Songs of yearning for peace used to fill the Israeli airwaves from the 1950’s through the 90’s. No longer. We have new songs of sacrifice, of patriotism, and of love, but not of peace.
Discussion of military defense, especially after October 7th, makes sense. But absent from our consciousness is a central Jewish teaching of King David on how to live a blessed life; “seek peace and pursue it.” Psalms 34:14
The text teaches that peace requires persistent, intentional effort: Setting the agenda with actual policy steps. If you think it is extremely difficult, messy, and costly, well, so is war.
Government policy grows out of a political culture. Ours is informed with traditional texts and songs on the radio. Including the words of the poetic King David: “Seek peace and pursue it”… to live a blessed life.
