Prayer In Judaism Research Paper

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HOW DOES JUDAISM ACHIEVE PEACE AND INTER-FAITH UNDERSTANDING?

Judaism is the 5th most popular religion in the world, with a population of approximately 14,000,000 followers (Berman Jewish Database, 2014). Judaism is an Abrahamic religion that promotes the seven dimensions of religion in everyday life. Through study of sacred texts, it becomes apparent that people of the Jewish faith are strong believers of peace, tolerance and inter-faith understanding. It is through the legal and ethical, ritual and practical, experiential and emotional, doctrinal and philosophical, and mythical and narrative dimensions that this religion practises these values.

Law and ethics are fundamental to the Jewish faith, as they are the foundation of the religion’s
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(Exodus 31:15-17)

Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment (Judaism 101, n.d., para. 4). Furthermore, prayer is significant in Judaism for promoting peace and relationship with God. The following prayer is said on the Sabbath and is a part of daily prayer in Jewish festivals:

May the Lord bless you and protect you...
May the Lord show you kindness and grant you peace (Numbers 6:24-26)

This prayer displays the fundamental connection Jews have to peace as granted by the Lord, which then must be carried into the world. Jews believe that peace can bring religions together, so that they understand and tolerate each other (Living Judaism, 2002, pg. 13). The prophet Isaiah prayed for the age of peace in the following quote:

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
The leopard with the kid.
The calf and the young lion will be together and a little child shall lead
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Jewish people have strong feelings towards peace on Earth and harmony between different religions. In Deuteronomy Rabah 5:15, it reads ‘God announceth to Jerusalem that they [Israel] will be redeemed only through peace. (Deuteronomy Rabah 5:15).’ Passages like this in the Hebrew Scriptures outline the goal of peace that all Jewish people have, therefore to obtain true world peace, peace must be made between the Jewish community as well as other communities. On the occasion of the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles at Washington, DC, on 13 September 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin gave an indication of Jewish

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