Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Day 142
“Embarrassment is a response to the discovery that in living we either replenish or frustrate a wondrous expectation.”(Who is Man pg.113)
OMG, reading this sentence in light of what is happening in the world is, for me, proof of Rabbi Heschel’s prophetic vision, voice and teachings. The issue for all of us is to be embarrassed so we can make the necessary changes to the ways we live so we begin and/or continue to replenish this wondrous expectation called humankind, this wondrous expectation called service to something greater than ourselves, this wondrous expectation called peace and harmony. We all need to be embarrassed as a response to the newfound awareness we gain through Rabbi Heschel’s teaching above.
Yet, most of us are not embarrassed, most of us are not even discovering “that in living we either replenish or frustrate” the desires of God, of another human being, of life. Since we are not interested in this discovery, we can have no response and we will never be embarrassed. We have not progressed much from Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden of Eden, no matter how technologically skilled we may be.
Putin’s attempt to conquer Ukraine is an example of someone who is not interested in a “wondrous expectation”, Putin is showing the world he is only interested in his desires and expectations, he is worried whether he will look weak or strong, whether he can pick up where the former Soviet Union under Stalin left off and fulfill his false, cruel expectation of Putin is King. Putin is unfazed by the truth that he is frustrating this “wondrous expectation”. The rest of the world, for the most part, however, is embarrassed and so they are responding mostly appropriately. We are coming to the aid of Ukraine, we see the heroism of the people, of the leadership and we are responding with support, with sanctions and with spirit. This is an example of helping to replenish a “wondrous expectation”.
Religious leadership speaks of the “wondrous expectation” and, unfortunately, has done so much to frustrate it rather than replenish it. We Rabbis, Ministers, Imams, Priests, have to own up to our errors and we have to be embarrassed more so we can truly lead our communities to replenish the “wondrous expectation” of God more and more. We need to stop the hatred, we need to stop the lies from our pulpits, we need to hold ourselves, political leaders and the Jew in the pew, the Catholic in the pew, the Muslim on the rug, the Christian in the pew, the Buddhist in the temple, etc accountable for replenishing the “wondrous expectation” their birth and life represent. We need to confess our acts of frustrating this expectation, we have to stop kissing up to power and, instead, follow the lead of Nathan the Prophet to King David, the lead of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. the actions of Rabbi Heschel, the path of John Lewis and speak truth to power, stay true to our unique mission and, as Father Greg Boyle says, practice “radical kinship”.
Our political leadership is lacking in morality and spirituality. They are, for all their supposed religiosity, frustrating God’s “wondrous expectation” and are proud of it. When Marjorie Taylor Greene can speak at a rally of Neo-Nazi’s and it takes Kevin McCarthy 3 days to decide that this is not a good thing, they both are frustrating God’s “wondrous expectation”. The Senate could not pass a voting rights bill that ensures every American can vote, is treated with dignity and has the freedom to choose their own elected officials, these fine ‘church-going, god-fearing’ mendacious scoundrels. Governments are here to serve the people, Priests are to serve the people, communities are formed to serve its members, this is how we replenish the “wondrous expectation” of God, of our souls, of another human being-we are not here to serve our selfish self, we are not here to get what we can and screw anyone else, we are not here to frustrate “a wondrous expectation” through cruelty, war, mendacity, slavery, etc.
In recovery, we begin by acknowledging the paths that helped us frustrate this “wondrous expectation” that came into being when we were born. We opener eyes, our minds, to allow the truth of our souls to penetrate the emotional and intellectual ignorance we lived by. Upon our realization of our many paths of frustrating God’s “wondrous expectation” we are embarrassed and this embarrassment leads us to repair the damage we have done and change our paths so we will begin the process of replenishing.
It is 2 years since I acted inappropriately and set off a chain of events that has led me to a new sense of appreciation of embarrassment and a new path of replenishing the “wondrous expectation” that I frustrated. I am embarrassed by the awareness of how one wrong action did frustrate the “wondrous expectation” of God and change so many lives and that I did not see this nor did I consider this outcome prior to my “missing the mark”. I also am sad that I wasn’t embarrassed nor aware of the depth of this teaching earlier in my life. I am grateful that I am not embarrassed at being embarrassed, I am grateful that I can face my embarrassment with joy and hope. I am elated to be able to grow in embarrassment and replenish the “wondrous expectation” I was born to fulfill. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark