Hillel
would say: Be a disciple of Aaron's, loving peace and pursuing it, loving people
and bringing them to Torah.
-Pirke Avot
1:12
Reading by Alan
Paton
Eternal our God,
open our eyes that we may
see the needs of others; open our ears that we may hear their cries;
open our hearts so that they need not be without succor;
let us not be afraid to
defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the
poor because of the anger of the rich.
Show us where love and hope and
faith are needed, and use us to bring them to those places.
And so open our eyes and our
ears that this day we may be able to do some work of peace for
You
(Adapted by Rabbi Lindsey
bat Joseph)
O God You Have Called Us
to Peace
O God, You have called us to
peace, for You are Peace itself. May we have the vision to see that each of us,
in some measure, can help to realize these aims:
Where there are ignorance
and superstition, Let there be enlightenment and knowledge.
Where there are prejudice
and hatred, Let there be acceptance and love.
Where there are fear and
suspicion, Let there be confidence and trust.
Where there are tyranny and
oppression, Let there be freedom and justice.
Where there are poverty and
disease, Let there be prosperity and health.
Where there are strife and
discord, Let there be harmony and peace.
(Adapted by Rabbi Chaim
Stern from Rabbi John D. Rayner in Service of the Heart, in Gates of Prayer,
pages 693-694)
Humanity is
Indivisible
When he heard he would be
awarded the Peace Prize of the Association of German Publishers, former
Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek chose Manfred Rommel to present the prize. Rommel
is the Mayor of Stuttgart and is the son of General Erwin Rommel. Upon accepting
the prize, Kollek said the following: "Who would have imagined that the Field
Marshall's son and I would meet in the peaceful profession of being Mayors?
Isn't that a symbol of peace, which is our theme here tonight?" In the face of
fanaticism and intolerance there is a need for a deep belief in humanistic
Jewishness… treating all people with the same respect and in the same manner.
That isn't always recognized, especially among groups which only think of
themselves and overlook the interests of others… According to Jewish belief,
however, humanity is indivisible."
(From Rabbi Dov Peretz
Elkin's Forty Days of Transformation)
Swords into
Plowshares
Centuries ago, Micah the
Prophet offered a vision of peace. No longer ruled by war and violence, humans
would live together, unharmed, and content. His words reach us today and remain
most relevant:
Lo yisa goi el goi cherev
lo yilmedu od milchama
In the days to come, The
Mount of Adonai's House shall stand firm above the hills. The peoples
shall gaze upon it with joy.
They shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, Nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, nor ever again shall they train for war.
Then everyone shall sit
under their own grapevine or fig tree with no one to disturb them.
Grant us peace, Your most
precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace, and give us the will to proclaim its
message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may always
be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment
reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the
bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your
name hallow every home and every heart. Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source
of peace.
(From Gates of Prayer,
CCAR, 1975, page 695)
A Request for Peace
We humbly ask you, O God, to
bless our world. Give us the understanding to work for its true welfare that we
may together seek to remove all evil, and labor for the victory of goodness.
Teach us Your law, and show us how this nation, and all nations, may be united
in the endeavor to fulfill Your will, so that its children may dwell among our
human family in mercy and peace, from shore to shore, the wide world
over.
(Rabbi David
Kaufman)
We Give Thanks, Grant us
Courage, Bless us With Your Peace
For those who went into
danger.
We Give
Thanks.
For those who
remained behind with the infirm and injured.
We Give
Thanks.
For those who
thought of others first.
We Give
Thanks.
For those who
offered comfort to others.
We Give
Thanks.
For moments of
unknown.
Grant Us
Courage
In times of
fear.
Grant Us
Courage
When called upon
to stand for the rights of others.
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