In the traditional Hebrew greeting we welcome our esteemed guest: Boruch ha-ba . . . blessed is he who comes to our shores as the leader of a people for whom we hold the greatest admiration.

Mr. President, as a renowned scholar and educator, and as a pioneer in the new Israel, you are deeply versed in the teachings of the Bible.

And you know that our Republic, like yours, was nurtured by the philosophy of the ancient Hebrew teachers who taught mankind the principles of morality, of social. justice, and of universal peace.

This is our heritage, and it is yours.

The message inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is the clarion call of Leviticus:

"Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the Inhabitants thereof."

It is a message not only for America, or for Israel, but for the whole world.

We cannot .proclaim tonight that all men have liberty, that all men are moral, that all men are just. We do not have universal peace.

But those of good will continue their work to liberate the human spirit from the degradation of poverty and pestilence, of hunger and oppression. As spiritual heirs of the Biblical tradition we recognize that no society anywhere can be more secure unless it is also just.

Israel today carries forward its pursuit of spiritual values. It is sharing those values and those experiences with other countries in the world.

We in America, as we meet here with all of our blessings tonight, are keenly aware that God has showered our land with abundance. The sharing of our blessings with others is a value we hold in common with Israel.

Above all, Mr. President, we share in common the vision of peace you call shalom.

The prophet Micah described it in this way: that every man sit under his vine and fig tree and "none shall make him afraid."

As our beloved, great, late President, John F. Kennedy, said on May 8, 1963, as a declaration of the leader of this country and as spokesman for this land: "We support the security of both Israel and her neighbors ....

We strongly oppose the use of force or the threat of force in the Near East .... "

We subscribe to that policy.

This I say in friendship for all the peoples of that region. We extend to all the hand of friendship, and offer to help all in meeting the challenges of fear and pestilence and poverty.

We look toward the happy and peaceful pursuits that can bring tranquillity and the blessings of knowledge and understanding to all peoples, without fear of war.

We welcome you tonight, Mr. President, in friendship and in deep respect for you and the people of your country.

I should like to ask all gathered here to join me in the traditional Hebrew toast in honor of our distinguished guest--to life, to peace, to blessing for all mankind.