e-geress Vol. 1, No. 15 13 Sivan 5760 June 16, 2000
Publisher: Rabbi Yechezkel Fox
Editor: Rabbi Yisrael Rutman
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by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman It seems that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is trying to point the world in a new direction. In a recent speech to International Studies graduates at Johns Hopkins University, he urged them to "join a new diplomacy...determined to prevent conflict through peaceful means outside the traditional channels of power." In the aftermath of a decade in which 5 million people were killed in various conflicts around the world, and from which the UN emerged in less than triumphant form, the peacemakers are searching for answers. Annan was understandably short on the specifics of how to replace conflict resolution with conflict prevention. But it brings to mind the visionary proposal of another peacemaker almost 100 years ago, that of American philosopher William James. In an address delivered at Stanford University in 1906, James called for "a moral equivalent of war." His thesis was that the war-like spirit, though too deeply ingrained in man to be eradicated, should be channeled into constructive national enterprise. He called upon his fellow Americans to harness the virtues of martial life---courage, discipline, self-sacrifice---to the service rather than the destruction of humanity. Although there have been experiments along these lines, such as the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, VISTA and the Peace Corps, James's vision has yet to find fulfillment on a scale commensurate with the problem. The peacemakers are still searching for answers. The Sages of the Talmud have for centuries offered us a moral equivalent of war. It can be found in the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (4:1): Who is considered a mighty warrior?---One who conquers his evil inclination. The subjugation of the base drives of greed, jealousy and pride; that is the life-long war which should occupy every individual; a conflict which requires much of those same martial virtues of which James spoke. In fact, the challenge of self-rule---of ruling one's selfish desires---may be even greater than that of conquering and ruling others. In the classic Duties of the Heart, the story is told of the wise man who greeted a unit of soldiers coming home from the front with the surprising words: You returned victorious from the war, but it's small compared to the great war that you now must face against the evil inclination...a relentless adversary... Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: Torah scholars increase peace in the world. This Talmudic statement (Brochos 64) is printed at the end of the Shabbos morning service in every Jewish prayer book. But what an amazing claim! How can learning Torah bring peace, any more than learning Quantum Mechanics or Sanskrit? Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky (1886-1976) explained it in the following way: that the material causes of war can generally be traced back to the human desires for wealth, power and honor. These are things which those who devote themselves to studying Torah are able to avoid getting caught up in. For the true Torah scholars are deeply involved in the aforementioned war on the evil inclination. They are already committed to that moral equivalent of war which obviates the need for its immoral and bloody counterpart. In fact, in the last chapter of Avos there is a list of 48 ways, pre-conditions, for acquiring Torah knowledge. Among them are: slowness to anger, acceptance of suffering, being happy with one's lot, keeping far from honor, loving the Omnipresent, loving people...These are not the kind of folks who brought you Pearl Harbor. Nor is this a self-improvement program limited to a scholarly elite. Pirkei Avos has always been one of the most accessible and popular sections of the Torah. Indeed, during the months from Pesach to Rosh HaShana, thousands of Jews follow the custom of studying its ethical ideas every Shabbos following the afternoon (Mincha) service. One cannot, of course, expect the world to instantly adopt the Jewish prescription for peace, any more than it did William James's idea back in 1906. It may well be another century or more before the world is weary enough of all the bloodletting to finally launch a serious campaign against the enemy within. But what better way for the Jewish people to be "a light unto the nations" than to continue providing the world with that long-sought-for moral equivalent of war. Please note that the E-geress cartoon will no longer be sent to our subscribers by e-mail. You may continue to view it on our web site, however, where we hope that your enjoyment of it will be enhanced. 
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