PEACE IN JUDAISM

PEACE IN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS ~ 108 ~ PEACE IN JUDAISM The history of Judaism goes back more than three thousand years. According to Jewish traditions, when the Israelites left Egypt and reached the Sinai desert, God gave them the fundamental ten commandments that were to govern their social existence. One of these was: You shall not kill. (Exodus, 20:13) This biblical commandment forbids all kinds of violence, whether individual or social, whether directed against one’s own community or against another. It was revealed to Moses directly from God. According to Jewish tradition this injunction is in the nature of an absolute command. There is another injunction of the Torah worth quoting in this connection. It embodies such moral teaching as is common to all religions, although differently expressed. The wording of the Torah is as follows: What is hateful (or hurtful) to you, do not do to any other man.