Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 4 Day 358
“It is constancy that sanctifies. Judaism is an attempt to place all of life under the glory of ultimate significance, to relate all scattered actions to the One. Through the constant rhythm of prayers, disciplines, reminders, joys, man is taught not too forfeit his grandeur.” (Thunder in the Soul pg. 79)
As I wrote yesterday, “constancy” comes from the Latin root meaning “stand firm”, it doesn’t mean doing the same thing in the same way over and over again, I believe. “Standing firm”, means that I don’t wander too far off the path, that I am grounded and rooted in ways that enhance my living and the lives of those around me. Which leads to the question for all of us: What are we standing firm in?
The current leaders of government are “standing firm” in their incessant need for more, more, more-money, adoration, worshipers, and so many other not good traits. They are inviting Putin, Orban, et al into the US government, into the corporate structures of American Business all the while not caring when, not if, Putin decides to either extract extortion money from them or just take their business’ over! Yet, here is Trump caring more about Vladimir Putin that the United States, more about his money and fame that We the People he swore to serve and protect, more about his lies than the Constitution he is sworn to uphold.
However, Trump is not the problem here, We the People are the problem! We have chosen to not “stand firm” in our beliefs, in the values that our parents, grandparents risked everything for so we could live free. Rather than honor those who gave “their last full measure” to protect and defend our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our way of life, we the people have made ourselves so small that we don’t believe we can “stand firm” in values, “stand firm” on our principles, “stand firm” with one another because ICE will ‘get’ us, because the DOJ will ‘come’ for us, because we know we are not perfect and this makes us feel weak, vulnerable, etc. I am saying BULLSHIT on these excuses, perfection is a myth, it is not real, it is not worth pursuing even-because we the people will never get there and our pursuit of it renders our attempts to “rend our callousness” futile.
Hence the gift that Judaism, Christianity, any and all authentic spiritual paths are because as written above, all spiritual disciplines “attempt to place all of life under the glory of ultimate significance, to relate al scattered actions to the One.” Our Bridge Teacher, (the best one in my opinion) Randy B, reminds us all the time that each card tells a story, it is part of the puzzle of the hand-so too is each action we take, each time we “stand firm” in principles and values that uplift and each time we “stand firm” in values and principles that demean another human being for our own self-aggrandizement, our own personal gain, our false ego’s desires, etc. Each action we take, every prayer we say either moves us closer to our “best self” in the moment or detracts us from same. How can it detract, you might ask, well I will tell you. When I am so absorbed in prayer that I don’t notice nor care about you, your needs, I am too busy praying to save you from an assault, the prayer detracts from us being our best self, when I am so busy studying in the Yeshiva that I don’t serve in the military, I don’t have a job, I am relying on welfare and for ‘those’ people who I have nothing but disdain for to support me, my studying, my praying, the reminders of you being a divine gift, made in the image of God just leaves me; ergo: they are worthless prayers, worthless studying, even to the point of being harmful.
However, when “the constant rhythm of prayers, disciplines, reminders, joys” are in service of something greater than ourselves, when they are in service to “the One” then the puzzle of our lives comes together in a beautiful picture, like the jigsaws people work on, so too do all of these ways of being put together the ‘jigsaw’ of our lives, giving us a glimpse of what we are capable of, and helping us “not to forfeit our grandeur”! And human beings, created in the image of God, We the People all possess an inherent grandeur, a beauty, a necessary piece of the jigsaw puzzle called life. Yet, far too often, We the People allow another human being to demean us, to put us down, to con us into believing they know what they are talking about when it is all BULLSHIT-like Madoff, Epstein, PT Barnum, Donald Trump, et all.
As a person who forfeited my “grandeur” for 20 years, I know the enormous cost it takes out of one, the gigantic tornado I brought upon another(s) and I have dedicated these past 39+ years to doing T’Shuvah. I know without the “rhythm’ mentioned above, without the “constancy” of staying power, I would be lost and so would many people. I am grateful to my family, teachers, and friends for hanging in there with me and for helping me grow.
ACTION STEPS:
Make a list of principles and values you believe in and practice:
Write down how you “stood firm” in them today and how you didn’t for political expediency, for monetary gain
What is your spiritual practice, discipline and how often do you “stand firm” in it?
How does prayer, meditation, move you to action which honors your dignity and the dignity of another?
How do you celebrate your grandeur and the grandeur of another each day?
God Bless and Stay safe, Rabbi Mark