Peace and Justice

By RABBI DAVID ROSENN

Parashat Noah (Genesis 6:9-11:32)

And [Noah] sent out the dove to see whether the waters had withdrawn from the surface of the earth, but the dove could not find a resting place for its foot...He waited another seven days, and again sent out the dove from the ark. The dove came back to him towards evening, and there in its bill was a freshly plucked olive leaf!

(Genesis 8:8-11)

Hasidic interpreters of the Torah tell us that the Torah reading of any particular week exerts an influence on the events of that week, and in particular on the spiritual movement within individuals who are attuned to that reading. For example, something unprecedented and new may enter your life during the week when the creation story is told.

This week, we read the story of Noah and the flood, which contains the image of a dove with an olive leaf in its beak. The dove and the olive leaf have become widely recognized signs of peace and reconciliation. How will that image manifest itself in our lives?

During these past weeks, we have all witnessed a flood of violence and confusion in the Middle East. It has seemed that there is no resting place at all for the dove. How can we, like Noah, remain courageous and hopeful enough to continue sending the dove abroad?

The prophet Isaiah declared:

The product of justice shall be peace, and the effect of justice will be tranquility and security forever. Then shall people dwell in peaceful homes, in secure dwellings, in untroubled places of rest.

(Isaiah 32:17-18)

Whatever the road to peace, it is connected to a quest for justice. The rabbis recognized this, too, when they taught:

The world rests on three things, on justice, on truth and on peace.

(Avot 1:18)

What is the connection between justice and peace in the Middle East?

© AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps