Praying for Peace... But Why?

During the Ten Days of Repentance, we ask for "good life and peace." What are we actually trying to say... and does it make sense when Israel is at war?

Israel has sent ground troops into Lebanon, where they valiantly battle the Hezbollah troops who are encamped on the border with the express goal of murdering Jews. The IDF’s fight against Hamas continues in Gaza even as it battles their terrorist compatriots in the West Bank. The army is vigilantly protecting the Israeli population from drones and missiles fired frequently by Iranian proxies in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. Behind all of the evil madness lies the terrorist regime in Iran, which attacked Israel last week with the largest ballistic missile barrage in history.

Israel did not ask for this seven-front war, inspired by religious madness. Once compelled to defend its existence, however, Israel has done so forcefully and memorably. The John Lennon refrain from 1969, “Give Peace a Chance,” is laughably naive and irrelevant today. At least today, it is not yet time for peace.

Nonetheless, during the Ten Days of Repentance, we repeatedly ask God to grant us peace. What, exactly, do we mean? What kind of peace are we requesting? The answer requires careful examination of this and other changes to the liturgy.

On Rosh Hashanah and through the Ten Days of Repentance, various interpolations are added to the Amidah prayer. Noteworthy among them are four short additions, appearing in the first two and last two berachot, all of which request that God grant us life. Why must we recite four prayers, all said in the same Amidah, requesting the exact same thing?

The Chatam Sofer explains that while all four are requests for life, each contains within it a subtle difference from the others. The first prayer states, Zochreinu l’chaim… v’chatveinu b’sefer hachaim: "Remember us for life… and inscribe us in the Book of Life." This is a simple request that we live, a desire to maintain and continue our existence. The second prayer states, Zocher yetzurav l’chaim b’rachamim: "[He] remembers his creations for life with mercy." Here we ask for more than mere existence by mentioning "life with mercy." A life filled with sorrow and pain is not sufficient; we request that God remove the difficulties that would make for an unpleasant and tragic existence. The third prayer ups the ante further, by stating, U’chtov l’chaim tovim kol bnei britecha: "Inscribe all the children of Your covenant for a good life." Until now, we have mentioned life as a value in itself, and life which is not filled with sorrow. At this point, we request a "good life" - that is, life in which not only the negatives are shunted aside, but the positives are also made available to us. Finally, the last prayer states, B’sefer chaim bracha v’shalom u’farnasa tova nizacher v’nikatev l’fanecha, anachnu v’chol amcha Beit Yisrael, l’chaim tovim ul’shalom: "In the Book of life, blessing, peace and good livelihood, may we be remembered and inscribed before You we and all of Your nation, the House of Israel; for good life and peace." In this final petition, we ask for even more than a good life: we request a good life with peace.

Why, of all possible things to request alongside a good life, do we mention peace? What makes the request for peace in our lives so crucial to Rosh Hashanah and the days that follow?

Chazal tell us that peace, in its most pristine form, is not merely the act of getting along, but actually the complete reconciliation of all opposites. Accordingly, in the final chapter of Derech Eretz Zuta, the chapter known as Perek HaShalom, we learn: "Bar Kappara says, Great is peace, for among the angels there is no hatred, jealousy, or enmity; for the Holy One, Blessed be He, makes peace among them."

Every angel, according to Jewish tradition, embodies only one simple characteristic. Accordingly, the idea that two angels with opposing tendencies can live at peace with one another is, at first glance, impossible. As Rav Soloveitchik explains, "The angel represents only one attribute of The Holy One, Blessed is He. The archangel Michael represents the attribute of Chesed, of lovingkindness, nursing, forgiveness, compassion. The archangel Gavriel represents the opposite divine attribute, namely, Din, justice, strictness, punishment and sometimes retribution. Of course, there is a dichotomy, an endless divide, separating Michael and Gavriel, mercy from retribution and warmth from strictness. But in The Holy One, Blessed is He, there is no dichotomy. In Him, all opposites are reconciled. In Him, all contradictions are resolved. In Him, thesis and antithesis merges into one. In Him, there is only harmony, shalom." (Noraot HaRav, Vol. 15, pp. 135- 136) Indeed, Chazal say that God Himself is sometimes called Shalom, for in Him alone are all opposites and conflicts reconciled.

On the first Rosh Hashanah, man was created in the image of God; this meant, in part, that man was free of internal conflict, and wholehearted in every action he undertook. As God reconciles all opposites, man was able to reconcile his various drives so that he demonstrated the attribute of shalom. The sin of the Tree of Knowledge ruptured this internal peace, and transformed man into an internally conflicted being. Rav Itzele of Volozhin notes that the word da’at, "knowledge", also means "mixture.” After Adam’s sin, he would no longer be free from conflict, but would instead live his life with a mixture of various contradictory impulses, each tugging him in a different direction.

Thus, our prayer for a good life with peace is, in fact, nothing less than a request to return to the state of Adam before his tragic failure. We beg God to allow us to again experience the Godly state of shalom, of living a life in which our contradictory characteristics and drives work together in beautiful harmony. And because this state of being cannot be attained before the Messiah’s arrival, we are in reality asking Hashem to lead us to the final redemption.

In truth, Rosh Hashanah is more than the anniversary of the first day of creation. It is also the day on which we look forward to the final destination of mankind, when all of the problems of history will be resolved as man returns to his original Eden-like state of shalom. We say the beracha of Malchuyot, and we accept that God is the master of all history. We say the beracha of Zichronot, and we accept that God remembers all that is past. And we say the beracha of Shofarot, and we accept that God will ultimately lead us to the redemption, when man will finally be reconciled with God and himself, and will again experience a permanent inner shalom.

Just as we pray that each individual attain the redemptive state of shalom, we similarly pray that the the People of Israel reach this level of shalom, as well. This is the peace that comes through the recognition that with all of our differences, each of us has a unique role to play in the life of our nation. This redemptive national shalom is the peace that comes from allowing every individual to be himself, and appreciating that everyone together creates a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

And with Israel hopefully setting this pristine example of shalom, we pray that the entire world reach this level, as well. The international shalom of redemption means that each nation fulfills its particular mission, while recognizing the unique qualities and redemptive role of every other nation, as well. Instead of being threatened by the existence of other peoples with very different approaches to life, all people will celebrate these differences as essential and indispensable to the growth of all humankind. In a redeemed world, opposites are reconciled not by denial of the self, but through the charitable recognition that the divine wholeness encompasses them all.

What is true for nations is also true for faiths. In the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt’l, “A house of worship is a home. Our several faiths are separate families, and each has its own language of intimacy with God. There is a difference between family and friends, and true friends know and respect that difference.” (Celebrating Life, p.162) By respecting the integrity of our individual faith commitment, we also acknowledge that others have their own paths towards and relationships with God. Understanding that reality without demanding universal conformity with a single faith is a step along the road towards the shalom of redemption.

The Iranian axis of Islamic fundamentalism which wants to destroy the State of Israel, as well as Judaism itself, is predicated upon the exilic idea that only one faith can and should exist. Israel is not fighting a religious war; but by defeating those who kill and terrorize in the name of God, we pray that we will move a step closer towards the ultimate peace of the final redemption, when individuals and nations can reach their greatest potential as they simultaneously acknowledge the importance of others doing the same in their own way.

May God grant our requests for life, for life that is not tragic, for life that is good, and for good life with peace. We pray that this year, the Messiah will not tarry, and that our requests for perfection will finally be granted. And may we bring the Divine Presence into the world, so that we and the entire world lead lives that are meaningful, rewarding, fulfilling, and filled with true internal and external shalom.