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Anatomy Of A Hero: Accessing Your Inner Hero

There is a concept of hero in every culture. And though cultures can vary from one another in many ways, their ideas about what constitutes a hero are amazingly similar:

 

A hero is a person admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The term typically describes someone who puts others before themselves, acts bravely in the face of danger, or serves as an inspirational role model.

Then there is the concept of the superhero. A superhero is a regular hero but with an injection of myth or legend. This usually means that they also have some supernatural powers that allow them to bring down the bad guys in superhuman ways. It might be superhuman strength or an ability to fly, but all of it means nothing the moment a would-be hero becomes self-serving.

But even still, don’t superpowers seem like cheating? Savior? Definitely. Selfless? Still possible. Brave? Superpowers reduce the need for that. Noble qualities? It is much easier to be noble when you have less to fear about when it comes to personal damage or losing, something superpowers might reduce dramatically.

No, the real hero is the soldier who jumps on top of a live grenade to save his fellow soldiers knowing full well that he is going to die as a result or least become seriously injured. A real hero is a child who really wants his candy but gives it to a less fortunate child instead against every instinct.

Take Avraham Avinu, for example. Nimrod gave him a choice, to either abandon his belief in God or be thrown into a fire to burn to death. He chose the latter expecting to die to validate his belief in the one true God in the eyes of all those watching. What a hero.

Avraham’s brother Haran did the same thing but in a very unheroic fashion. First, he waited to see the fate of Avraham before following his lead. Then, only after seeing Avraham miraculously survive did he declare his belief in the God of Avraham and jumped into the furnace…and burned to death.

Much later in history, Mishael, Azariah, and Chananyah had the same challenge. Nevuchadnetzar gave them the same choice, abandon God or be burned alive. And just to make sure their decision was not based upon hope of an Avraham-like miracle, God had Daniel tell them that one wasn’t coming. When they stepped into the furnace to prove their loyalty to God they believed they were going to die.

That’s heroic. So was walking into Nazi gas chambers defiantly singing, “You have chosen us from all the nations.” It was certainly very heroic when asked mockingly by a Nazi commandant about God’s whereabouts, the man bravely pointed Heavenward, probably knowing it was the last time he would. It was not the answer the sadistic German had tried to provoke, so he kicked the man to death.

And it’s very heroic when Israeli soldiers go into enemy territory to protect their people, often with their hands tied by political foolishness. For every other nation on the face of the earth, vicious and unrelenting enemies get no mercy. But a Jewish solider has to risk their own life to satisfy external and unreasonable rules of engagement…and go anyhow.

Even just living in Eretz Yisroel is heroic, especially if you lived in a country in the Diaspora far from conflict and with more opportunity to financially succeed. That’s what this midrash says as well:

 

There is a tradition that, at the time of the arrival of Moshiach, wonderful things will happen for Jews everywhere…Once the dead are resurrected, they will become transformed and will have very lofty natures. However, the same type of transformation will occur for the… Jews who remained alive [in Eretz Yisroel], and their bodies will be like that of Adam HaRishon before his sin, and like Moshe Rabbeinu’s. They will become so spiritual that they will be able to fly like eagles, which will astound the redeemed exiles. Upon witnessing this, Diaspora Jews will become upset and complain to Moshiach, “Are we not Jews like them? Why do they merit to fly and live in an elevated spiritual state, and not us?” Moshiach will answer them, “It is well known that God works measure-for-measure. Therefore, those who lived in the Diaspora and made efforts and sacrifices to elevate themselves by moving to the Holy Land merited purity of soul. They were not so concerned about their finances and health, and traveled over vast lands and crossed seas, not paying attention to the possibilities of drowning, being robbed along the way, or being taken captive by some strange foreign ruler. Since they placed spirit over materialism, they merit, measure-for-measure, to be elevated to this lofty spiritual plane. You also had opportunities to go up to Israel but remained hesitant and reluctant, enamored instead with your material status. You made materialism a higher priority than spiritual growth and therefore, measure-for-measure, remain physical.” (Tuv HaAretz, Praise Of Those Living In Eretz Yisroel When Moshiach Arrives)

 

Nothing superhuman about it. Just people doing the nobler thing despite the potential consequences and an easier way out. Just people choosing to listen to their souls over their bodies something, seemingly, we’re all supposed to do. It’s the difference between living “b’tzelem Elokim—in the image of God,” a potential we have since birth, and “b’tzelem HaGuf—in the image of the body,” something people become when they lead with their yetzer hara.

The thing is, we all have a soul, so we all want to be a hero in our own way, each person on their own level. Yes, evil exists and some people have come to embody it. But they’re the exceptions to the rule, often trying to exploit the rest of mankind trying to live a moral noble experience. Call it the “Hero Complex,” but it is really just a person’s soul trying to do its thing.

That’s why being hero is so exhilarating. The attention that comes with it may talk to the body, but the real thrill is when we feel the reality of our souls. It’s like touching something electrically charged that makes the entire body tingle with excitement.

I guess that changes the title of the book. It’s not about being hero, but about being a soul. Once a person does that the hero part takes care of itself and life moves to a whole different level.