Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 69
“Although political and social freedom must include all this, even the freedom to err—its true essence is in man’s ability to surpass himself, even to act against his inclinations and in defiance of his own needs and desires, to sacrifice prejudice even if it hurts, to give up superstition even when it claims to be a doctrine.”(Insecurity of Freedom pg. 14)
The definition, “true essence” of freedom as defined by Rabbi Heschel above is startling and, of course, ‘right on the money’. People have a warped idea, belief in what “freedom” is and in today’s politics, as has been true throughout the millennia, “alternative facts”, “spin”, denial, outright lies and chaos are seen as being free. Abusing and bullying those in need, those who have less power, less agency, less advocacy is seen as strength and courageous. “Prejudice” is seen as smart and a saving grace against “those people” and “superstition” is what keeps so many people from believing what their eyes are seeing. This is true across the globe and, on a more personal level, throughout families, religious institutions, ‘progressive’ and ‘conservative’ groups also. We are in such disarray as human beings, we have lost our compasses, we have lost our path towards and of “freedom” and don’t even know it! This is how deep and how dearly we are locked in self-deception and mendacity. OY, VaVOY!
Yet, the good news is that we have the "ability to surpass” ourselves, our false egos, our selfish, narcissistic habits. This experience of surpassing oneself is rampant throughout the Bible, unfortunately, not surpassing ourselves is more rampant:( and everything changes at Mt. Sinai; not the behaviors of human beings rather the pathways to be able to “surpass himself” are made clear, sort of. Murder, theft, adultery, false testimony, coveting were all rampant in Egypt and in Canaan, even among the Israelites I believe. These were ‘just the way the world works’ and along comes this band of ex-slaves and God which no one can see nor hear with their physical ear who ‘appears’, ‘speaks’ and makes a covenant with the people which they accept, even though they don’t always follow it. The same is true for us today, we make a covenant with someone, some entity, and we pledge to be loyal and true to this covenant even though we know we will not be perfect. Hence, be it with God, with higher consciousness, with our spouse, our children, our employers, our employees, we have to know we will, at times, fall short and we will continue to use our “ability to surpass” ourselves to make things right and grow along spiritual and moral lines.
More good news is that we can “act against our own inclinations and in defiance of our own needs and desires”! While this is not always the case, we are able to have our ‘good inclination’ direct our ‘evil inclination’ to do the next right thing and this is, for many, a daily occurrence that is fleeting on some days and may only happen once or twice while acting with “our own inclinations” may happen more often, we know that we can rise above them, we can master them as God tells Cain-“sin desires you much and you can master it”. While it is difficult to do this, as our inclinations lie to us and make it seem as if we don’t follow them, we will die, we will suffer great loss, we will be unhappy, etc, history has shown and many people’s personal experience validates our ability to “act against our own inclinations” brings about stability, care, kindness, loyalty, connection and honoring our covenant. In a marriage, at least in good lasting marriages, both partners “act against their own inclinations” to stay together especially when one or the other does something stupid, hurtful, wrong-be it to their partner, themselves, to another human being, this affects both partners and to stay together is to “act against the inclination” to leave and give up. We have the same issues when we our intuitive minds say one thing and our rational minds say another. Our “inclination” is to go along with what is rational, what is in keeping with the “conventional norms” of society, we don’t want to be a ‘freak’, an ‘outcast”, and to be in “freedom” we have to go against this inclination, we have to be “maladjusted to norms and words” so we can have “an authentic awareness of what is” as Rabbi Heschel’s definition of “radical amazement” teaches.
We the People have had a skewed vision of what “freedom” is and what it entails to be free, I believe. To act “in defiance of our own needs and desires” takes great spiritual strength and vision. It takes a surrender to the principles and values one finds in the Bible, the holy texts of every spiritual discipline and the commitment/covenant to follow through on “practicing these principles in all our affairs” as the 12th Step of AA calls for. We the People are being called to stand up for true “freedom” in all realms, political, social, familial and personal. This can’t happen unless we begin and not end with ourselves. Committing to strengthen our “ability to surpass” ourselves and taking actions that allow us to exercise this “ability” has to be a daily commitment and actions. We the People will no longer give ourselves and another(s) excuses as to why we chose not to “surpass” ourselves, we will be responsible for missing the mark and grow one grain of sand more to “surpass” ourselves more often. We the People are being begged to “act against our own inclinations” for selfish desires, for more and more power, money, prestige, sex, drugs, rock and roll. This can only happen when we begin each day with the gratitude found in the Modeh Ani prayer, found throughout the tenets of every faith/spiritual discipline and remembering to be grateful for what we have and what we don’t have! We the People are being reminded that we are so much more than what our rational minds tell us, that we have within us the light and sight to see and live in a world that is truly free; this is the messianic vision and We the People have within us the wherewithal to bring ourselves and those around us a little closer to this vision each day.
I have learned how to do these things and do them more often than not during each and every day. I wrestle with my “inclinations” and I am not ‘on the circuit’ as a speaker or at cocktail parties because I speak and act in “defiance of my own needs and desires” much of the time, I take into account what is right and good, true and loving and do the best I can to act accordingly. While I miss the mark often, my ‘true north’ is always in the direction that Rabbi Herschel’s words give to us. I am hearing his voice decrying what he was a witness to; the “simonizing” of his faith so people would ‘like it’ and not be too ‘burdened’ by it. Rather than help us me be free, “mainstream” Judaism tried to put me in a straight jacket. I rebelled and am living life according to the Biblical dictates as I understand them and invite you to do the same. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark.