Excerpts from a Piece about Peace by Rabbi Ralph Genende
Dylan wrote
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
The Torah
These are the words that the priests of Israel would bless the people of Israel with:
May the Lord bless you and protect you;
May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:23 -27).
Like Dylan’s words they go from the physically protective to the soaring stars and then to the inner spirit of youthful energy.
The crescendo of the blessing is the wish for peace.
So what does Diversity Equity and Inclusion have to do with Peace?
The Jewish philosopher Joseph Albo said that conflict is at the heart of the human condition and peace is the force of fusion. Peace is the bringing together of opposing forces or ideas, the harmonising of diverse people or principles.
The Hebrew word for peace, shalom שלום is intimately related to the Hebrew word for wholeness shelemut.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who died just over a year ago suggested that Shalom is the harmonious coexistence of otherwise conflicting individuals, tribes, and nations, each with a distinctive nature and unique contribution to the totality of humankind.
Shalom, he says, it’s not about uniformity but integrated diversity.
The feeling of peace and wholeness is a definition of success !
We may not be able to do much to bring about world peace, but we can do for others and let others do for us.
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