Seeking Peace

The high holidays are on the way. I'm spending a lot of my mornings reading from a book that my Rabbi allowed me to take home to study and learn from, Mishkan Halev, Prayers for S'lichot and the Month of Elul. It's hard for me, as my learning of Hebrew at my age is slow-going. Even the transliteration is not always easy. But I find myself at peace as I try. The repetition helps. The contemplation helps.

Some lines, they speak to me more than others. Some prayers they capture me in ways that others don't.

Today, my soul gravitated to a prayer called T'filat HaLev -- the prayer of the heart. It's final lines I found myself repeating like a mantra, like something that would bring me the sort of solace that today's day and age might need. It was certainly what I needed.

Oseh shalom bimromav, hu yaaseh shalom aleinu, v'al kol Yisrael, v'al kol yoshvei teiveil. V'imru: Amen.

May the Maker of peace above make peace for us, all Israel, and all who dwell on earth. Amen.

I have always gravitated to the phrases and words that are related to peace. It is natural for me to embrace the concepts of Tikkun Olam and the deep desire for the world to be calm and peaceful. I find that there has always been a part of me that is desperate for kindness to be more present. In fact, I've always told my children that the thing I want to be judged most on when my days are over is kindness, and the thing that matters most to me in their own actions is the very same thing. I am more impressed by constant please and thank-you and I Love You than I am of monetary gain or individual success.

This prayer, however, speaks to me deeply though for another reason.

Something I have picked up as I've embarked on this journey to Judaism is a subtle detail in the nature of the language used. Jews do not have a heaven that is isolated and open to only the people of Israel. Jews do not pray for majority or domination. Rather, all are made in God's image and all are worthy of His blessing and all are valued in His eyes. Not just the "chosen ones" but the entirety of the human race.

In fact, in many of my readings, being a member of the tribe of Israel, being a Jew is a burden. It's a powerfully complex mantle to carry. And it's a beautiful burden. But it is a burden. Only Jews are called to follow the mitzvah, only the Jews are required to follow the laws. Only the Jews have to live up to the expectations set for those who have accepted the Torah as their guide.

But that burden is not the only path to life's blessings. And Jews regularly, consistently pray for peace. Not just for our people and our land, but for all people and all lands.

All were created perfect in His image. Not just the Jews.

And this is like, powerful to me. It's calling me even closer to the burden because it is a faith that prays for others. It is a community that has embedded outreach built into the very fabric of the beautiful scroll of parchment we learn from. It is one that says all people have a path by choosing goodness and kindness and care.

This prayer starts with us asking for guidance to not speak ill and to hold ourselves in a space of kindness. To allow us the grace and capacity to maintain not just a healthy balance, but shine a light of kindness to the world.

But it ends with this call for peace. It ends with a prayer that says please, God, make peace for us. Make peace for all of Israel. And most importantly, make peace for all who dwell here on this earth. Not just us, everyone. Every single soul. Every single human who draws breath.

One other thing I've learned is that Judaism doesn't seek for God to make these things happen. It says because we are all made in God's image we are all capable of acting in His goodness. He gave us free will, so we make that choice daily, but we all have the capacity. And rather than seeking for God to intercede, we seek for God to guide us so that, in his image, we can create the world as it was intended to be.

So that peace that I keep repeating in my head, that peace I am asking God to grant unto us, not just Israel but all of us, I know what I am really saying is God, give me the power, the hope, the opportunity to bring more light into this world, to make sure that all people, every one, is able to feel cared for and loved and part of the wonderful experience if humanity. Let me respect more and care more and love more. Let my heart be opened to these positives.

And man, do we need that now.

Peace. To all who dwell on earth. Peace.