Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 322
“The awareness of grandeur and the sublime is all but gone from the modern mind. Our systems of education stress the importance of enabling the student to exploit the power aspect of reality. To some degree, they try to develop his ability to appreciate beauty. But there is no education for the sublime.” (Thunder in the Soul pg. 62)
“Grandeur” in Hebrew is the root of word “Tifferet” in Hebrew which denotes magnificence, glory, splendor, and is one of the ‘worlds’ on the chart of Kabbalah, often times associated with the heart. The Kabbalah believes that “grandeur” is in and at the heart of every human being and, as Rabbi Heschel says in the first sentence, “is all but gone from the modern mind”. Is it any wonder then how we have ended up in the state we are in today? Is it any wonder that a liar and cheat, a blamer and a fascist, an idolator and a blasphemer would be in charge of our Nation’s most important assets-FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY? Precisely because, We the People have abdicated our “awareness of grandeur and the sublime” do we find ourselves having to listen to the lies of Kristi Noem, Marco Rubio, Russell Vought, Stephen Miller, Howard Lutnick, et al. Another person, this time a young woman, a mother of two, was killed by the GESTAPO called ICE agents and the people responsible shirk their responsibility, blame the victim (an old trick in the Goebbels book of tricks), and wrap themselves in some bullshit ‘save America from ‘those’ people. It is disgusting, it is despicable, it is illegal, it is enslaving, it is sacrilegious, it is against God, Jesus, and is being sold by the very people who claim to speak in the name of God and really use Jesus, God, Moses, to further their own agendas to “exploit the power aspect of reality”.
“The sublime”, in Hebrew, is the word “nisgav” -grand, heroic- and the word “na-aleh” -elevated, lofty. What passes for “heroic and grand” in America and in Israel right now is anything but “sublime”, it is the antithesis of “the sublime” it is bad, inferior and all together horrific what Netanyahu, Trump, their minions, their ‘families’ are doing to our respective countries and to the world. Yet, We the People are sitting around and, to quote that great humanitarian JD Vance (or whatever the hell his name is) we are “clutching our pearls” instead of, as many a Baseball fan has said and heard; “THROW THE BUMS OUT!!” The exploitation of both “sublime” and “grandeur” by the people listed above, by society in general in this moment rivals the worst of societal bastardization of these words, rivals the worst of idolatry and exploitation of God and Spirit throughout the history of the world and WE THE FUCKING PEOPLE are allowing it, some of us are supporting it actively, and we are not demanding our legislative branches, our judicial branch of government stand up and do their jobs, awaken their hearts to the need for their truthful, covenantal actions, do the heroic actions that we ask our people in our Armed Forces to do and rise up to the elevated, lofty place that we are told to live in by God in the first chapter of Genesis! The people who fought in Venezuela, whether they should have been put in harms way or not, are more heroic that the entire Republican Caucuses in the Senate and House! One of the people in the IDF are more elevated than the entire Netanyahu Coalition!
“THROW THE BUMS OUT” is an impossible ask when We the People keep believing the lies of societal norms, when we the people continue to become “adjusted” to the lies and bullshit of Trump, Netanyahu, et al. It is impossible for We the People to live into “the sublime” that our souls call us to rise up to, unrealistic to believe we have “the heart of a lion” when we are “adjusted” to the cliches and norms of exploitation of “the power aspect of reality”. Only through “RADICAL AMAZEMENT” can we hope to change the world, change our reality, change our ways. Only by being “maladjusted” to the lies and notions, cliches and usual ways of doing business, can we the People make any inroads against the cruelty, the dictatorial ways of the current people in charge, stand up and be heroic and elevated against the Idolatry of Bibi, Donny, the ‘christian nationalists’, the ‘good orthodox jews’ who support them. The biggest adversary is, of course, the people like Trump and Netanyahu-the opportunists who have no real beliefs, no sense of “grandeur”, no interest in “the sublime” and only care for getting whatever they can, from whomever they can, however they can. This is the enemy within, this is the definition of a Spiritual Malady and every human being has this piece within us! Hence, the need for a spiritual practice, the need for spiritual counseling, the need for a community of people who will reflect one’s soul back to her/him, who will “rebuke their neighbor” so they can improve, and engage in loving the stranger, the poor, the needy, the neighbor, God.
Tonight, in some 13 hours, will mark the exact time 60 years ago that my father died! With his death, I lost my sense of grandeur, I lost my interest in “the sublime” and, while I fought for a bit, lost my way in the world. I remember the moment of finding him dead on our couch, the scream of my mother, the calls to my family, to the Rabbi, the Cantor, meeting my aunt and uncle outside the door so I could prepare them for coming in when my father’s body was still on the floor from the paramedics trying to revive him, the Doctor saying he would sign the death certificate so no autopsy had to be performed, the family gathering. All these moments could have, should have enhanced my sense of “grandeur”, my appreciation for “the sublime” and instead I lost them, I rejected both ideas and adopted the ‘way of the world’, attempting to “exploit the power aspect” and, because I am the son of Jerry Borovitz, I could never commit fully to this way and, after the long journey of 20+ years, I found my way back to living from my “heart” (Tifferet) place and “elevating” my daily ways of living to meet “the sublime” in you and in the world. God Bless and stay safe, Rabbi Mark