Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel

Year 3 Day 300

National Month of Repentance and Change

“What is the state of our repentance, of our “return to Judaism”? Repentance is an absolute, spiritual decision made in truthfulness.” (Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity pg. 69)

Every day, every year, Rabbi Heschel’s question above needs to be asked and responded to by each of us as individuals, in our local Jewish Communities and world Jewry needs to respond as well. Today, as I write this, I know Israel did the right thing to ‘take out’ Nasrallah, do what it can to stop the incessant bombing of the northern border which the UN has never enforced their own resolution there. I also know that Bibi and his gang of thugs who never believe they need to be in a state of repentance, are like a broken clock-right at least twice!

In our local and world Jewish Communities when we cheer the death of innocents, we are not in a state of repentance-full stop. When we refuse to see the humanity of the people in the West Bank, in Gaza, in Lebanon, we are not in a state of repentance-full stop. When we claim to do this in the name of Jewish teachings and the Bible, we are practicing Avodah Zarah, Idol Worship just like the “Christian” nationalists who claim that the poor, the stranger, the needy should be imprisoned, put in camps, have serial numbers on them, etc are idolators! “What is our state of repentance” when we claim to love Israel while hating the Israelis who are calling for accountability of Oct. 7th and reminding the ‘religious’ people in government that ransoming the captive is an act of holiness and demanded in the Bible? “What is the state of our repentance” when Jews are supporting an autocrat in Israel (Bibi) and in the United States (Trump)? “What is the state of our repentance” when Jews are praising Orban and Putin while decrying Soros and Emhoff? “What is the state of our repentance” when we cannot discern truth from lies, or even worse, know the difference and choose to be False Witnesses?

We are in the last 13 days of what I am calling a National Month of Repentance and Change plus the 10 days of T’Shuvah/repentance. What have we been doing about the “state of our repentance” in these past 26 days? What have we done to look at ourselves and see what we have done well-like taking out Hezbollah’s rocket launching capabilities, like Joe Biden supporting Israel’s right and need to exist. What have we done to see where we have missed the mark- like refusing the deal to release the hostages and instead have 6 young people killed, while Hamas is totally guilty, Bibi and his gang are responsible, like spitting in the face of Israel’s greatest defender and supporter, Joe Biden, to curry favor with another autocrat Trump and, of course his handlers Putin and Orban-whom Bibi also likes! Imagine Jews supporting autocrats who jail their opposition and send them to Siberia!!! What are we thinking? How are we going to Synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and hear the Sound of the Shofar heralding “the Day of Judgement” and not see the sorry state of repentance we are in Miriam Adelson, Republican Jewish Coalition??

We are in this sorry “state of repentance” just as the Jews Rabbi Heschel was speaking to in 1936 Berlin were, because of our lack of truthfulness within ourselves and with one another. We have not “made a decision to turn our lives over to the care of God”, rather we continue to worship the idolatry of mendacity, of taking the Bible out of context, of using the guidebook of how to live life well to instead gain power and dominion over another(s), to denigrate the stranger and the poor, to engage in false prophecy and trumpet their lies and their deceit ignoring the words of the prophets, not following the ways of King David whom they supposedly revere! We are in this sorry “state of repentance” because we are not engaged in a return to Judaism, we are engaged in a grab for power, we are engaged in denigration of women, of those who hear a different call from the Bible, of anyone who wants to build fences around our absolute authority. We are in this sorry “state of repentance” because we have allowed the worst thugs to gain power and our desire to be deceived, our addiction to self-deception is so great, we call them heroes!

We have to make “an absolute, spiritual decision” to repent, to find our ways back to the middle, find our ways back to living a life that honors the Bible, honors ethical and moral standards, grows our souls and helps another human being(s) live well also. It is a decision we make to be “truthful”, to end our addiction to self-deception and lies to another, to answer the call of the universe: “Where are you” with the response: “Hineni”, here I am. It is time for us to stop hiding behind the clean-ups of the sages about the behavior of our ancestors and see the greatness of their repentance and return. If King David can say “I am guilty”, “I have sinned” what is stopping Ben G’vir, Smotrich, Netanyahu from doing the same? What is stopping all of us from doing the same?? We are not holding our leaders accountable because we are not holding ourselves accountable. We are not holding ourselves accountable because we have not made our “repentance an absolute, spiritual decision made in truthfulness”, we have not looked in the mirror and seen the tears of our souls, the hurts we have caused ourselves by our behaviors and we are unable to look into the hearts and souls of those we love because we refuse to see the truth of our actions. We, as individuals, are suffering from a sorry “state of repentance” that we can change. We have the power to face the truth of our existence, we have the power to be accountable and the forces of the cosmos are tilted towards forgiveness, love, and healing as the prophet Hosea says and Jeremiah reminds us We do not have to stay stuck, we do not have to live another moment, another year in our sorry “state of repentance”.

Each year, I am in trembling awe of facing myself as I do each day. I am sorry to those who have stopped talking to me, I don’t know the reason in some cases and I accept their decision. I am sorry to those who are holding onto resentments, hurts, angers towards me after I have offered my T’Shuvah. I am sorry for the unknowing harms I have brought onto people, I am sorry I have not been able to speak in ways someone can hear. I am grateful to the people who rebuke me, I am grateful to the people who engage with me, I am grateful to my teachers and my friends, my family and people from my old community and those in my new who embrace me. I am sorry for my actions which put people off and I am grateful for following the call of my soul and been able to help people find their unique ways back. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark