Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 187
“The Biblical answer to evil is not the good but the holy. It is an attempt to raise man to a higher level of existence, where man is not alone when confronted with evil. Living in “the light of the face of God” bestows upon man a power of love that enables him to overcome the powers of evil.” (God in Search of Man pg. 376)
“Holy” in Jewish thought and practice, as I understand it, means “elevated, separated and connected”. This is a crucial foundational idea, principle in living Jewishly, I believe. In order to “raise man to a higher level of existence”, We the People need to elevate ourselves and one another. We the People are being called to do more than we think we can, we are being called to raise ourselves up from our baser, animal instincts and live into the “intuitive mind” that Einstein speaks of and use our “evil inclination” to do good, to be holy. Since we are created in the image of God, since we have within us the spirit of God as Genesis chapters 1 and 2 teach us, we are more than capable of elevating ourselves to the level of being human. This is the challenge we face each and every day, in each and every interaction-will we rise above our false egos, our rational minds which are self-centered and narcissistic or not.
While “the good” is crucial to our actions and as a way of being that “departs from evil”, as I am understanding Rabbi Heschel this morning, they are not enough to truly change our level of living. It is living up “to a higher level of existence” that will enable us to have a daily practice of doing “the good”. Living at the level of “the holy” separates us from the powerful urges and desires to get even, to be cruel, to hate your enemy, to ‘win at any costs’, to separate ourselves from “the good” instead of from “the evil” through our rationalizations such as “everyone else does it”, “it’s just business” and other such lies we tell ourselves. “To raise ourselves to a higher level of existence” we have to separate ourselves from the rationalizations we use, from the lies we tell ourselves and the various deceptions that have become ‘normal’ in our society. Rather than obfuscate the truth, we have to shout what is true and real from the rooftops. Rather than ‘go along to get along’, we have stand up and speak truth to power. Rather than hate our enemies, we have to find ways to love them while fighting “the evil” they are perpetrating. Separating ourselves from our lower and baser instincts is not to say they are without merit because, of course, it is a both/and. We use these baser instincts to build buildings to house and shelter ourselves and another(s), to make medical breakthroughs, to love, to marry, to have and raise children in their own image, etc. AND, we can only really do this when we separate ourselves from “the evil” within.
Connection is the path to doing this. “Living in “the light of the face of God” bestows upon man a power of love that enables him to overcome the powers of evil” and only through connection with “the light” can we be infused and consumed by “a power of love”. This connection begins at birth and, if we nurture and feed our hunger for connection with God through living into the Covenant, we continue to grow this connection and increase our “power of love” in order “to overcome the powers of evil”. It is not easy, it is not a one and done, it is a slow slog through the muck and mire of societal norms, it is a constant “maladjustment to notions and ideas” so we never see the same moment in the same way. Connection is “we will do and then understand”, it is following the Biblical dictates of the “holiness code” to feed the poor, welcome the stranger, pay people a living wage and on time, to not take advantage of another because of their vulnerabilities, to show faith in another by rebuking them when they are on the wrong path thereby showing our belief that they can be “holy”. It means we will not impugn the dignity and value of another, to not hate another, even our enemies, in our hearts, to find a higher level of love for ourselves so we can love another.
We the People are being called every day to “be holy” by the voice of the Ineffable One and we have to hear this call that is deep in our soul. For far too long we have been trying to ‘reach the heavens’ rather than growing deeper, as James Hillman writes, growing deeper into our true and authentic selves, growing deeper in our spiritual life. As I am understanding today’s quote, it is imperative for We the People to end our fascination with the lower self, end our constant need for a ‘bad guy’ to blame for our natural inadequacies, end our need for absolute power. It is way past time for We the People to bask in “the light of the face of God” which is our primordial and natural state of being. It is time for We the People to once again tell the Pharaoh inside, the Pharaoh of societal norms to LET MY PEOPLE GO and leave the Egypt of “the evil”.
I know the power of evil, I also know that only by “living in the light of the face of God” was I able to leave it, to unshackle myself from its tight grasp and subtle ways of holding me captive. I had to come face to face with myself, with my actions, with my tears, with my dreams and my evil in order to return to the basic goodness of being that is deep within me. Only by doing this excruciating work of “the dark night of the soul” as St. John of the Cross coined and describes Jacob’s encounter with “an ish” prior to meeting Esau. I had to wrestle with both the Jacob and Esau in me so I could use Esau’s strength to overcome Jacob’s deviousness. It is a hard journey that, truly, never ends and I continue to wrestle with these two archetypes. Living at the level of “the holy” allows “the good” to win out most of the time. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark.