It’s Time to Pitch Our Tents Together

Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Rabbi Phyllis Berman

Posted Aug 20, 2007      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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It’s Time to Pitch Our Tents Together

Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Rabbi Phyllis Berman *

Within both the Muslim world and the world of Christian and Jewish communities and nations, some are trying to unleash an endless religious war that will drown in blood our already wounded planet, further shattering cities, families, bodies, minds, and souls.

Yet within each of the three great Abrahamic traditions, great majorities seek peace and justice and celebrate the Infinite One, the Compassionate One, Who calls us to nurture one another.

How do we heal this broken family?

For almost five years, the two of us have been part of a group of Jews, Christians and Muslims that has met in intensive retreats. We have named ourselves The Tent of Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah.

We have gone beyond the formal intellectual exchanges usually called “interfaith dialogue” to pray together in our diverse ways, to open our lives to one another by sharing the stories of our spiritual journeys, and to plan together action toward peace, toward strengthening human rights, and toward healing the earth from the only danger worse than interreligious war: the danger of climate crisis, global scorching.

We encourage people throughout our country to “pitch a tent” like that one—their own tents of shared prayer, shared spiritual openness, and shared action. Tents like that ancient tent, which was open on all four sides, so as to welcome not only what we call the Abrahamic communities but also thirsty seekers who journey from all directions.

This past year we have been working with leaders of the great national bodies of churches, synagogues and mosques in America toward a great national sharing of prayer and vigil and action, consciously involving all our communities in a classic religious act of self-transformation: a fast.

Out of those conversations has come a call for Americans of all faith traditions to join in fasting from dawn to dusk on Monday, Oct. 8.

(For a full text of the call for the Fast and other information on it, see—– http://www.shalomctr.org/taxonomy_menu/1/124/2

By joining, our different religious communities can sow one singularly important seed: If we are to heal the broken relationships in our Abrahamic family, we must end the Iraq war that is fueling fear and rage between us. The hopes for a decent future that each tradition holds are endangered by that unnecessary, morally abhorrent, and disastrous war.

So we must end the shattering of Iraqi and American lives by offering American support for—but not control of—international and interreligious efforts to assist Iraqis in making peace and rebuilding their country, while swiftly and safely bringing home all American troops.

And we can also dedicate our fast to ending the rain of gunfire in our streets and schools, and to ending the celebration by our media of grotesque violence.

Our communities can eat together after sundown on Oct. 7 and 8 and before dawn on Oct. 8. We can study together through the night, gather in public vigils during the fast on Monday, and at every step, invite public officials and candidates to join us not only for the moment or the day, but also for the long task of turning from conquest to community. In this way, we can share the task of turning from violence to reverence.

Oct. 7 and 8 fall within a season holy to many faiths, including (in Islam) the month of Ramadan (approximately Sept. 13 to Oct. 11 this year) and the Laylat Al-Qadr or Night of Power (within the last 10 days of Ramadan); in Judaism, the High Holy Days and Sukkot; in Christianity, the feast day of Francis of Assisi (Oct. 4) and Worldwide Communion Sunday (Oct. 7); in Buddhism, Pavarana (Sept. 30).  Mohandas Gandhi’s birthday falls on Oct. 2.  Many Native American communities are transforming Columbus Day (Oct. 8) into celebrations of the indigenous peoples. All these sacred moments can speak to the same hope: moving from conquest to community, from violence to reverence.

By doing this together, the families of Abraham and all the families of earth can reassert our commitment to the God of justice, compassion, and peace.


·    Rabbi Waskow is director of The Shalom Center ( http://www.shalomctr.org

http://www.beacon.org/tentofabraham 
To order hardback copies, see top of that web page; paperbacks, bottom. In the box marked “discount code” write “tent” – but with no quote marks.

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