Everyday Holiness - Alan Morinis
P. 198
Some say the root of achrayut is achar, which means "After." Others say it is acher, meaning "other." These two different sources reveal different aspects of the soul-trait of responsibility.
After
When we establish the notion of responsibility in the ralm of time, we are drawn toward recognizing that every single thought, word, or deed has its "after" - its antecedent and its consequence, connecting up in a great chain of cause and effect that spreads over time.
"Who is wise?" asks Pirkei Avot, and Rabbi Shimon ben Netanel answers, "One who sees what is born [ie. the outcome]."
And because we are able to foresee the future and we are wise to do so, the principle is established in the Mishnah that human beings are always responsible for the consequences of their actions, whether what occurred was the result of action that was voluntary or involuntary, deliberate or inadvertent....
We must always see that the other person also has a valid point of view... Our personal spiritual advancement take place not separate from but rather right in the the midst of our relations with other people. It was Rabbi Yisrael Salanter himself who stated that the foundation of a spiritual life lies between a person and his friend....
Other
The core idea here is that something beyond us is calling on us to fulfill an obligation. What could that "other" be, and what is the nature of our responsibility to it?... "Our sages taught: One of the methods by which the Torah is acquired is by carrying the burden of our fellow [neighbor]." [As Rabbi Simcha Zissel taught,] This is the reason why our ancestors occupied themselves as shepherds like Jacob... and David. Moses our teacher was also a shepherd because he wanted to accustom himself to bear the burden even of the simple creatures and all the more so of fellow human begins.... David would bring out the young sheep first to pasture in order that they could graze the best grass. Afterward, he would take out the old ones in order to give the ordinary grass. Finally, he would bring out the strong ones who could graze on the tough grass...."
Rabbi Ira Stone... sums up his spiritual teaching by saying, "The ego develops as the object of love, the soul as its subject."... The ego wants everything for me, cares only for me, and it is by learning and struggling to bear the burden of the other that one is enabled to overcome the insistent voice of the ego as the guiding source in life.
Summary
When we think of responsibility as deriving form awareness of "after", contemplating and including in your calculations the possible consequences of your actions requires that you overcome the urge to satisfy your ego and your desires right now.
In regard to the second derivation of achrayut- from acher, meaning "other" - to live a life in which you actively reach out to bear the burden of your neighbor requires that you quiet the demanding voice of desire and ego in order that you can hear the voice and feel the need of the other and respond.
Practice
- Rabbi Simcha Zissel, in his yeshiva, charged his students: "Do not go a single day without doing something for someone else, whether directly or by money or by speech." What can you do today to do something for someone else?
- Pause before you speak or make a decision, and consider the consequences - not only for yourself, but for others. How will they receive what I have to say? And why do I feel the need to say it? Is it about me or them?
- Vote
- Make it a spiritual practice with a prayer - https://www.jewishspirituality.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Prayers-to-Recite-Before-Voting.pdf
- Bring a friend
- Post about it on media