Some “take aways” from reading today!
Someone once said, if you look at how we all get along, and try to think of us as God’s masterpieces–oy! Still, He obviously loves us, and wants us to get along.

Tone is a practical tool towards reconciliation! IN-toning (making sure your words are in the right tone), in Love, your own conversations with others is a useful practice these days.

Reading “For the Sake of Heaven and Earth” by Rabbi Irving Greenberg, kind man from his tone, about christian and jewish reconciliation (but symbolic of many other types of needed active reconciliation needed now, over and through all types of walls!) and active loving dialogue, which he, like Herschel, and many other of my friends, modeled in their lives. Of course, it extends beyond those two groups.

The basics of reconciliation apply to us all! Assume we aren’t perfect, ask for Help, confess, into thanks that you’re still here, if you can’t muster anything else, at least assume your not perfect, and love others. Confess into thanks into praise, then into action; be humble by the time you act–a basic prayer pattern daily I’ve discovered over the years.

Anyways, as James Carroll wrote on the back of this book: “This book is a record of, and a testimony to, the Jewish_christian dialogue. It give the world the compelling voice of one of its pioneers, whose testimony shows that criticism and self criticism can work together, enabling the growth, even in ancient rivals, of trust and, perhaps, Love.” If these two religions can do it, anybody can!, I would add!

Nice meditation in times when historically tense communities need to listen well to one another. Slow to speak, til Love baths our tone and tongues. Listen into language. Be quick to confess our own sins. “Assume you sinned in your dreams-wake up confessing into thanks” as one saint put it! Or as Heschel put it: “How to combine loyalty to one’s own tradition with reverence for different people from other traditions. How to honor their collective “thou”. Or as Jesus put it more succinctly: Love your neighbor as yourself. How to pro-actively love your neighbor, in short is the core question of our times.

I guess this read is about ecumenical basics to being human. Or as one of my favorite yiddish proverbs goes: “People are just people trying to be people. If we can help one another do that, then do so with what we have received thus far, and do so, in love, until we know face to Face!”

Anyway, enjoying studying patterns in reconciliation this season! Of course, some form of confession and forgiveness appears to always come first. “Assume you sinned even in your dreams, and wake up confessing into thanks.” As one saint put it! “And confess it for even your previous generations, assuming they also didn’t do great. That’s what heals the land, and allows us to talk again in kindness.”

And kindness really is underrated these days! Check the tone of your words constantly, as my mentor said. Make sure it’s coming from the right place inside. Other’s may misinterpret it regardless, but they’ll keep returning to the tone. Tone is a practical method towards reconciliation! One take away from this book today, anyway! Nice read. I love it when people write from humility and experience.

Or as the tribe of native americans i grew up near said: “Heal the core wound, blunt the knife.” Which always meant to me, if you want to change something, you have to head at the inner wounds in yourself first, and start reconciliation there. The inner walls fall first! Then the weapons of war with others are not longer necessary. The walls start crumbling in the One who tore down the walls between Jews and gentiles, not to mention all other walls! Anyway, good meditation today! The inner walls fall first. We must first be occupied by Love, in order to occupy the world around us with Love! Basics! Otherwise, everything is projected or acted out, as if it were outside of us. We transfer and project our wounds, and those we have inherited, onto others and the world around us; instead of seeing them as they are. Start inside to see others well.