BIRTH - Tel Aviv University Youth Interfaith Encounter on 19th January 2009:

The third encounter of the renewed group of Tel Aviv University Youth Interfaith Encounter, was held on January 19th on the theme of birth. Despite the fighting in the south – the work of building the peaceful inter-communal relations continues.

We began with presentation of Muslim perspectives of the theme. Before each prayer there is a long call for prayer, then a 10-15 minutes break and a short call followed immediately by the prayer. When a child is born, the people around call the long call for prayer in the child's right ear and the short call in the left ear – but no prayer follows. When the person dies there is a prayer but without prior calls. Then the verse says: all your life are as the time between the call for the prayer and the prayer – so make sure you use them for good deeds.

Jewish sources bring the debate in the Talmud whether it is better for the humans if they were born or not. The conclusion was that it is better for the person he is not born but now, after he is already born, he should pay attention to his deeds. Interesting to note that the Rabbi of Izbitsa says that the language the Talmud uses is that this is "not comfortable" and not that it is "not good", since it is more comfortable not to do anything then the hard spiritual work of this world. However – the hard work can bring spiritual benefits.

In the following conversation we touched on issues of: status of the fetus, Hajj, Jihad and the prohibition to commit murder under murder threat.


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