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Shalom, peace. To gather, to study, and to speak together for peace is a great thing. It is a great privilege for me to be here and share in this event, to be here with Swāmījī and with other great religious leaders and teachers, and with my rabbinical colleagues: Rabbi Sultendorp, a great leader for peace in world Jewry, and Rabbi Dushinsky, a friend and colleague with whom we will sing. In the Hebrew scripture, which was read this past Shabbat, we read of Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. Abraham sees three strangers approaching from a distance, but the strangers are angels, representatives of God. With no knowledge of who they are or what their mission may be, Abraham runs out of the tent to bring them in and offer them peace. We learn from our ancestor in Judaism that welcoming the stranger and offering peace is a great goal for all humankind. The word shalom in the Hebrew language comes from shalem, to be complete. We are not complete people unless we are at peace, and we recognize that it is difficult to attain, to reach peace. Every time a Jew prays, we say the words that ask God to help us make peace. We say that God, who has been able to make peace among the planets, to create a universe that works in harmony, that God should help us to make peace. Oseh shalom bimromav—He who has made peace in the heavens—hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu—He will help us to find peace and completeness. As we gather here, may we help one another to bring peace. One way is to talk together; an important way is to be together. And with the help of my good friend Rabbi Dushinsky, we will sing together for a peaceful and better world.