Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 119
“Freedom is a burden that God has thrust upon man. Freedom is something we are responsible for. If we succeed, we will help in the redemption of the world; if we fail, we may be crushed by its abuse. Freedom as man’s unlimited lordship is the climax of absurdity, and the central issue we face is man’s false sense of sovereignty.”(Insecurity of Freedom pg. 21)
The second sentence above is what many of us learned in our Civics classes. I remember my 9th Grade Civics teacher, Mr. Ed Roach, drilling into our minds and spirits that freedom depends on how responsible we are to the Constitution, the laws of the land, and the Declaration of Independence. Each Christmas Holiday, he would take a bus load of 9th graders to Washington DC to visit the sites of freedom, the halls of justice and Congress, etc so we could learn to appreciate our hard-fought for freedom and the journey our ancestors took so we could live in America. Almost 60 years later, I can hear his voice, see his face, and feel his passion for freedom and for all of us being responsible for our own and everyone else’s freedom!
Rabbi Heschel says: “In a free society, some are guilty all are responsible.” Yet, today, we are witnessing the irresponsibility of our elected officials, the blatant disregard for our Constitution and Declaration Of Independence, our democratic norms, checks and balances by a group of fascists who enjoy the cruelty, much like the Nazis who killed the Jews and then went home to be such good fathers and mothers, loving classical music, laughing and partying away! When absolute power is the goal, cruelty is just a means to the desired end and these PAGANS, operating under the guise of ‘christianity’ that has nothing to do with Christ or God, love to see the pain their cruelty inflicts on anyone and everyone. Stephen Miller, Tom Holman, J D Vance, Donald Trump, Hegseth, Noem, all have wet dreams every night over the pain, fear and horror they inflict on people-just like Himmler, Goring, Eichmann, Hitler, Goebbels, et al. These assholes are joining the autocrats club by imitating Putin, Orban, etc.
Demanding accountability is only the beginning, however. We the People must continue to take to the streets and protest against this irresponsible behavior towards our “freedoms”! We the People are being called to be responsible especially when the powers that be are not. Just as the founding fathers revolted against the authoritarian King George, so to do We the People have to revolt against the wannabe King Donald. Just as the Justice Department, with people like Andrew Weissmann, decimated the Italian Mafia, so to do We the People have to decimate and take down “Don the wannabe Mafioso”. It is not enough to wring our hands, it is not enough to make speeches, it is not enough to donate money. We the People have to put our actions where our mouth is, We the People, who are physically able, must block the doors to our institutions which protect us from the lying, idol-worshiping Republicans who are sucking “Don the wannabe Mafioso’s” you know what!! It is getting tiresome for these Pagan Republicans waving the flag as if they love America when they are really waving the white flag of surrender. It is really boring to hear of their ‘love of god’ when they only ‘love’ power and corruption. It is nauseating to hear them pontificate on their love of people and how much they care for their constituents when they won’t even show up for town hall meetings, they won’t take remedial actions for the errors they have committed by approving Hegseth, Kennedy Jr., Noem, etc. The PAGANS running both houses are incapable of “taking a thorough and fearless inventory” much less admitting their powerlessness over their addiction to ass-kissing and how it makes their life unmanageable-the first step in change, the first step in doing TShuvah.
What baffles many of us is how Trump still enjoys any support, much less 39-45% support! What are the supporters seeing that we are not? What are they staying willfully blind to? Are they like Martin Neimoller, and hiding their heads in the sand because these PAGANS are not coming for them, right now? Do they think that Medicaid will be cut only for ‘blue states’ or only for the ‘democrats’ in their states? Do they believe that not having the tried and true vaccines for the Flu, Measles, Polio, Covid-19, etc will make us healthier? Are they so caught up in the ether they believe the tariffs, the chaos, the private militia of Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, will be good for their bottom line? Are they so blind as to realize when there were no regulations, we had the Triangle Shirt Factory fire, the enslavement of Black people, the lack of a living wage, the cruelty of mine collapses, the belching of smoke from the kilns of steel making plants, etc? Yet, this minority keeps loving Trump, loving cruelty and this is how they see being responsible for freedom works!!
We the People have to change things, have to stand up and say NO. It is incumbent upon each one of us to live our inheritance from the Prophets, to live the examples of our founding fathers, of Lincoln, of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Washington, FDR, LBJ, Reagan, the Bush’s, and speak truth to power and listen to truth being spoken to us. It is no longer an option that We the People close our ears to truth, it is no longer okay to buy the bullshit of our own self-deception. It is way past time to think that someone will save us. We the People need to remember that the Messiah comes when we are ready for the Messiah, be it the second coming or the first is of no matter. The Talmud relates many instances of Elijah the Prophet being among the poor and the needy, waiting for some human kindness and then the messiah will be here. It is up to We the People to “assume the person next to us is the messiah and weigh our words, watch our hands and if they choose to nor reveal him/herself, it will not matter” as Danny Siegel teaches in his “A Rebbe’sProverb (from the Yiddish)”. We the People have to assume responsibility for Freedom precisely because our elected leaders are not! We the People are capable, resourceful, and spiritually capable to do this vital job.
My years from 15-36 were defined by my irresponsibility towards freedom and everything else. Looking at living through this lens allows me to see how freedom frames my world. When I am responsible for my freedom, I don’t drink, steal, fuck around in the ways I have before. It just doesn’t have the same appeal, when I follow the teaching of Ed Roach, the teachings of the Bible. I know I have helped others realize this profound truth that seems so obvious and, at least 39-45% of us are oblivious to! OY, praying that We the People help everyone wake up and be responsible. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark