Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Day 253
“To be human involves the ability to appreciate as well as the ability to give expression to appreciation. For thousands of years authentic existence included both manipulation and appreciation, utilization and celebration, both work and worship. In primitive society they were interdependent; in biblical religion they were interrelated. Today we face a different situation.” (Who is Man pg. 116)
As we enter Shabbat tonight and for some on Sunday, this first sentence is so important, I believe. Rabbi Heschel is teaching/reminding us of what it means to be human in different ways than he has earlier. Appreciate comes from the Latin meaning to price, to appraise and the dictionary definition is to “recognize the full worth of; recognize the full implications of”. Ability comes from the word able which in comes from the Latin meaning “to hold”. Rabbi Heschel’s wisdom above implores us engage in holding on to the full worth of our experiences of both our inner and outer living. He is also reminding us that we can hold on to these experiences and express our recognition of them as well. Rabbi Heschel is calling upon all of us to engage in appreciation and express our appreciation so we can “be human”. This appreciation, this appraisal of life is not about the outside trappings, however. It is to experience life from the inside out, to engage in rich, disturbing, challenging inner dialogues, inner wars, inner turmoil leading to inner clarity, integration of our inner forces and voices. Yet, most people are afraid to grapple with our inner discord, our inner turmoil and, instead, seek to add more outer trappings and prize the outer rather than deal with the inner. This is surely apparent in our political state of affairs, it is the basis for Putin invading Ukraine, Trump and his sycophants pushing the mendacious “Big Lie” on our country in an effort to tear down democracy. It is apparent in the machinations of Moscow Mitch who believes he can set up an autocracy and never be out of power, out of favor and this is what God means in the teachings about taking care of the poor, the needy, the stranger! The more outer ‘success’ these politicians have with deceiving their masses, the more they “recognize the full worth of” their mendacity. This is the antithesis to both the teaching above and the call/demand of God.
We witness this bastardization of appreciation in some of the 1%. They recognize the worth of their private Jets (which I do also:) more than they recognize the worth of their inner life. Like our politicians, they have run from their inner lives by filling their outer lives with stuff, toys, money, prestige, titles, etc. I have met many people who are bewildered because they “have everything” and are still unsatisfied, still in turmoil and still unable to appreciate what they have, believing the ‘next big’ success will bring them the calm they have been searching for. We see this in families as well, parents believing they will be okay if their children are okay, fulfill their dreams for their children, rescuing them from themselves and seeking their obedience and believing obedience is love. I have witnessed children who fail to appreciate their parents for who they are, rather than who they are not. They are so intent on destroying their parents ability to recognize the worth of their lives these children are willing to destroy their own life, literally and figuratively. In my vocation and avocation of being an “advocate of the soul” for 1000’s of people and their families, I have watched the difficulty people have in recognizing the worth of their own lives, much less appreciating the worth of anyone else’s.
This is where jealousy, hatred, prejudice stem from, I believe. I am experiencing Rabbi Heschel’s wisdom today as a call to end this false foundation of life, the foundation which believes if the outer looks good, then I can hide my inner turmoil from another and myself. This is the Biggest of the Big Lie!
In recovery, we relearn/learn for the first time to be able/hold on to an authentic recognition of the value of our inner life, to be hold on to the vision our inner life is providing for us and learn to express our gratitude for being alive, for finally not needing to cover up our warts and hide our foibles. In recovery, we are able to put the highest price on our relationships with another person, with family, with God, with our true self. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
Today’s writing brings me to realize that the things I have run from in my life are the things I have to run to. First responders run towards danger, not away from it and I am recognizing the value of the many times when I have engaged in the dangerous labyrinth of my inner life. I have always recognized my hold on truth even when I was engaging in mendacity and deception. I am experiencing my past in glorious ways because of this teaching above. I am no longer living in shame for my errors, I have to recognize the value of my errors so I can improve, I can and must make T’Shuvah for the harm I have caused which I do upon realizing them. I also have to recognize the worth of my contribution to making my corner of the world better, I have to recognize how much my inner sense of God’s will to love the stranger, the neighbor and God have allowed me to be ‘angry for God, angry for the senseless hatred and treatment of people who are not like the people in power (aka white men). Recognizing the value of my dignity and your dignity forces me to be kinder, more loving, more human. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark