Righteous Indignation, Ch. 5 (p 38-44)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 5 (p 38-44)
The Legacy of Abraham Joshua Heschel: Jewish Spirituality and Political Transformation -- Rabbi Michael Lerner, PhD

My chapter is all marked up. How can I choose only a few selections for comment?!

(1) The first two paragraphs give an overview of the life, thoughts and works of Abraham Heschel.

What do I want people to say about me after the dirt covers my casket? What am I doing today that will lead them to those desired conclusions?

(2) "...one of Judaism's central contributions to humanity was precisely its integration of spirituality and the struggle for equality and justice" (p 39).

In your understanding, what is the relationship between spirituality and the struggle for justice (for the oppressed and the advocate)? What does this look like as lived in your life?

(3) Let me just give a shout-out to Tikkun magazine (p 40).

What other magazines encourage you in the work of spiritual and social transformation?

(4) Heschel "understood that the fundamental alienation in our society is not only about the deprivation of material goods and political rights. Without for a moment abandoning the struggle for rights and inclusion, Heschel tried to focus our attention on the deeper spiritual crisis that comes from being alienated from the spiritual core of our being..." (p 42).

In Walking with the Poor, Bryant Myers discusses how spirituality (when distorted or lacking) can be a cause of poverty. But in this chapter we are reminded of the crisis of spiritual poverty itself. What does it take to overcome this alienation? How could this question be better phrased? How can we help others grow in their own spirituality?

(5) "...lasting social change can only be won with building a politics that speaks not only to peace, environmental sanctity, rights, and inclusion but also to the hunger for meaning" (p 43).

If this is true, can the secular government be relied on for "lasting social change"? To me this points out the unique role of the spiritual leader. Or am I jumping to the synagogue/church/mosque too quickly? How can governments work to respect or build citizens' "hunger for meaning"?

(6) "The most urgent task is to destroy the myth that accumulation of wealth and the achievement of comfort are the chief vocations of man" (p 43).

Why are these pursuits problematic? How can these myths be done-away-with? What should our "chief vocations" be?

(7) The Global Marshall Plan goes well beyond the .7% of GDP that I normally hear activists and development professionals discuss (See The End of Poverty, Jeffrey Sachs). Very bold.

Would you support a national tax equal to 1-2% of GDP? What would it take to convince a majority of your country's citizen's to back such a proposal? Until this becomes a reality, are you personally sharing directly with those in need or through something like the Relational Tithe or your local faith organization? Is the Global Marshall Plan an approach you can embrace?