Daily Life Lessons from Rabbi Heschel
Year 5 Day 37
“The good is carried out in acts, and there is an intense fascination that comes from a good deed couteracting the pressure and ardor of the ego. The ego is redeemed by the absorbing power and the inexorable provocativeness of a just task which we face.” (Thunder in the Soul pg. 93)
70+ years ago, Rabbi Heschel is reminding we the people that all of our intentions, all of our ‘inner goodness’ means absolutely NOTHING if We the People are not STANDING UP and DOING GOOD! Oh, that we the people would have heeded these words and similar words of so many other people then! Since we didn’t then, in the words of Hillel the Elder, I ask IF NOT NOW, WHEN?
While it is true for every moment, this moment is especially in need of “the good”, we the people are in the throes of a society that is giving honor to the thieves, worshiping the golden calf, bowing down to power and greed, surrendering to “the pressure and ardor of the ego”. Every society throughout history has fallen for these exact reasons. From the Children of Israel splitting up into two nations because of Solomon’s greed to the Hasmoneans becoming more Greek-like than the Jews they fought against to gain power, we have watched this movie end with the destruction of the Temples, the destruction of the country, and we, Jews, think Bibi is Moses-like, think Bibi is the modern-day King David??? WTF, people? When we allow past victories to lull us into the false belief that we are invincible, that ‘we have a just cause’, that “never again” gives us the right to keep people in camps, treat another human being as if they are less than human… We the People are FUCKED!
Posting as if you are Jesus Christ or a ‘doctor’ and you heal people with your touch-PLEASE DONALD J TRUMP! Starting a war of words with the Pope, having your VP, that lackey JD Vance stand up for you against the leader of his faith, humiliating him at each and every turn, showing disdain for the Iranians by sending Vance and not Rubio, Kushner and not experienced diplomats, and then using your fuck-ups as an excuse to ‘flex your muscles’, which puts American heroic military people at risk just to prove “the pressure and ardor of your ego” can counteract any good deed that another human being does?! Where is the 25th Amendment? Where are the balls of the Republican White Men in Congress to bring Impeachment and get this lunatic away from the controls. Vance is not a great back-up and he is better than this lunatic! MAGA must RISE UP and SAY NO because as it is, We the People are FUCKED!
Making a habit of doing the next right thing, taking the next right action is not trying to be perfect, in fact it recognizes our fallibility by telling us that whatever we are doing now, may not be right and we have CHOICE! This is the greatest power of “the good”. In doing a “good act”, we become aware of our power over our choices, we find a new freedom, a liberation from “same shit different day” attitude. When We the People embrace how “a good deed (is) counteracting the pressure and ardor of the ego” there is an overwhelming sense of hope, of joy, of love, of connection with our spirituality, with a power greater than ourselves, with our community.
I have been engaged in “doing the next right thing” for the past 38+ years. It is not always easy nor does it always “feel good” in the moment. There are moments of “why do I have to do it when no one else is”, there are moments of “doing this loses me money”, there are moments of intense anger being directed towards me, there are moments of profound misunderstandings, there are moments of intense betrayal. All these experiences, while hurtful, while negative DO NOT come close to the joy, the wonder, the awe, the spiritual fulfillment that “a good deed counteracting the pressure and ardor of the ego” brings! Each and every “good deed” is a repayment to God for the gift of life, for the gifts life brings me, for the love I experience and for the joy I live in. This is what We the People need to do to counter-act the evil that is at the core of our current Government, the greed and avarice that runs throughout the government and people.
ACTION STEPS:
Write down the actions you take today that show your goodness
Write down the actions you take today that show your not goodness
Write down the reasons and the outcomes of the actions you take today, both the good ones and the not so good ones
See what you were oblivious to this day, look at the lies you told yourself this day
Do an ego check a few times a day to see if the pressure and ardor are rising to dangerous levels
GOD BLESS and STAY SAFE, Rabbi Mark