Daily Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 34
“They speak and act as if the sky were about to collapse because Israel had become unfaithful to God…The prophet’s words are outbursts of violent emotions. His rebuke is harsh and relentless. But if such deep sensitivity to evil is to be called hysterical, what name should be given to the deep callousness to evil which the prophet bewails? “They drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils; but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph”(Amos 6:6) (Insecurity of Freedom pg. 10)
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day and these words from Rabbi Heschel, the time we are in, are so cautionary for us and I know most people can’t/won’t hear the pleas of the prophets, Rabbi Heschel, and continue in “deep callousness to evil” that has been a hallmark of human beings since the beginning of humanity! One could ask oneself where have the prophets been in our life? Why are they not studied more, what is the problem they pose for the Rabbis who quote them, often out of context, yet don’t stand on the street corners, don’t raise their voices in the Temples and Synagogues to remind us how the words of the prophets, the “outbursts of violent emotions” are relevant and necessary for us right here, right now?
Holocaust Remembrance Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, citing the day of liberation of Aushwitz as the marker of this solemn occasion. The same United Nations that allowed hostages to be hidden/held in their buildings by Hamas and other Terrorist groups in Gaza, the same United Nations whose UNWRA employees participated in the Oct. 7th massacres! Talk about “deep callousness to evil which the prophet bewails”! Yet, governments, organizations, religious institutions, political parties, and individuals seem to be willfully blind to their incongruous behaviors, to their inability to face themselves, grow their spiritual maturity to a place of connection to the prophets, identification with the prophets and action along the lines of the prophets’ words and deeds. Instead, we feel ‘judged’ by the “rebuke” which we ‘feel is “harsh and relentless” so we just ignore it, defend it, deny it, as the UN has done, as the world has done with regard to the latent, virulent anti-semitism that is once again rampant in the world. Today, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, white supremacists roam the US, the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, praises the far-right party in Germany, putting his nose in the politics of another nation, using the Nazi Salute at a rally in America, being defended by Bibi Netanyahu, Donald Trump installing him in the White House, and we are shocked, dismayed, not understanding why the “prophet’s words are outbursts of violent emotions”?
What else can our words be in such a time as then, as now? How do we defend the “deep callousness to evil” which is being showcased in the White House of Donald Trump, the work of Elon Musk, the drunkenness of Pete Hegseth, the cowardice of the Republican Senators in Congress, the hateful idolatry of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, etc? What is it in the human psyche that is so enthralled with “evil” that we have become callous to it when we see it, when we perpetrate it, and are so aghast when it is perpetrated upon us? How have we failed to realize the words in Genesis:”Sin couches at your door, it desires you much and you can rule it”(Gen. 4:7) What is the problem with human beings following the Holiness Code as an antidote to our “deep callousness to evil” and participation in it? We have failed to immerse ourselves in the study of the prophet’s words and ways. We have failed to be cultivate a “deep sensitivity to evil” and the world is suffering because of it. There is poverty, gluttony, terrorism and displacement, treating the stranger as an enemy and hate your neighbor rather than cultivating the ‘laws’ of the holiness code on display today and we are all poorer because of it. Bibi, the UN, Trump, et al will all mark today with some wonderful words and continue the despicable actions we have come to accept.
We are being judged, we are being given strong rebukes by the words of the prophets and we need them! We the People have fallen asleep, fallen off the path of decency, loving our neighbor as ourselves, of building a space for God to dwell among us, within us, and it is time to WAKE UP! The prophets are not as hysterical as the people who were gassed in the Holocaust. The prophets were not as hysterical as the Rwandans massacred because of senseless hatred promoted by the Belgians, the prophets were not as hysterical as people in the United States are when women die because of insane reproductive constraints, the prophets were not as hysterical as the Israelis who suffered the terrorist attack of October 7th, nor the victims/survivors/first responders of 9/11, etc. We all have been hysterical in the face of sin/evil and we continue to turn a blind eye a blind eye to it when we are ‘not involved’ and/or ‘it isn’t being done to us’ forgetting that what someone will do to another, they will do to you. We, the People are given a new opportunity each and every day to hear the prophets words and take action on them. We are given the space to repent for our indifference to evil and repair the damage we have wrought because of it. We are graced with the kindness to see anew our actions and have more clarity as to what is the next right action to take. We, the People are being called today and every day to NEVER FORGET what “sin” does, NEVER FORGET what “callousness to evil” brings about, TAKE CONTRARY ACTION to what has become acceptable evil by society and stay “maladjusted to the conventional notions and mental cliches” of our time and our mendacious leaders of countries, institutions, and religious sects.
I am sitting here writing with such anger and rage over what is happening in my country and around the world. People who claim to be ‘christians, jews, muslims’ bastardizing the words of our holy texts make me volcanic. People like: Jonathan Greenblatt who, under pressure it seems, finally condemned Elon Musk for his Nazi Salute; Bibi Netanyahu who has kept the hostages from coming home sooner because of his arrogance, making excuses for Musk’s actions, Donald Trump who wants to displace the Palestinians from Gaza and disrupt the government’s of Egypt, Jordan-not Saudi Arabia nor Qatar who both do ‘business’ with his son-in-law Jerad Kushner. How can I not have “violent outbursts”, not be “hysterical” when such evil is being perpetrated and celebrated? I am not always right about my reactions, they are misconstrued often and written off as a personal agenda. I suffer the most frustration when this happens because my “outbursts”, my “hysterical” response is because of my “deep sensitivity to evil” because I was guilty of promoting it prior to my recovery. I may be harsh and I am loving, I am relentless and I am loyal. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark