The following educational unit, prepared by Melitz, enhances the understanding of the terms "peace" and "war" through passages from Ecclesiastes and the Midrash.  

A Time of Peace and a Time of War

Introduction:

The terms "peace" and its opposite "war" define conditions of survival. What characterizes these conditions? What are the differences between them? Are these unavoidable? By what means do we move from one condition to the other?

In this unit we shall clarify the meanings of the terms "peace" and "war". We shall investigate characteristic aspects of these two conditions as they appear in sources such as the Bible and Midrash, thereby learning how these sources relate to peace. Afterwards, we shall try to see what we can learn from the distinctions which appear in the sources about these terms and how we understand them in our lives today.

Goals:

1. To discuss the terms "peace" and "war" and to clarify their various meanings.
2. To engage in fruitful study of Jewish texts.
3. To struggle with the tension which exists in our lives today between the two conditions of war and peace.

Necessary Materials:

- Bibles
- Source quotations
- Scratch paper
- Writing utensils

Descriptions of the Activity:

1. The discussion leader should write on the board the words "peace" and "war". The participants are then asked to come up with free associations with these terms. It is worthwhile to try and clarify whether participants are relating to theses terms as conditions, phenomena, or moral values.
2. The participants will examine Biblical books and read the passage from Ecclesiastes which deals with the distinction between "a time of war" and "a time of peace" (chapter 3, verses 1-8). It is desirable for the discussion leader to take advantage of this opportunity to give the group a little background to the book of Ecclesiastes.

3. The discussion leader will distribute to the participants the page of source materials, including the passage from Ecclesiastes as well as the passage from the Midrash on Ecclesiastes. Participants will be asked to analyze the distinctions between "a time of war" and "a time of peace" as they are expressed in the two passages.

4. The participants will add another layer to the process of interpretation by listing a few other pairings:
"A time to _____________ during peacetime and a time to _______________ during wartime."

5. The discussion leader, together with the participants, will characterize the groups' new interpretation into the categories of "peace" and "war". This will clarify the properties of a peaceful situation as opposed to the properties of a warlike situation. The assumption is that there do exist general human behavior patterns during peacetime, which are different to those during wartime.

It is worthwhile to examine, with the participants, if principles of behavior – as they are presented in the two sources – are acceptable to them and why?

Consider the following questions:

Is "a time to kill during wartime" relevant in all circumstances? Should one relate differently to enemy soldiers, to civilians and/or to prisoners of war?

Is "a time to tear down during wartime", and "a time to rip apart during wartime" a positive credo? Is it permissible to cause damage to enemy property under all circumstance? When yes, and when no?

Is "a time to love during peacetime and a time to hate during wartime" necessarily true? Is peace always expressed through love? Is war always connected to hate? What other factors can bring about a warlike or peaceful situation?

6. In conclusion, one should conduct a discussion around the following questions:

A) Does a majority of humanity today live in a condition of peace or of war?

B) Do the conditions of "war" and "peace" only affect states, or do they also affect different groups of people or individuals?

C) Is the condition of peace (or of war) a permanent or temporary condition? How can one pass from one condition to another? Do intermediary positions exist? How can one adhere to them?

A Time for Peace and a Time for War

"A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven;
A time for being born and a time for dying,
A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;
A time for slaying and a time for healing,
A time for tearing down and a time for building up;
A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;
A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;
A time for seeking and a time for losing,
A time for keeping and a time for discarding;
A time for ripping and a time for sewing,
A time for silence and a time for speaking;
A time for loving and a time for hating;
A time for war and a time for peace."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, JPS Tanakh

A time to plant during peacetime and a time for uprooting the planted during wartime
A time to kill during wartime and a time to heal during peacetime
A time to tear down during wartime and a time to build up during peacetime
A time to seek during peacetime and a time to lose during wartime
A time to tear during wartime and a time to mend during peacetime
A time to love during peacetime and a time to hate during wartime
A time for war during wartime and a time for peace during peacetime
 Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, chapter 3

A time to _____________ during peacetime and a time to _______________ during wartime
A time to _____________ during peacetime and a time to _______________ during wartime
A time to _____________ during peacetime and a time to _______________ during wartime
A time to _____________ during peacetime and a time to _______________ during wartime