This article explores the Jewish understanding of peace, going beyond the mere absence of conflict. It delves into the Hebrew word 'shalom,' its meaning of completeness and wholeness, and its significance in the Jewish tradition. The article highlights the ancient prophet Isaiah's promise of a world without war, as well as the biblical ideal of peace found in the Garden of Eden.
“I’m just so excited for there to be no more war. Can you imagine that?” says Nomi Kaltmann. The Orthodox rabbi is discussing the Jewish conception of peace, which for Christians is one of the central promises of Christmas.
“It’s the ideal state of the world where there is harmony, completeness, balance, and it’s also spiritual wholeness where peace is integrally tied to perfection, unity and oneness with God,” she says.Peace is a common theme throughout the Bible’s 66 books but, as Greek Orthodox theologian Philip Kariatlis observes, it is particularly relevant at Christmas because it celebrates the birth of Christ, the pre-eternal Word of God.
And because God is the God of peace, he says, we are called to be innately peaceful peacemakers. As Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God”. But, Gaita says, the only way one could find this inner peace amid the most terrible circumstances would be if there was sufficient detachment from the people one loves, which he finds “ethically unsavoury”.
One person familiar with the quest for peace in the face of affliction is Louise Newman, consultant psychiatrist at the Albert Road Clinic, who has worked for years with victims of violence and trauma, including atrocities and genocide.Newman, also professor of psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, says: “They might have a clear concept of what inner peace is, of coming to terms with disparate parts of themselves, but they can be very tormented.
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