A Soulful Journey

Several years before Abraham Joshua Heschel died his friend, Sam, visited him.  This is what he recalled: He had gotten out of bed for the first time to greet me and he was sitting in the living room when I arrived, looking weak and pale. He spoke slowly and with some effort, almost in a whisper. I strained to hear his words. ”Sam”, he said, “When I regained consciousness, my first feeling was not of despair or of anger. I felt only gratitude to God for my life, for every moment I have a lift. I was ready to depart, if need be. ‘Take me,  O Lord,’ I thought.  ‘I have seen so many miracles in my lifetime.’"  Exhausted by the effort, he paused, and then added: “This is what I meant when I wrote in the preface to my book of poems: I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And You gave it to me.” - Rabbi Jack Reimer

What, or as he preferred to say, who was a human being?   How shall we understand ourselves?   Heschel was profoundly shocked in pre-Nazi Germany when he found biology textbooks that defined a human being as a collection of iron and phosphorous and other chemicals that were worth so and so many dollars on the market.   He felt that the road to Nazism began in those books, that one could draw a straight line between teachings like that and what the Nazis ended up doing to human beings.   People were dehumanized first in theory and then in fact, first in the classroom and then on the streets.   If man is only this, why revere him, why not use him, why not abuse him?   -Rabbi Jack Reimer The moment anyone becomes “little less than Divine” in our world any atrocity is possible.

The story is told about a rabbi who came home from shule one Shabbat, and his wife asked him: what did you speak about today? He said: I spoke about how the rich should give tsedaka to the poor. She said: how did the sermon go over? He said: I persuaded half the congregation. She said: Really? Which half? He said: the poor. Rabbi Jack Reimer

The story is told about a rabbi who came home from shule one Shabbat, and his wife asked him: what did you speak about today? He said: "I spoke about how the rich should give tsedaka to the poor." She said: "How did the sermon go over?" He said: "I persuaded half the congregation." She said: "Really? Which half?" He said: "The poor." - Rabbi Jack Reimer And when it comes to pass that the entire congregation will hear and understand the Messiah will step into the congregation.

Years back the United States heard about John Tower.   “He was accused of many terrible things and yet one voice was heard demanding fairness on his behalf; Senator Dodd of Connecticut. Senator Dodd demanded that the hearing be conducted fairly, without demagoguery of unfair allegations.   This from the member of the Democratic Party who had everything to gain by gain by seeing Tower vilified. And yet twenty-two years ago, Senator Dodd’s father was on trial and John Tower then stood up to defend his right to a fair hearing.   Tower once came to the aid of Dodd’s father and the son had not forgotten." "To be great means to be grateful.”   - Rabbi Jack Reimer

Do you know the story about the man who meets his friend whom he has not seen in a long time. He says to him: “How is your daughter, the one who is married to a C.P. A.? The man says: “Oh, they divorced some time ago.” The friend says: “Oh, I am sorry to hear that.” The man says: “Oh, don’t be. After she divorced him, she married a lawyer.” The friend says: “Oh really. Mazel tov! The man says: “Thank you, but then they got divorced too.” The friend says: “Oh, I am sorry to hear that.” The man says: Oh, don’t be. A year later, she married a doctor.” The friend says: A CPA? A lawyer? A doctor? Fun ein kint azoi fill naches!” For those of you who don’t know Yiddish: from one child so much pleasure?   Rabbi Jack Reimer 

The very first book of the Talmud is called Berahot. "Blessings," and in one of its opening passages, a rabbi asks his students how they can tell when the night has ended and the day has begun (in which case it is time to recite the Shema). "Could it be," asked one of the students, "when you see an animal in the distance and can tell whether it's a sheep or a dog?' "No." answered the rabbi. Another asked, "Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?" "No again." replied the rabbi. "Then when is it?" the pupils demanded. And the sage answered, "It is when you can look at the face of any man or woman or child and see that it is your sister or brother. Because, if you cannot see this, it is still night." Rabbi Jack Reimer