Musar zu Schemot 19:6

אדם כי יקריב מכם . I have already pointed out that this verse addresses itself to the awakening of the אדם attribute within us urging us that when we do offer sacrifices to G–d we should consider that it is our very selves we offer to Him. This kind of urgent advice is valid both for when we offer a total offering, or a sin offering. When the Torah introduces the details of the various categories of sacrifices with the words: זאת תורת העולה, or זאת תורת החטאת, etc., it means that what one does to the animal in question is what really should have been done to oneself, the person who now is required to offer this animal in lieu of himself. The Torah uses the same words of introduction when a peace offering is offered and no sin is being atoned for, to teach us that the owner ought to view himself as establishing harmony with the altar, harmony with the priests, and harmony with the owners (himself). If such considerations prevail the directive-promise of Exodus 19,6: "You will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" will be fulfilled. This is because the owners, too, consume part of the meat of the peace offering, שלמים.

And the third is that the holy people who are servants of God, may He be blessed, should not humble themselves to flesh and blood. So it is not fitting that the fear of flesh and blood be upon them except for the sake of the Heavens. As it is stated (Leviticus 25:55), “For it is to Me that the Israelites are servants” - [they are] My servants, and not the servants of servants. And it is stated (Exodus 19:6), “But you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The expression, priests, is [to mean] masters and officers; and like this [usage] is (II Samuel 8:18) “and David’s sons were priests.” And the whole nation is called a kingdom, from [the usage] (I Kings 18:10), “there is no nation or kingdom”; (Isaiah 60:12), “For the nation or the kingdom.” The explanation [of Exodus 19:6] is that you shall be a kingdom that is all officers, such that the yoke of flesh and blood shall not be upon you. And it is stated (Isaiah 51:12), “What ails you that you fear man who must die”; and it is [also] stated (Isaiah 51:7), “Fear not the insults of men.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sotah 47b), “From the time when those who say to evil, good; and to good, evil,” proliferated, [they removed the yoke of the Heavens from upon themselves, and the yoke of flesh and blood was thrown upon them].” And King David, peace be upon him, said (Psalms 9:20-21). “Rise, O Lord; let not men have power; let the nations be judged in Your presence. Strike fear into them, O Lord; let the nations know they are only men. Selah.” We have learned from this that at a time when a man has power, he does not recognize that he is [only] a man. For dominion is not fitting for man, except for the sake of the Heavens.

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

Our sages have taught that anyone who nowadays studies the details of the sacrificial service in the Temple, is as if he had actually offered those sacrifices (Menachot 110). When someone observes that a second party is able to perform a certain מצוה that he himself is unable to perform, the "preparation," הכנה, that we described includes his advising the second party how best to fulfill such מצוה which he himself is unable to perform. If he does that, he too will be considered as if he had performed it.

For practical purposes these three "crowns" serve a single objective. We can now appreciate why the Jewish people's task at the revelation at Mount Sinai was described as becoming a "kingdom of Priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus 19, 6). Here we have a clear allusion to the "crown" of kingdom and the "crown" of Priesthood Both "crowns" serve to promote Torah observance.