Drash by Dr. Heschel: "Bo el Paroh: How Hasidic Thought helps us understand and overcome the void of despair."

Hasidic teaching explores a remarkable statement in the Zohar, the classic medieval work of Jewish mysticism: “a person is only whole when their heart is broken.” There are many ways to understand the experience of broken-heartedness, and one of the most striking is in a commentary by a 19th century Hasidic master, Nahman of Bratzlav (Ukraine; 1772-1810), on the verse in Exodus 9:1: “Bo el Paroh, Come to Pharaoh.” What Pharaoh represents, in spiritual terms, is a place of potential entrapment of the human spirit: despair. The experience of despair is known to all human beings, and we have all struggled in different ways to emerge from despair. Nahman’s discussion of Exodus 9:1 examines the experience of despair, which he likens to the experience of God at the time of creation. He also discusses how a rebbe can lift another person out of despair. Finally, he offers suggestions regarding how despair might become a positive experience that can enhance a person’s piety, humanity, prayer, and relationship with God.

About Dr. Susannah Heschel:

Dr. Susannah Heschel is the Eli Black Professor and Chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College. Her scholarship focuses on the history of Jewish and Protestant religious thought in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries. She has written and edited many books, including two volumes of her father’s writings, including Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel. Dr. Heschel will discuss the relevance of her father’s teaching on prayer, spirituality, and social justice.