Shalom, everyone. I wish I could write this post in a less tragic time, but I also won't avoid the topic of the recent conflict in Gaza. It's difficult to watch and read the reports coming out of the region, not just as a Jew but as a human being. Regardless of one's affiliations, violence on such a scale is heartbreaking. Moreover, it is impossible for any truly spiritual person to justify. As it has been, seemingly since the beginning of human civilzation, the agenda of a radical few has resulted in the pain and loss of many peaceful people. While I strive to be a supporter of Israel, I cannot condone the scale of the Israeli military's response to the rocket attacks from Gaza. Of course, we also shouldn't ignore the intent of those rocket attacks. It is short-sighted and inhumane to approach this conflict or the many like it in the past with a binary attitude. How anyone can call one side of this war the "right" side and still call themselves a good Jew, or a good Muslim, is beyond me.
Because of this conflict, today's Hebrew lesson will center around a prayer called Oseh Shalom, which literally means, "Make Peace". The prayer actually appears at the end of the Kaddish, the prayer for remembering lost loved ones. The text, with transliteration, is as follows:
The usual translation of Oseh Shalom is, "He who makes peace in Heaven will make peace for us throughout Israel, and we say Amen".
But this translation is neither direct nor in the full spirit of Jewish philosophy. According to Jewish law and practice, it is the task of living people to make peace on Earth, not by a magical blessing from God. This philosophy is known as Tikun Olam, literally "The repair of everything". Tikun Olam is the task of every living person, Jew and gentile.
Moreover, the standard translation of Oseh Shalom takes some liberties with the phrasing. I would like to suggest an alternative translation with a different, more direct connotation.
Oseh shalom b'imromav "Make peace your greatest example (lit. in the highest place)
Hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu "He who will make peace for us all"
V'al kol Yisrael "And in all of Israel"
V'imru amen "We agree"
My suggested translation places the focus of the prayer on the actions of individuals, rather than on a entreating God for help. The line "He who will make peace for us all" can certainly refer to God, but it doesn't have to. It can simply mean, "You individual person who strives to make peace for everyone". The term b'imromav doesn't actually refer to Heaven, the Hebrew for which is Shamayim. Rather, the term simply means "in a high place" or possibly "in the highest place". This can very easily mean that peace should be made the greatest public example. As the prayer in my translation says, the Jewish people, Israel, can only support the actions of individuals pursuing peace. If you support violence and conflict, you stray from the core of the Jewish faith.
