Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 280
“The words the prophet utters are not offered as souvenirs. His speech to the people is not a reminiscence, a report, heresy. The prophet not only conveys; he reveals.” (Thunder in the Soul pg. 33)
In 1972, in his conversation with Carl Stern, Rabbi Heschel gives me the impression that one of the great tragedies of our time is that no one studies the prophets, takes in their words and their essence, etc. Look what has happened in the ensuing 53 years! The stranger is hated and used as a scapegoat, the poor are exploited even more than they have been, racism is off the charts, white supremacy is ‘in vogue’, young white men want to identify with Nazi-loving autocrats, white women vote for a misogynist, rapist, Black and Latino men vote for a bully rather than a woman, and the country is in shambles. Exactly the opposite of the message of the prophets who the so-called clergy of these white self proclaimed “christian” nationalists are delivering and the exact opposite of Mike Johnson and Russell Vought’s claim to “love their Bible”!
Reading the words of the prophets’ today is not a luxury, it is not a moment to engage in critical analysis of whether they existed, it is not to debate their ideas. Immersing ourselves in the life, the times, the words of the prophet is to immerse ourselves in this very moment, to be aware of the times we are living in, and to hear the call of the divine, to wake up to the spirit of the laws given to us at Sinai, to understand that “do not steal” has so many meanings and nuances to it, that the words at Sinai, like the experience of Sinai, was/is experienced by each person differently and uniquely. We need everyone’s authentic experience of the Voice that comes from Sinai today as well as the authentic experience of We the People when reading the Biblical recounting of this experience.
The words of the prophets are also experiences of the Voice from Sinai speaking to a new generation-OURS- calling out to us to “return” to the ways given to us, to “return” to our covenant with the ineffable One and with one another. The prophet is giving us the gift of revelation and We the People continue to ignore it! How utterly ridiculous, egotistical, and ignorant of We the People, hence we find ourselves in a world where lying is celebrated, graft and grift are deemed good, smart qualities, where reneging on the promise of America is glorified, where Israel has become a blight unto the nations instead of a light. This is the result of years and years of ignoring the speech of the prophets, of shunting them to the side by the Rabbis and Sages, of fearing them by Clergy of all stripes.
Hearing and understanding, listening and guarding the words of the prophet is the closest We the People can come to the experience at Sinai! Their words and thoughts, actions and truth are, for We the People an authentic experience of what is rattling around in our souls, the essence of our inner life that we keep ignoring, clouding up with our rational minds (which is supposed to be a servant to our soul), and using criticism rather than critical thinking to hide from the truth of who we are, what our mission is, and living into it.
Why have We the People ignored the call of the prophets, the Word from Sinai? Because we are more interested in our place in society than we are in our place in our lives, in the world. We have become obsessed to the extremes of narcissism, of egotism, of cruelty, of unkindness, of mendacity, so that we can exert our power absolutely- the words of Samuel come to mind and ring so true. Looking into the mirror, seeing the reflection of our souls, experiencing the words of the prophets, allowing their revelations to open our eyes and our spirits to the truth that lies within each one of We the People is the solution to the situation we face today.
80 years ago, Dwight D. Eisenhower told his people to film what they were seeing at the Concentration Camps they were liberating because “years from now people will deny this happened”. The prophets called out the wealthy, the priests, the kings, so that We the People would be brought out of the slavery of autocracy, the cruelty of Solomon, the hatred between the sons of Jacob and their words, their stories, like all of the words and stories in the Bible are the “film” for We the People to prevent the denial of goodness, to prevent the spread and worship of evil as good, to stop the horrific treatment of the stranger, the poor, the needy from happening again. We the People have failed in our mission to be “a light unto the nations”, we have failed in hearing the call of the prophets ie the call from the divine. AND, We the People are given the solution from the prophets: TSHUVAH! When We return, we are welcomed back, when we return we are healed, when we return, we get another opportunity to hear, listen, understand that freedom, justice, kindness, truth, love are our God-given rights!
In my almost 39 years of studying the prophets, I can attest to their veracity, to their understanding of return, to their words and deeds helping to keep me free, not totally as my ego, my traits that are still out of proper measure, still win the day at times, just a lot less of the time! I am in line with the prophets words and direction about 90% of my days now and it is an experience of supreme JOY and devastating ANGUISH. Seeing how the world is, watching in horror the cruelty that abounds from Jew and Gentile alike causes me grief, sorrow and anguish. Experiencing the goodness of people, the simple acts of kindnesses, participating in same gifts me with JOY, LOVE, and BELONGING! God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark
P.S. I am taking next week off from writing-visiting my grandson and daughter for his Birthday week! See you next Sunday!