Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 2 Day 196
“The more deeply immersed I become in the thinking of the prophets, the more powerfully it became clear to me what the lives of the prophets sought to convey: that morally speaking there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings. It also became clear to me that in regard to cruelties committed in the name of a free society, some are guilty while all our responsible.” (Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity pg. 225)
The last sentence above haunts me and, I hope, haunts everyone. We are witness’ to the “cruelties committed in the name of a free society” and, most of us accept them, don’t worry about them, shrug them off, are indifferent to them. As I immerse myself in Rabbi Heschel’s teachings, I see them and weep, I witness them and cry out, when I commit them, I repent. We all have to reject these cruelties, we have to stop saying: “this is just the way it is”, we have to call out to those who commit these cruelties and we have to say NO to deceivers, to our own self-deceptions, to our indifference. In his interview with Carl Stern in speaking about the Vietnam War being a religious issue, Rabbi Heschel says: “How can I pray when I have on my conscience the awareness that I am co-responsible for the death of innocent people in Vietnam?” (Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, appendix 2)
Yet, we go on praying, we hear from those ‘good christians’ like Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, Kevin McCarthy about praying for the victims of gun violence while doing nothing to stop it and even, subtly, encouraging it. We hear the rhetoric of clergy spewing hatred of people different than ‘us’ and how wrong they are for their ways of living. We claim to be the home of the brave and the land of the free, when what is meant is: white christian people are brave and free while the rest of you have to do it our way! We listen to these charlatans pray for the United States of America while their actions seek to divide and conquer the states they think are ‘too liberal’. Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for divorce while praying for God to Bless America. These same people who are praying so fervently, people of all faiths and creeds, are praying fervently for their power and the ability to hold on to it; they are praying for ways to hide their true motives from God, from another and from themselves; they are praying for their selfish desires. They are not praying to hear God’s call, they are not praying to change their ways, they are not praying for forgiveness for their guilt nor they responsibility for these cruelties they are committing and the ones committed in there name. Yet, many people stay indifferent to the cruelties they commit and are committed in their name.
Rabbi Heschel’s description of his anguish over the cruelties committed by the US in Vietnam and his co-responsibility is a blueprint for all of us. Each and every one of us can and must look inside of themselves and see the cruelties we have committed ourselves, see the cruelties our society has committed, examine the cruelties our government engages in and repent. We have to become co-responsible and no longer point our finger at “those people” who are doing wrong. We have to no longer pray for “those people” and begin to pray for our selves, use prayer as the Hebrew word for it, “L’Hitpallel” means: to look inside/to judge oneself. We have to begin to truly pray for ourselves to change our ways, to do T’Shuvah/inventory and amends for the cruelties we have committed, those we have witnessed, and those we remain indifferent to. While there are no easy solutions for any of the challenges we face today and will face tomorrow, prayer helps us be responsible for our part, helps us clear the fog of self-deception and indifference so we can work together to find solutions.
In recovery, we accept responsibility for our part, we seek to change our ways, make amends for our cruelties, and be responsible for one another. We continue to go to meetings, to reach out to people, to be of service as actions that change us, that acknowledge our being co-responsible for what is happening in the world. In recovery, we seek God’s will and the power to carry it out rather than ask God to carry out our will.
I have committed cruelties prior to and since my recovery began. The greatest cruelties have come when I was indifferent/unable to hear the cry of another(s). I am so bereft from committing these cruelties and I am responsible-I have made amends directly and publicly whenever possible. I do not accept the scorn and blame people put on me because they cannot own their part, I have done and continue to do T’Shuvah for my part. These recognitions help me to be more free and more accepting, they help me hear the challenges of God and seek to find solutions. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark