Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Day 54
“In mythology the deities are thought of as self-seeking, as concerned with their own selves…The Bible tells us nothing about God in Himself; all its sayings refer to His relations to man…We hear of no reflexive concern, of no passions, except a passion for justice. The only events in the life of God the Bible know are acts done for the sake of man: acts of creation, acts of redemption (from Ur, from Egypt, from Babylon) or acts of revelation.”(Man is Not Alone pg. 143/4).
Greco-Roman society is built upon the foundation of self-seeking, immorality and stealing, and deception. I make this bold statement because the ‘religion’ they followed, the gods they worshiped were proud of these ways of being. Sacrificing a virgin to Zeus was nothing because the gods took mortal women/girls for themselves all the time, according to the some of the stories. Is it any wonder that our society is so ravaged by deception, immorality, self-seeking and theft?
Even though Rome and Athens were conquered and destroyed at least in part, their legacy and their way of being survived. We see it throughout history, we see self-seeking and deception even in the leaders who called themselves part of The Holy Roman Empire. They did not care about the people who did not bow down to them and their religion, to their ways as the only ways, etc. They were monarchs who were not benevolent, were concerned with how much tribute, monetary and in words, was paid to them. They would turn on trusted advisors and servants in the name of Christ, even though Christ taught love, tolerance and community. Up to and including today, some people in power have to validate themselves by bastardizing Christ, Adonai, Allah, Confucius, Buddha, etc. We see this in the “prosperity gospel” beliefs that God loves the rich more than the poor, God loves the winners more than the losers, etc. This is one of the subtle ways Greco-Roman society corrupted even Constantinople’s defeat of Rome and has wormed its way into the highest seats of government and religious life in some cases.
Yet, people of faith, authentic faith, faith in God, people who immerse themselves in the Bible and experience God and themselves in every chapter of it, are not fooled by the masks of Greco-Roman society, by the subtle calls of deception, adultery, theft, immorality that is constantly calling to us. Yes, we succumb at times for a moment, we just recognize our seduction quicker and leave it as soon as we realize it. God and faith are not to satisfy any deity/ruler’s ego or passions or concerns, as Rabbi Heschel teaches us above. NO! God and faith are hear to remind us that God puts God-self 2nd to justice, 2nd to acts of creation, 2nd to acts of redemption and 2nd to acts of revelation. By 2nd, I mean that God is not as interested in being worshiped with blind faith and/or in some rote manner, God is more interested in meeting the needs of humanity than meeting God’s own needs. God wants to further the human experience, show us paths to lift ourselves and another(s) up from any doldrums, depression, despair, to heights we cannot even fathom. God puts God’s self aside to raise up the self of each and every human being.
How do we repay God for all our bounty, asks the Psalmist? We don’t and we can’t, we can only “pay it forward”. We get to “pay it forward” to God by raising ourselves up from the Greco-Roman societal way of living. We get to “pay it forward” by being passionate for justice for everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, etc. We get to “pay it forward by forgoing our inclination to betray another in order to promote oneself. We get to “pay it forward” by reaching back into the abyss and bringing another human being out of the darkness and deception, washing them and giving them a clean, fresh start. We get to “pay it forward” by living an authentic life that is based in justice, love, truth, kindness, etc. We get to “pay it forward” by living in the “sublime wonder” of life and giving love to oneself and to all humanity, to name a few ways of ‘repayment’.
In recovery, we know how important it is to “pay it forward” because there is just no adequate repayment for everything we have received from God, from people close to us, from the universe, In recovery, we know that reaching out, being available to connect with another human being in sadness and joy, in light and dark is the real sign of our repayment to God and our statement of leaving the Greco-Roman societal norms.
I have a passion for justice that was given to me by God and by my ancestors, parents, etc. For 20+years I ignored it, went against it, and believed in the Greco-Roman way of being. I crashed and burned because, ultimately, it just wasn’t my way of being. I have in these 33 years of recovery, had my passion for justice, my concern for humanity, my love and connection for my soul and the souls of all I meet rekindled, the pilot light was given fuel and the gas flows full strength now. Of course, the passion gets too much at times, the flame gets too hot and people, including me suffer-for this I am sorry. I am not, however, sorry for the passion. As I read Rabbi Heschel today, I am glad to be passionate for justice, I am honored to be able to participate in acts of creation, I am humbled by the revelations I receive and able to live because of the many times God has redeemed me. I heard God calling to me 35 years ago in a jail cell and I have been blessed to continue to hear and serve God’s passions, God’s love and God’s purpose for me. Stay Safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark