Words of Peace From Jewish Sages, 1

Hey there. For the past several months I’ve largely taken a hiatus from writing and posting about the crisis in Israel/Palestine, though I have continued to do some teaching and organizing around it. The reasons are too much to get into here, but as we approach the traditional season for repentance that is Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur I’ve decided to share words here from the Jewish tradition which call for peace and oppose militarism, violence, and the disregard or oppression of the stranger. I’ll post a short excerpt or quote every week.

Words of Peace From Jewish Sages, 1

Rabbi Menasheh of Ilya (1767–1831) wrote: “What am I in comparison to the many forms of sentient life in the world? If the Creator were to confer upon me, as well as my family members, loved ones, and relatives, absolute goodness for all eternity, but some deficiency remained in the world — if any living thing still were left suffering, and all the more so, another human being — I would not want anything to do with it, much less to derive benefit from it. How could I be separated from all living creatures? These are the work of God’s hand, and these, too, are the work of God’s hand.”

(Author’s Introduction, Ha’amek She’eilah).