On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. – Numbers 29:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 10, 2015): Numbers 29

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad recently stated that the coalition between Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq against the Islamic State must succeed “or else the whole region will be destroyed.” He specifically stated that they needed to be more effective than the useless air strikes which the U.S. led coalition has peppered throughout the area. In the opinion of Assad, those attacks have done nothing to stop terrorism and, instead, have been guilty of spreading terrorism and have given the terrorists both strength and purpose – and a reason for others to join their ranks. Assad’s critics argue that the Russian coalition seems to be targeting anti-government opponents of Assad’s in the Syrian Civil War rather than just Islamic State targets. Assad is also accused of being a destabilizing presence in the area. All of this leaves the world with a confusing problem. Where exactly lies the truth?

Unfortunately, the secret for peace and stability in the Middle East is something that no one on either side really wants to accept. It is the idea of equality of every person and the intrinsic value of the other. It is an idea that we have struggled with in almost every culture - the idea that under the skin we are all the same. But until that happens, places like the Middle East will remain dangerous battlegrounds – and disagreements between nations like the U.S. and Russia will continue to happen. But ultimately the fate of our civilization depends on the recognition of the other as our equal and not our enemy – the idea that an Arab is just as valuable as a Jew, and that a Muslim is as valuable in the sight of God as a Christian (or vice versa). This continues to be the essential need of our world.

And it might be the beauty behind the celebration of Rosh Hashanah or the Jewish Feast of Trumpets. Unlike other national celebrations, the Feast of Trumpets honors our universal origins. It is not a celebration of what it means to be a Jew, but rather a celebration of what it means to be human. It is a celebration of Adam and Eve and our universal creation. Whether you accept the story of Adam and Eve as being history or believe that the story is just a myth, it recognizes the idea that we all have some common origin – that while we may have some visible differences on the outside, we share a unique design that goes deeper than the color of our skin. We are not a different species from each other, and there is no indication that we were formed out of a separate process. We are simply the same.

Originally, a sense of tribal affiliation was important for our survival. But the truth is that we have outgrown that need. If our planet is going to survive, we must learn to love an accept each other. And maybe, as Christians, we need to make the first move – and begin to really recognize the value of the other.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 30