Rodef Shalom guest lecturer encourages attention to everyday burning bush moments
Days of Awe and ordinary days can both be awesome, says Rabbi Michael Zedek
Moses’ encounter with the burning bush is considered a pretty pivotal moment in Jewish history. Rabbi Michael Zedek thinks the spiritual meetup is still occurring.
Speaking by phone from Leawood, Kansas, Zedek referenced the biblical narrative in which Moses approaches the burning bush and notices its absence of fiery consumption. God calls out to the shepherd, tells him to remove his footwear and informs the prophet that he will lead the Israelites from bondage to freedom. Moses responds with multiple questions yet ultimately accepts God’s vision.
Everyday life is filled with manifold burning bush opportunities, “if we pay attention,” Zedeck said.
Zedek is the author of “Taking Miracles Seriously: A Journey to Everyday Spirituality” and rabbi emeritus at both The Temple, B’nai Jehudah in Kansas City, Missouri, and Emanuel Congregation in Chicago.
He is slated to deliver the 2024 Ruth and Bernard Levaur Contemporary Lecture at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Sept. 29, at 7 p.m.
Before addressing the timeliness of his upcoming talk, Zedek returned to the burning bush concept and said the idea is akin to stanzas composed by Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning:
“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
Whether one happens upon a mundane bush or holy shrub is determined by the attention given, Zedek said.
There’s no better time to mind this message than the High Holidays, he continued. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, “a lot of fine people make a lot of fine pledges and commitments,” however, when the period ends, there’s a lack of follow-through. As opposed to saying, “Oh, well, maybe another time,” a realization should arise that “at some point, all we have is this gift of a limited amount of time.”
For decades, Zedek, 78, has served as a spiritual guide. Whether in writing, sermonizing or simply speaking by phone, his manner reflects a commitment to Western traditions and humorous inquiry.
When asked his age, Zedek cited a quote sometimes attributed to the late baseball player Satchel Paige: “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?”
When asked what he hopes listeners take from his upcoming talk, Zedek replied, “Gnothi seauton.”
The Greek maxim, meaning “Know thyself,” was inscribed on the Temple of Apollo in Delphi.
Zedek is comfortable talking about Jewish wisdom or classical literature — a fact, he said, that points to an earlier career path. “Before I became a rabbi,” he said, “I had a brief stint teaching English and writing.”
But canonical writings don’t only captivate his mind. Once Zedek gets going on dikduk (Hebrew grammar), it’s like scrolling TikTok — tough to stop.
“I happen to be intoxicated with the Hebrew language,” he said.
Several topics command Zedek’s attention, however, the rabbi is keen on articulating his ideas about the Five Books of Moses and their place within the world.
“I tend to think that the Torah is an effort to have a divine perspective on the human story,” he said. “And the human story is a record of falling short and getting up again, falling short and getting up again.”
With a backstory encompassing millennia of tradition, where does this leave a modern Jewish reader?
“We need to get up again,” he said.
On an individual level, the process requires a mental exercise ripe for the upcoming holiday season.
“I am much more than I ever thought I would be, and much less than I should be,” Zedek said.
Once that awareness is reached, both the Days of Awe and ordinary days become awesome, he continued. “Magic happens when I can embrace and accept that.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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