Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 5 Day 16
“Giving birth to one chld is a mystery; bringing death to millions is but a skill. It is not quite within the power of the human will to generate life; it is quite wihtin the power of the will to destroy life.” (Thunder in the Soul pg. 84)
This book, Thunder in the Soul is a compilation of Rabbi Heschel’s earlier books, ergo, there is no new writings, no ‘new’ information. The editor, Robert Erlewine, however, as compiled the disperate writings beautifully, in my opinion. He offers no commentary, just leaves the understanding to We the People.
Reading, understanding, hearing the words above gives me the shuddering awesomeness of responsibility and humility. Who the hell do we the people think we are? We hold ourselves in some lofty esteem, believing we are so hotsy-totsy, so brilliant, and it is impossible still for human beings to “generate life”, albeit we the people keep trying! Isn’t it WAY PAST TIME for we the people to rise above these baser instincts, to transform our “yetzer hara”, to serve something greater than ourselves? OH YEAH, I forgot; to far too many of we the people there is nothing greater than ourselves! Herein is the problem, the solution, the challenge and the response: The hubris of humanity is so powerful and strong that we the people forget who we truly are!
We, up till now, have been unable to create “complex life” from nothing as is possible because of how we are created. Yet, as history records and survivor records testify to, we the people are very adept at “bringing death to millions”. In fact, in this moment, as in every moment in the past, the chest-pounding by leaders of governments as to ‘my army is better than yours’ is once again crescendoing. Be it a drunken Pete Hegseth who whether he is actually drinking, his intoxication with himself, with his power, with his booze, is on full display, or be it Donald Trump, who is so drunk with his ability to manipulate, to deceive the public, to enrich himself, to be a bully and have so many people who shunned him bend their knee, kiss his ring, his ass, or any of the other maniacs running our government in this moment, We the People are being called by the words above, by historical experiences, by the Prophets, by Jesus to STAND THE FUCK UP AND SAY NO! NO! NO! Yet, we the people in our fear, in our self-deception, in our wanting to be part of the ‘in crowd’, DO NOT STAND UP! Susan Collins, John Thune, Mitch McConnell et al know the dangers of what is happening, know the incredible risk Trump is taking for democracy, are, seemingly, fine with allowing what has stood for 250 years crumble, what began as a revolution with the firing of a musket, is dying without even a whimper from these ‘fine upstanding christian LIARS, IDOLATORS!
The problem is our ability to destory life with such reckless abandon. The solution is to follow the words of the prophets, of Jesus: “return to God”, “God will heal us”, live life with a passion for our unique purpose, remember there is one law for the stranger and the citizen alike, “See yourself as if YOU had been brought out of Egypt”, etc. The challenge for We the People is to rise from the smallness, the arrogance, the hubris we the people seem to revel in, puff out our chests from, and become We the People by acknowledging a force, a higher consciousness, a spirit, an energy, that is beyond anyting we could imagine. It is this force that gave human beings the power to co-create a life, to save one soul, to live our unique path and purpose.
This challenge was brought to me some 41 years ago during my first stint in the State Prison system of California, and then again, 39 years ago during my 2nd stint in the joint. Needless to say, the 1st time I was blind, deaf and DUMB! Since the 2nd experience of hearing the challenge, being given the solution, I have stayed the course, finding out the nuances that work and don’t, the path that is right for me and not right for another(s), no longer needing to prove I am right, a surrender to God that reaches into the 90% percentile at times and hovers in the 80%’s. It is a life that brings joy and meaning, connection and love, sadness and disappointment, bewilderment and clarity of knowing what I know. Each day I am hurt by people who ghost me, overwhelmed by people who recognize me, and continue to live the next right action to the best of my ability!
ACTION STEPS:
How are you killing people by not recognizing their humanity, by shaming them for their foibles, by taking advantage of them just because you can
Until when, “Odd Matai”, will you stop refusing to acknowledge your hubris and inhumanity towards another(s) human
What will it take and/or how do/will you meet the challenge presented today?
GOD BLESS and STAY SAFE, Rabbi Mark