Light of Peace

Like all the religions, Judaism also preaches peace. The divine book Torah was revealed on Moses, the prophet of God. Although the sacred book was destroyed with the passage of time, the collections of Torah were made by different persons at different times. These collections cannot be truly called as the words of God. Even then all the scripts that are now available clearly spell out a disliking for the wars and conflicts and strictly advocates love for humanity and universal peace.

The concept of peace occupy a central value in Judaism: Peace in its vast meaning connotes a state of rest, calm, absence of war, a relationship of mutual respect and friendship between people and between the nations. This is the ideal of every person and is embedded in all the moral and cultural values of the followers of Judaism. Jew’s tradition of peace has a focal position in their religion which is evident from the sacred words that appeared in Torah..
In Judaism war has not been totally negated and sometimes it becomes necessary. Judaism teaches the supreme value of life, yet it does not totally discard war. Wiping out evil is also part of justice. As Rashi explains (Deut. 20:12), “Dangerous disputes must be resolved because if you choose to leave evil alone, it will eventually attack you”..

n Old Testament, the word for peace is shalom. For Hebrew speakers, shalom has a much richer and fuller significance than the English word ‘peace’. Whereas we sometimes limit the idea of peace to the absence of conflict, shalom includes far more. It comprises notions of wholeness, completeness, soundness, and prosperity. The Psalmist sings, "Those who are gentle and lowly will possess the land; they will live in abundant shalom" (Ps 37:11, literal translation). God's promise of blessing to Israel through Isaiah uses similar language: "I will make your towers of sparkling rubies and your gates and walls of shining gems. I will teach all your citizens, and their peace (shalom) will be great" (Isa 54:12-13,literal translation).

In the Old Testament, peace is also inseparable from righteousness and justice. These later concepts are embodied in one Hebrew word that connotes right-relationship between two or more parties. This word is usually translated as "righteousness," referring not only to doing morally correct deeds, but also to living rightly in relationship with others. Righteousness is also closely connected to justice, because the righteous person acts with justice in the civil or judicial sphere. The necessary link between righteousness and peace can be seen, for example, in Isaiah's vision of a future day when a righteous king will reign over Israel and God's Spirit will be poured out upon the people:

Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will become a lush and fertile forest. Justice will rule in the wilderness and righteousness in the fertile field. And this righteousness will bring peace. Quietness and confidence will fill the land forever (Isa 32:15-17, NLT).

1) Do not murder.
2) Do not steal.
3) Do not worship false gods.
4) Do not be sexually immoral.
5) Do not eat the limb of an animal before it is killed.
6) Do not curse God.
7) Set up courts and bring offenders to justice.

At the root of these laws lays the vital concept that there is a God Who created each and every person in His image, and that each person is dear to the Almighty and must be respected accordingly. These seven laws can still provide guidance to human civilization. They are the factors which distinguish humans from the wild animals of a jungle.

The examples have been given in Judaism when they had to fight their enemies. As the Jews drew close to battle, they were ordered to act with mercy. Before attacking, the Jews would always offer terms of peace. The Torah states, "When approaching a town to attack it, first offer them peace." (Deut. 20:10)

For example, before entering the Land of Israel, Joshua wrote three letters to the Canaanite nations. The first letter said, "Anyone who wants to leave Israel has permission to leave." The second letter said, "Whoever wants to make peace, can make peace." The final letter warned, "Whoever wants to fight, get ready”.. Upon receiving these letters, only one of the Canaanite nations (the Girgashites) heeded the call; they immigrated to Africa. Other nations opted to fight the Jews.

As the Canaanite nations who chose not to make a treaty, the Jews were still ordered to fight mercifully! For example, when besieging a city to conquer it, the Jews never surrounded it from all four sides. This way, one side was always left open to allow for anyone who wanted to escape. (See Maimonides, Laws of Kings ch. 6)

It is interesting that throughout Jewish history, waging war has always been a tremendous personal and national ordeal which ran contrary to the Jews’ peace-loving nature. King Saul lost his kingdom when he showed misplaced mercy by allowing the Amalekite king to live.

The reality is that war makes one callous and cruel. Therefore, since God Himself ordered the Jews to rid the Land of evil, God likewise promised the soldiers that they will retain their compassionate nature. In the words of Parsha: “God will have compassion on you, and reverse any display of anger that might have existed" (Deut. 13:18).

Toward the end of Deuteronomy as the Israelites were about to leave the desert, Moses speaks to them about war. The guidelines he provides are of practical significance. The Israelites are slated to occupy the land of Canaan (biblical Israel) through military force.

The first rule of war in Judaism is to avoid it whenever possible. Prior to attacking an enemy, a Jewish army must offer peace. If that offer is not accepted, the Torah mandates that every male should be killed and the women, children, and livestock should be taken as booty. And this only applies to wars with non-Canaanite nations. The seven nations of Canaan--men, women, and children--should be completely wiped out if they do not accept the terms of peace offered to them.

For most of Jewish history after the biblical era, the laws of combat were merely theoretical. There were no Jewish armies and no Jewish wars. Therefore, practical ethics of war are not often discussed in Talmudic and medieval Jewish literature. Nonetheless, laws such as the prohibition against destroying fruit trees and, indeed, the unwarranted destruction of any property, do exist. A fascinating law prohibits besieging a city on all four sides. One side must be left open for people to escape.

Although Judaism never embraced pacifism and nonviolence as absolute principles, there are certain examples of non violence in the Bible, and pacifism was employed on occasion in response to particular situations.

In addition, the Torah lists several types of people who are exempt from military service. This list includes men who are engaged to be married and those who are ‘fearful’ and ‘gentle-hearted.’ Contemporary thinkers like Arthur Waskow have invoked the exemption for the "gentle-hearted" to raise the possibility of excusing conscientious objectors.

In summary, although Judaism may not be fundamentally pacifistic, the hope for peace, the pursuit of peace, and the expectation of a universally peaceful time at the end of history are among its most basic tenets.

“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”. (The Old Testament: Isaiah 2:4)

Peace is the central teaching of rabbinical Judaism (teachings based on the writings of early Jewish scholars). However, Judaism is not a pacifist religion. The idea of Holy War occurs in the Hebrew Bible, but it was not about converting other people to Judaism, but was about survival and in self defense. .

The idea of 'Just War' is clearly expressed both in the Old Testament (see Deuteronomy 20:10-15, 19-20) and in the later rabbinical tradition. So while revenge and unprovoked aggression are condemned, self defense is justified. Jews have been victims of dreadful persecution, usually at the hands of Christians, for nearly two thousand years, culminating in the Holocaust during the Second World War (1939-1945) at the hands of Nazis. On the other hand, defending modern Israel and dealing justly with the Palestinians places thoughtful Jews in difficult dilemmas.