I LOOK FORWARD TO PRIVILEGE OF BEING PRESENT AT MEETING TOMORROW AT 4 P. M. LIKELIHOOD EXISTS THAT NEGRO PROBLEM WILL BE LIKE THE WEATHER. EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT IT BUT NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT. PLEASE DEMAND OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT NOT JUST SOLEMN DECLARATION. WE FORFEIT THE RIGHT TO WORSHIP GOD AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO HUMILIATE NEGROES. CHURCH SYNAGOGUES HAVE FAILED. THEY MUST REPENT. ASK OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO CALL FOR NATIONAL REPENTANCE AND PERSONAL SACRIFICE. LET RELIGIOUS LEADERS DONATE ONE MONTH’S SALARY “TOWARD FUND FOR NEGRO HOUSING AND EDUCATION. I PROPOSE THAT YOU MR. PRESIDENT DECLARE STATE OF MORAL EMERGENCY. A MARSHALL PLAN FOR AID TO NEGROES IS BECOMING A NECESSITY. THE HOUR CALLS FOR HIGH MORAL GRANDEUR AND SPIRITUAL AUDACITY. ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL” (Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity)

Rabbi Heschel’s words above “everyone talks about it and nobody does anything about it” describes how we deal (or not deal) with issues that have vexed us forever-issues that go to the very heart of the Biblical Commands of “Love thy Neighbor as thyself”, “Care for the stranger, the poor, the needy, the widow and the orphan”, “pursue justice and righteousness”, the entirety of the 10 sayings, the response of “we will do and we will understand”. We acknowledge problems, we see the inequities in our world, we discuss ways to change them and then we seem to do nothing to make them come to fruition. We pass laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 only to have future Congress’ water them down, the Supreme Court declare them unnecessary, and the states disenfranchise voters who they think will not support their party! We are watching, some of us in horror, as a woman of color is being denigrated by her political opponents as she runs to be the next President of the United States, we are “standing idly by the blood of our brothers/sisters” as both Palestinians who want peace and harmony as well as Jews who want the same are being marginalized by the extremes in their midst. We have allowed the “inmates to run the asylum” and refuse to take our responsibility for what is happening-choosing to blame another rather than see the 3 fingers pointing back to us. In the Bible, after the “Mishkan”, the Ark, the Altar etc are erected at the end of Exodus, the first “new laws” we learn about are the laws/need to look within ourselves and be grateful for what we have, see where we have erred, see where we have denied, and make an offering, a rapprochement with God, with the people we have harmed, and with our selves. T’Shuvah, return, repentance, new response is what we learn about in Leviticus and, while it seems boring, dry and dull, it is the glue that holds families together, holds communities together, holds peoples together with a power greater than ourselves. It is the essential ingredient for being able to live with oneself and with one another-when we engage in blame only, when we deny our responsibility to make the necessary changes, we will continue to “talk about it and nobody does anything about it.” Thinking about the prophet Amos, who contrary to what everyone else saw, proclaimed the ruination of Israel because of the lack of people being responsible, I think, the lack of humility and bravery that T’Shuvah entails. We all know what happened to the Kingdom of Israel-Amos was correct, unfortunately, and the ones who declared their own righteousness in denigrating all of the principles of the Bible were destroyed. Bibi, Ben G’Vir, Smotrich, study your Bible a little better, stop ignoring the prophets. Preachers and Evangelicals, Baptists and Jews, immerse yourselves in the Holy Texts you hold so ‘dear’ and turn away from your blaming and do nothing ways and join the prophetic way of being, of hearing, of doing.

We are witnesses to this behavior happening all the time be it in families, schools, government, workplaces. Remember how long it took for labor laws to come into effect that some states are trying to change! Clergy are standing idly by and/or leading the charge while the questions of the 60’s regarding freedom to vote, freedom to live, civil rights, a women’s right to make her own choices regarding her body, even freedom of religion are under attack once again. Clergy are staying silent in the face of anti-Semitic and Islamophobia, they are once again afraid to anger their patrons, their donors, the hierarchy of the Church, the powers that be, etc. We are witnessing the very leaders who should be leading us to freedom, leading us out of Egypt, getting the “money changers” out of the halls of power instead invite the charlatans in, welcome the people who engage in idol worship, be it through their bastardizations of our Holy Texts or the ignoring of them.

I have written and spoken about the ‘do-nothing’ but talk about it nature of human beings often in the past. I am watching in horror as we face another test of our spiritual commitment to one another, to God’s will, to freedom, to truth, to justice, to compassion. It is time for all Clergy to look inside of themselves and admit their dependence on the ‘donor’ class for their livelihood and how they give up parts of their soul in order to keep their jobs. It is difficult, I know and I also know that getting fired is worth the price of saving our own souls and dignity. While I am loud and bombastic and I know how hard it is for Clergy to go against the grain and keep their jobs, I also know it is imperative in order to not be culpable in another era of “senseless hatred”. It is hard for us to do what is right and this is the call we have been given-we are descendants of the prophets, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed.  God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark