Scholar in residence: Dr. Marc Gopin: Perek HaShalom: What the Talmud Has to Say About Peace

Rabbi Dr. Marc Gopin, Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University’s Jimmy and Roslynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, will be presenting the first of two Scholar in Residence talks looking at the Jewish understanding of peace and peace making through the lens of Talmudic and Jewish wisdom teachings as well as through his own personal conflict resolution experience in various war zones. Perek HaShalom: What the Talmud Has to Say About Peace Peace stands at the heart of Jewish life, yet Jewish tradition never treats it as passive, sentimental, or easy. Drawing upon Perek HaShalom and related Talmudic teachings, Rabbi Dr. Marc Gopin will explore why the rabbis considered peace one of the Torah’s central obligations—and why they sometimes permitted extraordinary measures to achieve it.

How can justice truth and peace be achieved simultaneously, they pondered. What happens when telling the truth conflicts with being peaceful? Through texts, historical experience, and contemporary dilemmas, this conversation will uncover a demanding Jewish spiritual vision of peacemaking: courageous, practical, self-critical, and attentive to human relationships. Participants will encounter ancient wisdom with urgent relevance for our divided world, based on experience in many war zones.

Register for this event HERE (coming soon)