Peace....Thoughts to Share on Rosh HaShanah

Have you ever noticed how many times the word Shalom is used in our machzor during the High Holy Days and in our siddur during the rest of the year?  There is no doubt that the concept of peace is reflected time and time again in our liturgy.  Peace is definitely one of Judaism’s core values.

Peace is most easily understood within the sphere of one’s own personal connections.  Suppose you had a family member or a friend who caused you great pain through their actions and that individual came to you to ask forgiveness for what had transpired between the two of you.  Would you be willing to say you forgave them?  Would you be willing to re-establish a peaceful relationship with that individual?  Rambam teaches us that we must forgive that individual.

It is forbidden to be cruel and refuse to be appeased. Rather he should be easily pacified, but hard to anger.  When the person who wronged him asks for forgiveness, he should forgive him with a complete heart and a willing spirit.  Even if he aggravated and wronged him severely, he should not seek revenge or bear a grudge.  This is the path of the seed of Israel and their upright spirits. (Laws of Repentance)

Although this is the standard by which we are to live, it does not mean that the individual who rises to the occasion of keeping peace will not feel the sacrifice involved in doing so.  On a larger scale, trying to achieve peace among nations also involves sacrifices. Too often individuals who are convinced that Israel could do more to achieve peace in the region, forget that Israel has indeed been willing to make sacrifices for that end goal.  In 1947, it was the Jewish community of Palestine and Zionists world-wide who accepted the original partition plan offered by the United Nations. As you know that plan was rejected by the Arab nations and war ensued.  In 1967, after Israel defended herself in the 6-day war, she offered to return captured territories in return for peace treaties.  The Arab states rejected that offer. In 1978, Israel returned the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in return for a peace treaty. In 1993, as part of the Oslo Accord, Palestinians were granted authority over Gaza and parts of the West Bank with the hopes of starting peace talks aimed at ending the conflict with the Palestinians.  In 1994, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Southern Lebanon after maintaining an 18 year security zone to prevent attacks on its Northern border.  The void was filled by a build up of Hezbollah in the area. In that same year, Israel signed a peace treaty with Jordan making it the 2^nd Arab nation to recognize her statehood.  In 2000 Israel agreed to President Clinton’s proposals for peace with the Palestinians.  Israel agreed to cede all of Gaza, 96 percent of the West Bank and additional territory from within pre-1967 Israel, to recognize an independent Palestinian state, and to cede parts of eastern Jerusalem to serve as the Palestinian capital.  If you remember, Chairman Arafat rejected that proposal.  Instead a wave of terrorism was waged against Israel. In 2005, Israel with U.S. support, unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, removing its settlers and leaving behind an infrastructure to be used toward establishing a positive economic base, allowing for self-government, and working towards fighting terrorism. Each of these cited examples show a willingness on the part of Israel to make sacrifices in the name of peace.  And yet the story goes on and peace is still elusive. The firing of rockets from Gaza has been going on since 2001 and totals 17,000. And yet, much of the world seems to fault Israel for stepping up to protect her citizens after the frequency of rocket attacks increased this summer. 

The war with Gaza was particularly painful, because we saw an attempt to claim that Hamas, a terrorist organization, is the moral equivalent of a democratic nation, Israel.   There is no equivalency.  The charter of Hamas states outright that it calls for the destruction of the State of Israel through jihad, holy war. Backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hamas rules its citizens via strict Islamic law.  It now has more than 6 million Israelis living within range of its rockets and inculcates its children’s minds with hatred for Jews.

Why do I mention this?  There is no higher goal than reaching toward peace, but we must also be concerned that Israel has the right to defend her citizens from acts of terror and violence.  As we enter this new year, we can hope and pray for Israel’s security and the chance for peace in her neighborhood, but we can also take steps by letting our elected officials know that it is also in America’s best interest to support her only democratic ally in the Middle East.  The U.S. should support peace talks, but not try to impose solutions, because true peace will only occur when both parties, the Palestinians and the Israelis, find a mutual ground to which they are willing to commit.  There will be sacrifices made, but it should not involve sacrificing the lives of one’s citizens through indefensible borders. 

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote, “Peace is something highly precious for which everything, all one’s rights and possessions may be sacrificed, but never the rights of others and never what G-d has declared to be right and good. (commentary on Numbers 25:12)

Israel has demonstrated over and over again that it understands the need for painful sacrifices.  Our goal should be to do everything in our power to ensure that those sacrifices will end in peace and be deemed worthwhile.

Oseh Shalom bimromav, hu yaseh shalom aleinu v’al kol yisrael v’imru amen.