Two things we are to PURSUE
There are only two things we are told to pursue in the Torah:
Justice and Peace
An interesting "gem" from Torah Study this week.
Definition: Pursue defined
Pursuit is a proactive word and while there are many attributes and conditions that are covered in the Torah, these are the two qualities of community that are held to a higher level: Justice and Peace. Somehow this seems appropriate.
The connection between Justice and Peace - our primary goals - something to always work towards.
Quotes from web searching:
Rabbi Marder's sermon from November 2004: "Jews come, that is, from a tradition that doesn’t encourage escapism. It forces us to acknowledge the pain, injustice and strife all around us, and simultaneously cultivates in us an intense yearning for justice, goodness and peace. "
More searching on the subject found:
... the actions or inaction of our leaders do not absolve us of responsibility. Nothing frees us of the command to be pursuers of justice. In our inter- connected world injustice leads to injustice, and where there is any injustice none can live in peace. So we must take up our responsibility to discipline our behavior and our minds, to be pursuers of justice so that we - and all - may thrive and live.
Ellen Dannin, a member of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah and Congregation Beth Israel, teaches at Wayne State University Law School.
Her conclusion is that without Justice there is no Peace... interesting.
Another interesting quote found on the subject:
The whole of the Torah is an attempt to make the Jewish people a peace-loving, tolerant, benevolent nation, focused on eradicating the injustices man experiences such as poverty, hunger, and violence. God wills for God's children to cooperate, to end war and bloodshed, to pursue peace, justice, and righteousness. God wants God's children to love each other. - By Michael Knopf JTS / Columbia - in his comments about the war in Iraq May 2003: http://www.koach.org/kocmar03knopf.htm
Justice and Peace
An interesting "gem" from Torah Study this week.
Definition: Pursue defined
Pursuit is a proactive word and while there are many attributes and conditions that are covered in the Torah, these are the two qualities of community that are held to a higher level: Justice and Peace. Somehow this seems appropriate.
The connection between Justice and Peace - our primary goals - something to always work towards.
Quotes from web searching:
Rabbi Marder's sermon from November 2004: "Jews come, that is, from a tradition that doesn’t encourage escapism. It forces us to acknowledge the pain, injustice and strife all around us, and simultaneously cultivates in us an intense yearning for justice, goodness and peace. "
More searching on the subject found:
... the actions or inaction of our leaders do not absolve us of responsibility. Nothing frees us of the command to be pursuers of justice. In our inter- connected world injustice leads to injustice, and where there is any injustice none can live in peace. So we must take up our responsibility to discipline our behavior and our minds, to be pursuers of justice so that we - and all - may thrive and live.
Ellen Dannin, a member of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah and Congregation Beth Israel, teaches at Wayne State University Law School.
Her conclusion is that without Justice there is no Peace... interesting.
Another interesting quote found on the subject:
The whole of the Torah is an attempt to make the Jewish people a peace-loving, tolerant, benevolent nation, focused on eradicating the injustices man experiences such as poverty, hunger, and violence. God wills for God's children to cooperate, to end war and bloodshed, to pursue peace, justice, and righteousness. God wants God's children to love each other. - By Michael Knopf JTS / Columbia - in his comments about the war in Iraq May 2003: http://www.koach.org/kocmar03knopf.htm
posted by Chavarah @ 7:45 PM
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