With the permission of my very distinguished colleagues, I am happy and honored to be participating as the Director-General of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel � the official supreme religious and spiritual body of the Jews in the Holy Land � in this important conference, which by its very existence expresses the desire that we all share to use dialogue to bring about a good, exalted and better world, in which the spirit has the upper hand � and violence, aggression and force have no part.

We have had the privilege of participating in several conferences organized by the Sant'Edigio community, and there is no question of their significant contribution to awareness and understanding among religions and to the advancement of world peace, through productive dialogue and individual face-to-face meetings between leaders of the various religions.

I pray that the rapprochement will succeed in leading to reconciliation and greater understanding, and that a dialogue that bridges and connects will replace conflict and a prolonged bloody struggle.

This conference is taking place shortly after the Sukkot holiday, one of the three major Jewish festivals. In the past, when the Beit Hamikdash, the Temple � which served as the center of the spiritual activity of the Jewish people � stood in Jerusalem, 70 bullocks were sacrificed there during the course of the seven days of Sukkot. Our sages taught us that these 70 bullocks represent the 70 nations in the world. In the Zohar it says that the purpose of sacrificing them was to ask for divine mercy for all the nations.

Another practice observed in the Temple during Sukkot was the water-libation ceremony in which water was poured on the altar, as an expression of our request, at the start of the rainy season, that there be no shortage of water, which is the source of the world's existence. The pouring of the water was also done, according to the Zohar, in order to request water for the nations of the world, each in its own country and its own place.

We therefore find that on the festival of Succot, which in the Jewish sources is called "the time of our joy," and in the place most sacred to the Jewish people, the most important rituals were carried out in order to benefit all the nations of the world. That is more than a symbol of the Jewish worldview regarding the need for solidarity and brotherhood among nations.

The desire to benefit every person, wherever he may be, is a recurring motif in the Jewish sources. The Temple, which is the most prominent symbol of the Jewish people, was not closed to non-Jews. On the contrary, when the Temple was dedicated by King Solomon, he prays to the Creator and asks: "Moreover concerning the stranger, that is not of Thy people Israel, when be shall come out of a far country� when they shall come and pray toward this house; then hear Thou from heaven, even from Thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to Thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, and fear Thee" (2 Chronicles, Chapter 6).

These words speak for themselves concerning the desire and willingness to share the good and the abundance of the Temple with other nations who do not belong to the Jewish people. The prophet even bears witness that in the future, the Temple will serve all the nations, when he says "For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations."

Before and beyond the desire for a better world that is free of violence, there is a common denominator that unifies all of us gathered here today, and that is: the belief in one G-d, and the knowledge that man is not an independent, unrestrained creature, one that is free of limitations and criticism. Not at all.

We believers know that it is no coincidence that man was born in the form as we know it. Man was created "in the image of G-d" as the Bible describes him immediately at the beginning of the creation of man. "And G-d said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," and immediately afterwards: "And G-d created man in His own image, in the image of G-d created He him." What is the meaning of the idea that man was created "in the image of G-d"? It means that we can see in every person a kind of likeness of the Creator.

The Mishna and the Gemara in tractate Sanhedrin teach us several truths in this context: "Man was created as a single individual to teach us that anyone who destroys a single life is as though he destroyed an entire world; and anyone who saves a single life is as though he saved an entire world," since the entire world and its contents were created from Adam, who was a single individual.

"And also for the sake of peace among mankind,so that no person should say to another, 'My father was greater than your father' � since everyone is descended from Adam.

"A single man was created to show the greatness of God, for a man stamps many coins from a single die, and they are all alike, but the King of Kings has stamped every man with the die of Adam, yet not one of them is like his fellow. Just as their faces differ, so do their opinions � and all are made by the Creator and are his children."

Humanity with all its ups and downs and contrasts is only the history of humanity, which was created in the likeness of G-d. The description of humanity�s origin is designed to make every individual aware of their own worth, as someone created in G-d's image, so that they will preserve and nurture this worth. Let us not forget that man can soar higher the angels or be more wicked than the devil, and that it all depends on him.

These things are of tremendous importance, with implications for man's obligation as a human being to behave in a manner that dignifies the image and spirit of G-d within him, and the image and spirit of G-d in his fellow man. Whatever his religion and his opinions, whatever his nationality, man is first and foremost a human being, and must treat his fellow humans accordingly.

The basic desire of every person should be adherence to G-d's path of goodness and mercy. The use of violence and aggression on the part of a believer is in clear and absolute contradiction to the ways of G-d, and undermines the basis of the ideology in whose name he resorts to this violence.

One of the central causes of violence in our world is the attempt to force others to adopt our beliefs and opinions by means of brute, physical force. Without a spiritual commitment and a willingness to accept belief and religion, no worship of G-d is possible. And if a person's heart, soul and feeling do not accept belief and religion, there is no sense in forcing him to accept something that he doesn't believe in of his own free will.

G-d does not favor forcing belief in Him on anyone. He expects man to observe the reality surrounding him in our world, and in so doing to awaken and arrive at an inner recognition of the existence of G-d. That is the only way.

All believers must vigorously prevent any attempt at religious coercion that is liable to lead to serious violence and occasionally even to extreme cruelty.

Moreover, the job of the believers, and particularly of the religious leaders, who should be the world's compass and conscience, is to criticize and condemn any injustice. They must not leave political leaders and heads of countries to their own devices and allow them to sink into apathy. They should hunt down and bring to justice terrorists who in the name of G-d or of religion murder innocent people and undermine the divine universal order. Only a tough, immediate and unequivocal response will stop these people from implementing their schemes.

Those who favor dialogue and peace respond positively to any idea, opinion or emotion without arrogance and without negating the other. They see the good and the positive in every person, nation and ethnic group.

There is a wonderful essay by the late Rabbi Kook, the founder of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, on the subject of peace. The main idea expressed there is that just as the beauty of the melody in a choir or an orchestra does not come from identical voices but from the dissimilar and varied voices that join in harmony together � in the same way universal truth and peace will be constructed from diverse thoughts and perspectives, from varying opinions and methods, all of which have a place and importance in the harmony of life. And it is this very uniting of forces, contrasts and opposites that endows peace with added strength, beauty and perfection.

Religious leaders must ask themselves � in light of the lack of knowledge and the ignorance regarding the values, customs and religion of the other, which as we said are often the cause of violence � in what ways they, as religious leaders, can encourage dialogue, educate, teach, influence, bring people closer and achieve positive results in these areas. The emphasis of course must be on the formal � and primarily the informal � religious and educational frameworks, where religious leaders have great influence.

And it is very important to remember that rapprochement is the torch that we must carry proudly and fearlessly. It is no secret that on all sides there is strong resistance to rapprochement and dialogue between religious and spiritual leaders, colleagues and friends, which in extreme cases is accompanied by threats or attempts at boycott and removal from the camp and the consensus. How can we condemn these phenomena and deal with them?

Religious leaders and their views are of unique importance and strongly influence the inter-religious mosaic. At many events we have found that where politicians and statesmen have failed, religious leaders have succeeded in inflaming or calming down various groups. If there is great danger in the strengthening of fundamentalism it is the danger of being dragged into a religious war whose end cannot be foreseen.

The darkness and the violence cannot be chased away with sticks, certainly not with knives and guns. A little light repels much darkness! The light of faith and the light of positive action on the part of religious leaders, as a living and dignified personal example, will help chase away the darkness and the evil in our world. If the message to the world that emerges from here today is the vital need for dialogue and mutual understanding, it will be of tremendous value.

And if we succeed even to a small degree, we have justified our gathering here as a group, and the purpose of our existence as individuals acting in the name of G-d.

If we remember that "we are all the sons of one man" and if "each person will help his fellow man and strengthen his brother," then in the future the prophecy of Zephaniah (3, 9) will be fulfilled: "For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent" and then "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2, 4).