Daily Lessons from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Day 2
“Wonder or radical amazement, the state of maladjustment to words and notions, is, therefore, a prerequisite for an authentic awareness of that which is.”(Man Is Not Alone, pg.11).
Rabbi Heschel’s simple, beautiful, combination of prose and poetry appears again in this sentence. English was not Rabbi Heschel’s first, second, third or fourth language and he had really only learned it when he came to America after HUC got him a special visa as a teacher to get him out of Poland just prior to Hitler’s Invasion. The Shoah had a deep impact on Rabbi Heschel, he lost most of his family, a way of being in the world was destroyed which he wrote about in The Earth is the Lord’s, and he was thrust into a world that was very foreign to him. Wonder or radical amazement was a foundational state of being for Rabbi Heschel from what I have read and from what his daughter, Dr. Susannah Heschel, says. How fascinating, heroic, amazing and an example for all of us to stay true to our beingness no matter what life brings to us.
Rabbi Heschel is giving us a nudge in the right direction for living well and living freely in this second sentence of the second chapter of Man is Not Alone, published in 1951. In order to be aware of what is, I have to stay maladjusted to words and notions. Otherwise, I fall into the trap of yesterday’s quote and hinder my search for and deepening of my knowledge. What does it mean to be maladjusted to words and notions? I believe Rabbi Heschel is reminding us that Hebrew words have more than one meaning and there are many forms of a word in Hebrew. I believe Rabbi Heschel is reminding us that the root of a word can point to different experiences and meanings and staying stuck in one definition always and forever is a sure way to stop our search for, experience of and immersion in wonder/radical amazement.
The phrase radical amazement, from the Hebrew, can be translated to mean “root of miracles”. Radical is comes from the Latin meaning root and we use it today as meaning altering the fundamental nature of something, or going to an extreme. I am understanding Rabbi Heschel’s use of this phrase totally differently than I have before, which is why and how we learn to live in a constant state of maladjustment. By immersing myself in the text, searching for new meanings of words, I have come upon a new way of seeing, understanding and living radically amazed. Rather than having to change the ‘fundamental nature’ of Rabbi Heschel is reminding us to go back to the root of miracle, which can be God, life itself, our awakening and awareness of love, our immersion in Torah, in Bible, in truth, etc. When we go to the root of miracles we are traveling forward to new meanings, new visions, new understandings and new knowledge, new spiritual connections, new forms of love, service and kindness. We are able to move past yesterdays use of a word or a notion to be present in the miracle that is today. When we continue to be adjusted to the words and notions, there is no opportunity to be surprised nor in a state of learning. Wonder or radical amazement forces us to uncover new meanings, new ways to use the words and notions that we have become accustomed to, and see more of the whole spectrum of what a word and/or notion points to. Rabbi Heschel spoke often of his ability to be surprised, both positively and negatively, I am sure. We cannot be surprised without being in radical amazement, we can’t be surprised if we are stay unaware of the miracles that happen to us, because of us, around us all day and every day.
Rabbi Heschel, in 1951 accused us, indicted us and, we pled and continue to plead guilty to living inauthentically and in a made-up world, as I am understanding the last phrase above. I am shuddering at this awareness. Staying stuck in the adjustment to notions and words, cliches and the past blinds me to what is currently happening in my inner world, in my community, family and the entire world as well as being unable to hear God’s call to and for me. In 1951, Rabbi Heschel warned us of the danger of living inauthentically, the pain, mental anguish, wars, depression, soul sucking and spirit killing experience that comes with living inauthentically. In the 70 years since, his prophecy has proven to be true. Without authenticity, cases of addiction rises, suicide rises, depression/anxiety rises, divorce stats go up, a general malaise covers the world we are living in, authoritarianism rises and we put more and more blinders on to try and hide from our condition. Rabbi Heschel is giving us the key to living well, live authentically, live in and with radical amazement and wonder. Stop being so sure that yesterday’s vision and experience is the way to see life always. Engage in the wild ride that life is by being present in this moment with a new way of seeing this moment that changes with the next moment. Loving cannot be based on yesterday’s feelings, it has to be based in today’s actions, today’s understanding of what my spouse, child, lover, parents, siblings, friends, community, God needs now-so I have to encounter them all as they are, not as how I saw them yesterday! Because of inauthentic living, we are in the current state of hatred, strife, zero-sum, laws without spirit, etc.
In recovery, we are recovering our integrity, our authenticity. We are going back to the root of miracle that is our life, our being of service, our ability to see things anew. To paraphrase one of the promises of the Big Book of AA, we will intuitively know the answer to situations that used to baffle us! In recovery, we return to a state of maladjustment and belief in the possibility of change and repair, the knowingness and acceptance of powerlessness. In recovery, we recover our authenticity by returning to, seeking guidance from and hearing the call of God-the root of all miracles, especially our recovery.
I have lived maladjusted for most of my life:) When I read this sentence in 1987, I realized that I had defined maladjusted as a bad thing, I had gone along with society’s meaning and I could have another meaning to the world. I cried at how inauthentically I had lived my life up to that point and made a personal commitment to live authentically and my life out loud. I could no longer hide, I could no longer see things only one way and I had to be engaged in my life, no longer putting on blinders, etc. Fast forward 34 years and I am proud to say that living authentically has worked out well for me, because I can live with myself without needing to hide, steal, drink, etc. I can be of service to those I can help, I can see the parts of me that need some maturing and polishing, whenever I err and don’t hide I recognize these parts. I also keep returning to the root of the miracles of my life: learning, loving, family, Harriet, Heather, friends, community, God and Rabbi Heschel. Stay safe and God Bless, Rabbi Mark