(My Jewish Learning) - In the Hebrew Bible, the word shalom, usually translated as peace, means more than the absence of conflict; it connotes a secure sense of well-being and wholeness (the latter is perhaps the best literal definition). The word appears hundreds of times in the Bible, in all kinds of contexts: individuals, cities, nations and even the whole world at various points seek peace and, in the words of the psalmist, pursue it. In fact, the rabbis even taught that Shalom is one of the secret names of God. (Leviticus Rabbah 9:9) Many of the Bible's eloquent expressions of peace are e...