The Gate to Perfection: The Idea of Peace in Jewish Thought

As Israelis and Arabs try to reach a settlement, this timely study offers a valuable historical dimension, from the Jewish point of view, to the main issue involved - the idea of peace. The authors maintain that peace has always played an important role in Jewish thought, that in fact Judaism as a religion is characterized by the striving for peace. They reach this conclusion after examining a variety of sources, ranging from the biblical texts of Old Israel to the Talmudic tradition and Jewish philosophy of religion up until the twentieth century.