We Are All Part of Mashiach and Part of GodWe are all part of mashiach (messiah) and part of God. God is One and includes all of us. There are some messianic themes in each of our lives. Allow me to share with you some messianic themes in my life. At the moment I was born there were the eight Chanukah lights burning in Eretz Israel, the land of Israel. I was born in Los Angeles on the seventh day of Chanukah at 8:15 a.m. and in Eretz Israel it was 10 hours ahead so it was 6:15 p.m. on the eighth night of Chanukah. I have come to bring a Brit Shalom (a Covenant of Peace, a Methak Salaam), and 10 Points for Peace, and other teachings into this world. I have been active for the peaceful resolution of conflicts for several decades, and was the first person to be arrested for disrupting the United States Congress in protest of the Vietnam War when I shouted "Stop the War!" in the U.S. Senate gallery in 1971. A few days earlier I did as much as anyone to convince the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and their leadership to take their protest to the U.S. Supreme Court and to ask that court to rule on the constitutionality of the war, for the U.S. constitution says that only the Congress shall declare war, and war was never declared by the Congress. The protest of the Vietnam veterans at the Supreme Court was one of the most effective protests and perhaps the most effective protest to end the Vietnam War. The so-called "Clinton plan" for Jerusalem, of two open capitals for two peoples without a physical barrier between them, and with each people governing and policing themselves where they dwell, was my idea and I was the first to publish it and the first to lobby for it beginning in 1984. Now I believe that such a vision would be very dangerous and unwise for Israel to ever try to implement until there's an end to the "honor" killings of sisters, daughters and mothers by their male relatives which is presently supported by many Arab Muslims. Peace begins at home, so first the "honor" killings must stop. The expression of jihad in a violent manner will also need to be rejected by Arab Muslims before a deep and lasting peace can be created with them. It means that the "honor" killings, the jihad killings and the incitement must cease. Regarding Jerusalem, many things are possible if a deep and lasting peace that begins at home can be established. Let's share our visions and understandings and be kind. Twice I tried driving my truck to Iraq to share Brit Shalom, Covenant of Peace, Methak Salaam with the Iraqi government and people: the first time in 1991 just before the Operation Desert Storm phase of the Gulf War broke out and the Israeli authorities stopped me at the Allenby Bridge border crossing because they were concerned about my security and I then began a hunger strike; and the second time in 1999 when I got as far as the Jordanian-Iraqi border where I was turned back by Jordanian authorities because they thought the Iraqis would hang me if I continued. The first time I read the Book of Genesis I was so touched by the account of Yosef (Joseph) revealing himself to his brothers in Egypt, and almost every time Yosef would weep in those accounts I too would weep. Years later I learned that my parsha, the Torah portion I was born under, is Vayyiggash (Genesis 44:18 - 47:27) which recounts that very story of Yosef revealing himself to his brothers and being reunited with them. I never had a bar mitzvah when I was 13, and I would like to invite the leaders of Israel and the leaders of Israel's friends and the leaders of Israel's present enemies to my bar mitzvah on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. At that bar mitzvah I would mostly be reading my haftorah section from the prophets which is assigned to my Torah portion Vayyiggash. That haftorah is from Ezekiel 37:15-28, and amazingly it makes mention of a future David and a future Brit Shalom. I believe that the Brit Shalom at peacecircle.org is the Brit Shalom that was promised in Ezekiel chapter 37, verse 26, which is in my haftorah portion that I would read at my bar mitzvah. May all enemies or those not liking each other initiate a broad and deep dialogue and try to heal together. I believe that dialogue can be the beginning of understanding, which can be the beginning of trust, which can be the beginning of peace. Here are three essential steps towards peace: let go of the blame, learn from the cause and effect relationships, and steer towards more kindness. Sometime after I decided on the spelling of my last name in Hebrew, I discovered that its gematria, the numerical sum of its letters being 363, is the same as that for hamashiach, the messiah. I'm not claiming to be "the messiah", the claim here is not of being more mashiach, it's of being just as much mashiach – it creates a whole new paradigm and solution. Jamm stands for Just As Much Mashiach. For many years I've felt I was just as much mashiach as anyone else, and you might feel the same way about yourself, and that's okay. Let's jamm! Let's make peace and heal and celebrate and make music together. We all have our various work to do, and may our work keep changing, hopefully for the better for everyone, please God. We can make this world so much kinder and more beautiful. We can start by smiling at and greeting one another. May we all help each other, please God.
respect God Praise God! |