Too many wars are vanity projects of corrupt leaders. They view the people of their own country as serfs who build their wealth—as workers, soldiers, taxpayers.

And they believe, sometimes correctly, that other corrupt leaders feel the same about their own people. So they hit at the source of their rival’s wealth.

They kill people, especially children with long-term potential. They destroy infrastructure, expensive to rebuild. It’s all a gambit to force the enemy to hand over the resources.

ALL THE MORE REASON TO PRAY FOR PEACE

We pray for the safety of the people of Israel, Iran, United States, Palestine, and others affected by active war. We worry for our family, friends, and colleagues. We mourn the innocent lives lost.

May regional dynamics reset in the best possible way.

May the wolf and the lamb, the cow and the bear, learn to live together, as Isaiah foretells.

May we remember, as Reb Nachman teaches, that we have not come into this world for the sake of quarrel and bloodshed.

May we pray, as Beruriah taught us, that all hearts be turned towards peace.

Oseh shalom bimromav—May the one who makes peace in the heavens make peace upon us, all Yisrael, all Yishmael, all the earth, and in all the worlds.