Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Day 44
“Inner freedom is a miracle of the soul. How can such a miracle be achieved? It is the dedication of the heart and mind to the fact of our being present at a concern of God, the knowledge of being a part of an eternal spiritual movement that conjures power out of a weary conscience, that, striking the bottom out of conceit, tears selfishness to shreds.” (Man is Not Alone pg. 142).
In Rabbi Heschel’s interview with Carl Stern in December of 1972, days before his death, he described the prophets as “abrasive, disturbing, giving me a bad conscience”. It is in reading Rabbi Heschel’s wisdom and teachings that he is the most abrasive, disturbing, giving me/us a bad conscience in the most uplifting, poetic, loving ways.
In this passage, Rabbi Heschel is calling on all of us to strive for and, at times, achieve Inner freedom. We do this, as I am understanding him today, through our souls. We have to develop a mature soul/spirit in order to achieve this miracle of inner freedom. We have to engage in the soul enhancing activities of love, justice, kindness, compassion, truth, etc in order to grow our spiritual maturity as well as our spiritual freedom. Society is very dismissive of our inner lives in subtle and not so subtle ways. We will go see therapists to “figure life out” or to have help with a “mental/emotional condition” all the while neglecting the real issues of our time and all time: Soul Connection to something greater than oneself, Soul to Soul connections with another(s) person(s), and covenantal relationships not just transactional ones.
One cannot achieve inner freedom without first acknowledging that we are more than matter, we are more than ideas, that we are more than individuals coming together for protection, needs, etc. We have to acknowledge our souls, our spirits and, instead of stunting the soul’s growth as an adolescent, provide space, engagement and teachings for ourselves, our family, our children to grow their souls in their unique manner and way that is appropriate to them.
Rabbi Heschel is screaming at me right now: “Mark, why are you stuck in slavery, you have been free and can achieve inner freedom again and stay there longer!” This is the call that I am hearing from him right now, for me and for you and for everyone. The miracle of the soul is inner freedom and this happens when we grow our spirits, our souls in conjunction with our unique calling/talent/gift from the Ineffable One, when we acknowledge that there is something greater than ourselves in this universe and we are not the end all/be all of the world. The miracle is taking place right now, possibly , if you are engaging in soul maturing and growing practices today and every day. When you pray with intention, you are engaging in soul maturing activities, when you meditate, in whatever way you choose, you are engaging in soul maturing activities, when you connect with another person’s soul and stop wondering/worrying about what they can do for you, when you stop objectifying another person and see them as a reflection of some part of the force of the universe, the Ineffable One, you are growing your soul. Surrendering our need to be right, to look good, to be in power, to ‘one-up’ everyone else, is a path to soul maturation. Letting go of always trying to ‘look good’, be politically correct, up with the latest fad, etc is an action that leads to soul growth.
We live in a ‘where’s mine’ world and we are constantly blaming, shaming, bullying, another(s) for our own gain, not for their betterment. While teaching responsibility, the acceptance of guilt and the power of constant messaging can be used to enhance the soul and spirit of another as well as oneself, today these assets are turned against the people who need them in order to make them believe lies, manipulations, ‘alternative facts’ as well as stopping them from taking life-saving measures for themselves by some of the people in power. We have allowed some people to unleash their soul killing, spirit suffocating, words and ways to permeate us and, set back the inner freedom and miracle of the soul. Authoritarians do not want us to achieve inner freedom, the charlatans parading as keepers of the faith who do not want us to achieve inner freedom by their coziness to power, the ways they bastardize the words of spiritual freedom and maturity to enhance their image, the sheep who are so deep in their own self-deception and mendacity they cannot discern the Word of the Soul, the Ineffable One, are to be dealt with using strength, decisiveness and compassion. Otherwise, without compassion, we become them and we are all lost and enslaved.
In recovery, we are witnesses and recipients of the miracle of the soul each and every day! We have a daily practice of soul enhancing, growing, maturing activities. We know that we never stay in one place, we know we are either moving forward or backwards in our spiritual condition. We are also aware that sometimes we take one step back in order to move two steps forward. In recovery, we are not looking for perfection, only progress.
I have many more moments of Inner freedom than inner slavery. Because I have experienced the miracle, the moments of slavery are all the more painful and debilitating. I know, however, the path back-through connection with another, through study and love, through service and truth, through random acts of kindness and compassion, through taking time for my self, golf, family, friends, and through connection to the Ineffable One. More tomorrow, stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark