Dr. Martin Luther King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel - Implications for today
19/01/2021 09:26:51 AM
Jan19
Dear Congregational Family,
With all that is happening in the world, we should not forget that Martin Luther King Day was observed in the United States on Monday. Although we live in Canada, the message of Dr. King is a universal one, the case of civil rights for everyone. In the late 1960's, he died as a martyr.
In some of the famous photographs taken of Dr. King, one may notice a white bearded man in the background. This was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. The two were colleagues, friends, and ideologically like-minded. Rabbi Heschel marched with Dr. King in Alabama and elsewhere in the marches for civil rights.
January is a month when we recall them both. Martin Luther King Day is observed in January. Rabbi Heschel died in the same month back in 1972, just a few days after his last public interview on Meet The Press. They both had high regard for the Biblical Prophets. One of Rabbi Heschel's most famous books was actually called "The Prophets." Both of them would point to last week's and this week's Torah portion, quoting Moses' appeal to Pharaoh "to let my people go." In the Torah, the oppressed minority is the Children of Israel. For King and Heschel, these same words took on a more universal meaning several decades ago.
While much has improved since the civil rights demonstrations of the 1960's, there is still so much more to achieve. Prejudice, bigotry, racism, anti-semitism, and violence still abound. Almost every day, we sadly hear about, read about, or witness the harsh realities of living in a polarized world. We yearn for the day when all ethnic, cultural, and religious groups can practice their faith and heritage freely without fear of verbal or physical attack.
Sadly, we do not see the likes of a King and Heschel standing side by side with their shared message these days. Each of us must strive to continue the work they did so many years ago.
On a personal note, the writings of Rabbi Heschel influenced me greatly in my late teens and early twenties at a time when I was yearning for deeper ways of understanding the meanings of Torah, Halakha, theology, ethics, and more. I am grateful that one of my Seminary teachers in the 1980's was a direct student of Rabbi Heschel, from whom I studied excerpts from all of Rabbi Heschel's books. One book in particular, a short text, which I believe will inspire all readers is Heschel's book entitled, "The Sabbath." Years ago, it had me appreciate the concept of Shabbat in a brand new way. All of his books are accessible.
While the history of Heschel and King dates back to the 1960's, the lessons they embodied ring true today. May both their memories be a blessing.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Howard Morrison
Sat, 20 April 2024 12 Nisan 5784
