Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 247
“remonstrating about wrongs inflicted on other people, meddling in affairs which were seemingly neither their concern nor responsibility…The prophet is a person who is not tolerant of the wrongs done to others, who resents other people’s injuries.” (Thunder in the Soul pgs.45-6)
Here we are on the first day of Sukkot, exactly two years since October 7th, the day of horror that Israel had never experienced, and rather than focus on the joy of Sukkot-we say “season of joy” as a greeting to one another, or focus on the tragedy, I am continuing yesterday’s theme about the prophets.
“Remonstrating about wrongs inflicted on other people, meddling in affairs which were seemingly neither their concern nor responsibility” is at the core of what the prophets teach us about God, about spirit, about what is at the core of every human being-justice, righteousness, concern, love, kindness, dignity. Why else would our prophets go to such lengths, put their very lives on the line to speak truth to power, to teach the people what is already “very near to you, in your mouth, in your heart, that you may do it”(Deut.30:14)? The idea that one would/should be “meddling in affairs which were seemingly neither their concern nor responsibility” seems ridiculous to so many people; “mind your own business” is a common refrain, “stay in your lane” is spoken about in AA, in recovery, and while both have their place and, in the right moments, are good advice-the prophets and, by extension, God are advising us to be citizens, to be involved, immersed in the happenings around us and “righteousness, righteousness you shall pursue(some say Justice, Justice)” from Deuteronomy 16:20. Yet, too many of us are still sitting on the sidelines, watching the world disintegrate, eyeing the doorway to ‘safety’, not realizing there is no safe haven when evil is reigning, there is no place to hide and bury one’s head in the sand when justice is being perverted ‘over there’ ‘to those people’! History has shown us this over and over again, yet, We the People continue to seek ‘our savior’, continue to buy the lies of the idolators, the charlatans who purport to speak in the name of Christ, in the name of Moses, in the name of Mohammed. We the People know, deep down in our beingness, that this avenue is wrong and we are afraid to exhibit the courage, the calling to stand with the oppressed, to scream from the rooftops about the “wrongs inflicted on other people”. This is what will be the end of freedom, the destruction of democracy; We the People being more afraid of living into our prophetic inheritance than into our descent to slavery; do we really have to repeat the experience in Egypt again?!?
We the People in this moment, with the weight of October 7th on us, with the weight of the response to it on us, with the holiday of Sukkot which demands we engage in joy on us, have a choice to make: do we fall, falter, give up under the weight of the tragedy, the horror of both the despicable attacks by Hamas and the inhumane response of Israel, do we stand tall, speak truth to power, tell Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, Orban, et al, to “Let My People Go”? Are we going to accept the inheritance the Bible gives us? Are we going to revel in the spiritual inheritance that Moses, Deborah, Ruth(the Moabite), King David, the prophets have passed down to us? YES WE ARE!!
We the People are not sitting idly by in many cases; we are fighting the wrongs in Court, we are fighting the power grabs in states where freedom is more important than legal fictions, we are screaming and demonstrating against the abuses of power by ICE, by the National Guard, by the Military who want to stage a coup in the streets of cities that Trump doesn’t like because We the People in these cities and states are not kissing the ring nor his ass like the Republicans in other states and in Congress are. We the People are not being ”tolerant of the wrongs done to others”, We the People are showing how much we “resent other people’s injuries” by our constant demonstrations, our calling Congress, our going to court! We the People are doing what we can to stop the tide of hate, the rushing rapids of autocracy, the avalanche of despicable actions by the government that has been entrusted to the worst of humankind-small people who seek big power. The prophet Amos teaches us: “hate evil, love good, establish justice in the gate”(5:15) and goes on to demand of us: “justice roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream”. This is our inheritance, this is the call of AYECHA which God sends out 24/7 to us, the partners chosen to help make the world a little better each day, this is what We the People get to engage in, what We the People are called to and what we GET to do.
This is the call I have heard forever and, as I said yesterday, got so jaded, so hurt, so distraught that I lost my way for a while.. The lack in my Jewish Education is tragic and, while I want to blame the teachers I had, the Rabbi, the truth is I don’t know if they tried to teach us and I just didn’t listen because the noise in my head, the psychic pain in my inner life was blocking it out. I do know that nothing is more important than justice to me in this moment and has been for a long time. Justice is not about the letter of the law to me, justice is about what is right, what is true, what is decent, what is loyal to values and oaths to God, what is the next right action… I don’t always get it right, I am still hard on myself, I still get upset when I do dumb mistakes at Bridge, at Ceramics, at Golf, at home and on the way. I continue to improve and take two steps forward and then one (or more) backwards. Yet, justice, truth, freedom, kindness, are first and foremost in my mind, heart, mouth. I speak a truth that many don’t want to hear, I speak of actions that many don’t want to take, and I won’t stop! This is the inheritance I get from the prophets-continue on no matter what anyone else thinks and this is my jam, my way. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark