This week of remembrances is bringing me inspiration and a reality check. The 18th of Tevet (Wednesday) was the 50th anniversary of Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Heschel’s death. The 22nd of Tevet, corresponding to the 15th of January (this year), is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. They were both friends and colleagues, they were both visionaries, they spoke truth not only to power, but to all humanity. Both of these men are heroes of mine. Both inform my values and have had a tremendous effect on me. Both died way too early and their work - our work - is nowhere near done.

They first met on January 14, 1963 at a conference in Chicago on religion and race. At Dr. King’s invitation, Dr. Heschel spoke. His first lines caught me….

At the first conference on religion and race, the main participants were Pharaoh and Moses. Moses’ words were: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me.” While Pharaoh retorted: “Who is the Lord, that I should heed this voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go.”

The outcome of that summit meeting has not come to an end. Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The exodus began, but is far from having been completed. In fact, it was easier for the children of Israel to cross the Red Sea than for a Negro to cross certain university campuses.

Suddenly, I recognized myself as Pharaoh. As a Jew, the Pharaoh in the Exodus story is my, exploitative, self promoting, oppressor. Today, in some ways, I am Pharaoh. I’ve pretty much made it across the Red (Reed) Sea; but how many of my Black, Brown, Queer and other oppressed minority friends have not? I realize that racism, sexism and all the other “isms” are not my fault. Still, it is so important to recognize that I am part of a system that does not treat everyone fairly. I once heard Rabbi Heschel’s daughter, Prof. Susannah Heschel, speak about that iconic picture of her father walking next to Dr. King in Selma. She noted in one talk:

“Their relationship is invoked whenever there’s a call for inspiration, for transcendence of political conflict,” said Heschel. “My own feeling is while yes, it is a source of hope, it should also be a photograph of challenge, not of complacency, not simply patting ourselves on the back. What are we doing now? I know that’s what my father would want, as well.”

I know that many of us are working hard to recognize the dignity of all of God’s creation. I know that it is a constant struggle and that our successes may feel small and may not make it into social media. The words of Rabbi Dr. Abraham Heschel, from his experience of God as an active partner in our human encounters to his call to action as a response to God’s partnerships, are inspiring to me. He and Dr. King, though from very different backgrounds and very different religions, gave us the same message of justice, equality, and the possibility of reaching the Promised Land.

I sometimes worry that when we have a day or a month every year to honor people, we forget about them during the other times. Don’t.