Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Day 66
“What is a thing to us is a concern to God; what is part of the physical world is also a part of a divine world of meaning. To be is to stand for, to stand for a divine concern.”(Man is Not Alone, pg 145).
Yesterday I wrote about the inner war and some of the different ways it manifests in human beings. These two sentences set the stage for maturing, growing and recognizing our Ineffable spirit and the Ineffable spirit in the universe. Realizing that every thing we see, touch, feel, ignore, disdain, profane is a “concern to God” overwhelms us, so we tend to ignore this truth. Yet, immersing ourselves in this truth will not bring us instant and complete awareness of all things, it will begin to awaken us to both the beauty and the holy in things that we have ignored, taken for granted, desired for less than Godly reasons, etc. Beginning with our selves! Accepting that we are a concern to the Ineffable One is, I believe, an important place to begin to mature and grow our own “spirit of concern for life”.
Many people are concerned with/about their lives without ever realizing that their concerns are actually harming them rather than growing and maturing them. Sure, they obtain things, money, comfort, etc and, in many people I have met who are nor ‘addicts’, they always feel something is missing, they are afraid of losing everything. When one realizes, immerses oneself in being “a concern to God”, we see life differently. We no longer look for ‘where’s mine’; we see what is ours. We no longer are playing a ‘zero sum’ game; we are looking for win/win solutions. We no longer see life as a battle; we see life as a gift that we have to grow and pass on to the next generation. Accepting and living as “a concern to God” gives a new set of eyes with which to see ourselves, our gifts and our ability to make a difference in our world. Living as “a concern to God” gives our life a new meaning and new goal: being a better partner through listening to our souls and, while our minds/selfishness will burst thru our thinking, our souls will gently thank them for their opinion, consider what they are saying and choose to honor our being a “concern to God”.
Once we accept our being “a concern to God” we begin to look at our surroundings as concerns to God as well. We are more aware of our environment and what we do to it and for it. We are more aware of health issues and what we do to promote healthy plants, farms, animals and humans. Politics takes a back seat to what is healthy and safe for humanity, nature and the animal world. In fact, once we begin to see our surroundings, the “things” around us as “a concern to God”; politics becomes a vehicle for robust and dedicated ‘arguments for the sake of heaven’; no longer a zero-sum game of power and ugliness. In fact, politicians become statesmen, more Daniel Webster than Mitch McConnell.
Seeing another human being as “a concern to God” is intrinsic to healing this war within us, the inner conflict between ‘where’s mine’ and ‘how can I be of service’. When one sees another human being as “a concern to God”, there is no longer a war as to which do I choose, because we are able to choose both, serving oneself and another at the same time.. This is the problem that has faced humanity for millennia: How do I live with dual concerns, for you and me? The answer is found in Rabbi Heschel’s teachings, of course, and especially in today’s quote. Knowing and accepting that another human being is of as much concern to God as oneself is a humbling and uplifting experience. One is reminded that we are not the center of the universe and we get to share the spotlight, the dignity, value with another unique individual who is someone who can do things that one can’t and one returns the gift of doing what one can and another can’t. This relieves us of the “less than”, “poor me”, anxiety and depress that these messages of our emotions and thoughts bring to us. Instead we are know that we are connected to other concerns of God and to the universal “spirit of concern for life”. These are some of the ways of healing our inner conflicts and maturing and growing our souls.
In recovery, our goal is to continue to heal the inner war/conflict so we can live without the angst and anxiety, depression and despair that our conflicts bring to us. We seek to be of service each and every day, helping people in the ways they need help, not the ways we want to help. In recovery, knowing that we all are “a concern to God” makes us more accountable to heal and grow.
I have, at times in my recovery, acted in ways where people thought I believed I was the only concern to God and not anyone else. Had they looked into my being, they would have seen how much I yearned for them, how much of a concern they were/are to me! Yet, I realize in transactional relationships, which is what most people believe in, the only looking one does is to see what one can get from the transactions. I have not always acted as if another human being is a concern to me and I have always known and tried to honor that they are a concern to God. My ways are not conventional and the covenantal relationships I am engaged in have strengthened my commitment to living as a concern to God and another as well as seeing another as a concern to God and therefore to me. Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark