דְּרָכֶ֥יהָ דַרְכֵי־נֹ֑עַם וְֽכָל־נְתִ֖יבוֹתֶ֣יהָ שָׁלֽוֹם׃
אירע װעגן זײַנען װעגן פֿון ליבלעכקײט, און אַלע אירע שטעגן זײַנען שלום.
Likutei Moharan
To the extent that one may find Hashem, may he be blessed in the good and the bad, and by means of the Torah which is called shalom, as it is written, “All its paths are peace” (Proverbs 3), and by means of the Tzaddikim/Righteous/Saints who are similarly called a “covenant of peace”, on account of all of this, one can love peace in any place, whether good or bad, and may be peace between Israel, and one may love the other.
Kedushat Levi
G’d called the light: ‘day;’" Bereshit Rabbah 3,8 comments that this phrase refers to the deeds of the righteous, whereas the line ולחושך קרא לילה, is understood as referring to the deeds of the wicked. In order to make it plain that the Creator preferred the deeds of the righteous, the Torah added the adjective כי טוב, “that it was good,” when defining the word אור in verse 4.
The average reader of this Midrash surely is puzzled by the fact that there was any doubt as to whose deeds the Creator would prefer so that the Torah had to indicate that G’d preferred the deeds of the righteous! Rabbeinu Yonah, in his commentary on the last Mishnah in B’rachot chapter 9, explains that the Mishnah, when referring to the need to serve the Lord with both parts of our hearts, the urge to do good as well as the urge to do evil, speaks of people who do serve the Lord. The Midrash quoted, was careful to refer to the deeds of the wicked as opposed to the wicked themselves, also does so. We may therefore understand the Midrash as also referring to good deeds, the origin of which, however, differs. The difference between the two “urges” is that the urge to do evil is by definition the result of anger and hatred, whereas the deeds that are prompted by the urge to do good, are by definition prompted by feelings of goodwill and love. No wonder that G’d prefers the positive deeds that are also the result of constructive attitudes, to the good deeds that are the result of the urge to do evil, even when both deeds may be identical. This idea has been portrayed by Proverbs 3,17 where Solomon has described the ways of Torah as being דרכיה דרכי נועם, “her ways are ways of pleasantness;” in other words, it is not only what you do that counts but how you go about doing it.”
The average reader of this Midrash surely is puzzled by the fact that there was any doubt as to whose deeds the Creator would prefer so that the Torah had to indicate that G’d preferred the deeds of the righteous! Rabbeinu Yonah, in his commentary on the last Mishnah in B’rachot chapter 9, explains that the Mishnah, when referring to the need to serve the Lord with both parts of our hearts, the urge to do good as well as the urge to do evil, speaks of people who do serve the Lord. The Midrash quoted, was careful to refer to the deeds of the wicked as opposed to the wicked themselves, also does so. We may therefore understand the Midrash as also referring to good deeds, the origin of which, however, differs. The difference between the two “urges” is that the urge to do evil is by definition the result of anger and hatred, whereas the deeds that are prompted by the urge to do good, are by definition prompted by feelings of goodwill and love. No wonder that G’d prefers the positive deeds that are also the result of constructive attitudes, to the good deeds that are the result of the urge to do evil, even when both deeds may be identical. This idea has been portrayed by Proverbs 3,17 where Solomon has described the ways of Torah as being דרכיה דרכי נועם, “her ways are ways of pleasantness;” in other words, it is not only what you do that counts but how you go about doing it.”
Sefat Emet
Six days shall you eat matzot and the seventh day shall be an assembly for the Lord, your God. For it is found in the holy Zohar in the chapter [on the verse], The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is His name (Zohar, Beshalach 17:251 on Exodus 15:3), "Rabbi Eliezer began, Therefore the Book of the Wars of the Lord speaks of Vaheb in Sufah (Numbers 21:14), etc." The idea is that the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is Peace [Shalom], but He nevertheless fights with His name. And likewise, all the wars of the Lord are with love [ahavah] in its end [sufah]. And so, too, after all the wars during the exodus from Egypt, there was song at its end. And likewise, after every argument that is for the sake of Heaven, its end is to be preserved (Avot 5:17). And the completeness [shleimut] that comes at the end is testimony that the war was for the sake of Heaven, that it was a war of the Lord. Hence there is love at its end. And the Children of Israel merited this completeness through the power of the Torah; that is why they are called Shulamit [in Song of Songs]. So all the wars of the Children of Israel are peace. And so it is written: I am all peace; but when I speak, they are for war (Psalms 102:7). And its explanation is [that] even when I fight with them, I am peace. And they merit this through the power of the Torah, as it is written: May the Lord grant strength to His people, etc. bless His people with peace (Psalms 29:11). As it is written about the Torah: and all of its paths are peace (Proverbs 3:17). Its explanation is that even the wars that are fought according to the Torah are peace. Likewise is it with Six days shall you eat matzot, for they [represent] the disputes and wars with Egypt; and the seventh day shall be an assembly, which is the grouping together and completeness that happened at the end as a result of these wars. And that was the song on the seventh day of Passover. And that is why it is found in the Midrash that the seventh day of Passover is like Shabbat. And Shabbat is Peace, the name of the Holy One, blessed be He.