Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the spiritual leader of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center. He serves as National Secretary for Brit Tzedek V’shalom, Corresponding Secretary and Social Action co-chair of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and on the board of Jewish World Watch. He loves playing percussion, doing yoga and visiting Israel. He says, “Yasher koach to Craig for another brilliant creation!” Visit www.pjtc.net for more.

I dream about peace, it’s kind of an obsession. I dream about what it’ll be like one day when Jews and Arabs finally stop all of the ridiculous wars and hatred and learn to accept one another as human beings. Sometimes that dream is a nightmare, an absolute darkness, like that of the 9th plague. It is heavy, dreary and listless, unable to move from the frozen tundra of past wars, past lies, past deceptions and hurt. But at other times, in moments of heavenly light and bliss, my dream is light as air, full of hope, tikvah, such that I find myself elevating to places that I never knew existed.

Jerusalem, 1995: The sun was setting toward Shabbat, the sky purple and gold, as only it can be in Israel. One of my favorites things about Israel is the sunsets! There is a feeling of wholeness, of possibility, as if whatever we dream of might come true. As I meditated on that sunset, with its colors illuminating my heart, I began to cry. I cried for the lost lives, the lost loved ones, the innocent children who have been taken from us in the name of murder for God’s sake. Of course, there is no such thing, and that made me cry harder. And yet, in that purple sky, there was hope, a strong aura of hope, that a day would come when children would again play, would again laugh, would again emerge into the world, but without the horror of being cut down. I cried and I prayed, yet it was not morbid or sad, but propitious, buoyant. This is the spirit that Israel gives me; this is the spirit that I believe Israel can give the world. We must wrest back the hope from those who believe that killing and hatred is the only way to make peace. We must wrest back the hope from those who shun the sunset for the blood red sky of rockets and mortar rounds. We must wrest back the hope from all those who say peace is not possible. The sky in Israel that evening was singing the words ‘Hatikvah,’ a hope that springs eternal for the possibility of peace. The hope of Isaiah, the hope that believes in a day unlike today. Lo yisah goy el goy cherev, nation shall threaten nation, v’lo yilmadu od milchama, and neither shall they fight wars any more. I will never forget that night, that sky, that hope. It is what keeps me going, day after day, in our quest for peace.

Sometimes peace is a murmur, humming just underneath the surface. It is whispered, in a hushed and fragile voice, unable to get the attention of the masses. It is droned out by the drums of war, the call to vengeance, the slicing of hatred. And yet, there have been moments when it was a roar, bringing us close to the edge of success, only to drop us into the abyss of fear, leaving us to once again to climb the mountain, searching for that sacred top of shalom. And we must never stop. Ohev shalom v’rodef shalom — we are called upon to love and pursue peace. It is a joint effort, a team effort of ohev and rodef. We must love and pursue — one or the other will not suffice. Only through loving pursuit, seeking out the other with love in our hearts, will the shalom we crave come to pass. Others may not love us, but we must pursue with love. That was Aaron the Cohen’s message. Between murmur and roar, between faintness and overload, we return to the search, hoping to find a balance that will see us through to the final moment, the realization of what we so long for, pray for, dream about and believe to be our destiny. I love Israel, in large part, because of heroes like Amos Oz, David Broza, Yitzhak Rabin, David Grossman, Yael Dayan, and the voices of peace and hope. I love Israel for the courageous men and women, my brothers and sisters, who live in Israel, defend Israel and are the main players in the Jewish state. I love Israel because of the Torah, God and history of my people. I love Israel for Shabbat, chaggim and the rhythm of living on Jewish time. I love Israel for peace. I love Israel because of the sunsets.

The 60 Bloggers project is co-production of Jewlicious.com and the Let My People Sing Festival. It is published daily for 60 days to celebrate Israel’s 60 birthday.