אֲנִ֣י חוֹמָ֔ה וְשָׁדַ֖י כַּמִּגְדָּל֑וֹת אָ֛ז הָיִ֥יתִי בְעֵינָ֖יו כְּמוֹצְאֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם׃ (פ)
איך בין אַ מױער, און מײַנע בריסט װי די טורעמס; דענצמאָל בין איך געװען אין זײַנע אױגן אַזױ װי אַ קװאַל פֿון גליק.
Rabbeinu Bahya
Solomon informs us in the verse just quoted that the foundation of the Torah and its ongoing concern is peace. We find this demonstrated already at the very beginning of the creation and this is why the sages in Chulin 60 have taught that all phenomena were created as completed, matured phenomena at the very outset. They base this on Genesis 2,1 וכל צבאם, “complete with all their accessories.”
It is well known that the heavens were created first and that unless peace reigned in the universe this could not have succeeded seeing heaven is made of two opposite elements, “fire and water.” They could not coexist unless G’d had seen to it that peace reigned in the universe. This is why we read in Job 25,2 עושה שלום במרומיו, “He makes peace in His lofty heights.” One of G’d’s names is שלום, Peace, as we know from Judges 6,24 ויקרא לו ה' שלום, “he (Gideon) called the altar “G’d Who is peace.” We have a verse in Song of Songs 1,1 in which the Talmud interprets the words “Song of Songs by Solomon” to mean that the poem is dedicated to the Lord Who personifies “peace,” שלמה (Shevuot 35). G’d chose the Jewish nation from among more than 70 nations all of which are His, and called us שולמית, (compare Song of Songs 7,1) where the author calls on the Jewish people to return to G’d, addressing it as שולמית, the nation representing peace. It is the nation that harbors within it the concept of universal peace. G’d gave the Torah to the Jewish people seeing that the Torah personifies the ideal of peace. This is the gist of our opening verse above, that ”all its paths are peace.”
All the commandments in the Torah are aimed at ensuring peace for the body as well as for the soul. We know that the commandments are designed to provide peace for the body from Exodus 15,26: ”if you will heed the Lord your G’d diligently, doing what He says and what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I the Lord am your healer.” Proof that Torah also provides peace for the soul is derived from Psalms 19,8: “the Lord’s Torah is perfect, restores the soul.” Performance of the commandments of the Torah enables the soul at the end of its sojourn in a body to return to its roots in a state of purity. The attribute of peace constantly yearns for the return of these souls to its domain. This concept enables us to understand the meaning of Ketuvot 104, that when the wicked die the angels of destruction “welcome” them by saying: “there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord” (Isaiah 48,22) [in other words, there is no room for you in My domain. The Talmud is a little more elaborate. Ed.]
The attribute of peace is the greatest of all the attributes in that it is used as a “seal” on all requests and documents. It is the final benediction in our principal prayers, a thought inspired by the sacrificial offerings which the prayers try to emulate, the daily communal prayers known as תמידים. When you observe the list of sacrificial offerings whose rituals are prescribed at the beginning of the Book of Leviticus you will find the שלמים, “peace-offerings” mentioned last. (Leviticus 7,18) Our sages in Torat Kohanim comment: “why were these offerings called “peace-offerings?’ They answer that the reason is that these offerings re-establish peace in the universe.” We find that Solomon “signed” (concluded) his Song of Songs with “peace,” seeing he wrote in 8,10: “I was in his eyes like someone who had found peace.” In Kohelet Solomon also refers to peace in the “times” he describes in chapter 3, concluding with “a time for peace.” Our sages (Vayikra Rabbah 9,9) commented on this that peace is a requirement even in time of war as we know from Deuteronomy 20,10 that “when you approach a town (during war with a view to conquering it) you must first offer it “peace.” There is no need to emphasise that our terrestrial world is sorely in need of peace if even the celestial regions are in need of it as we know from Job 25,2: המשל ופחד עמו עשה שלום במרומיו, “Dominion and Dread are His; He imposes peace in His heights.” Our sages interpret the word המשל as a reference to the archangel Michael, whereas the word פחד refers to the archangel Gavriel. G’d Himself must make peace between these two angels. This is something which is easy to understand seeing that if there is need to establish (and maintain) peace in regions and domains which are not subject to competition and natural mutual animosity, this holds true even more so in regions and domains where such competitive forces are at work all the time.
When G’d is described as “making peace in the heavens,” this includes not only peace between forces at work in the celestial regions but the celestial regions themselves, seeing they are composed of raw materials which clash, such as fire and water. Seeing that Michael is the presiding angel in the celestial spheres he is referred to in Job as “the Dominion;” he is the one who asks Mercy for Israel. There is no need to mention that the living are in need of peace seeing that even the dead are in need of it (Sifri Shoftim 199). We know this already from when G’d said to Avraham (Genesis 15,15) “as for you, you will come to your fathers in peace.” The attribute of peace was granted especially to Aaron (Sanhedrin 6,2) and by means of this attribute his descendants merited to be priests for all generations and to bless the people wishing them that G’d grant them peace (Numbers 6,26). Aaron himself exploited this attribute to keep people alive and to restore peace and harmony between feuding parties.
You have learned that it is the attribute peace which ensures the continued existence of the world. Not only peace but also justice is an important factor in ensuring the continued existence of the universe. Were it not for the meting out of justice people would steal from each other, rob each other, and kill each other. As a result the world would perish. This is what the sages meant in Avot 1,12 that “the world endures owing to three things: judgment (justice), truth, and peace. We learn this from Zecharyah 8,16: “truth, justice and peace you shall judge within your gates.” The word שעריכם refers to the judges, seeing it is they who ensure that a “formal” kind of peace reigns in civilized society, the lowest level of peace which the existence of mankind depends on. This is why the Torah commanded us to appoint courts in every “gate,” i.e. in every city.
It is well known that the heavens were created first and that unless peace reigned in the universe this could not have succeeded seeing heaven is made of two opposite elements, “fire and water.” They could not coexist unless G’d had seen to it that peace reigned in the universe. This is why we read in Job 25,2 עושה שלום במרומיו, “He makes peace in His lofty heights.” One of G’d’s names is שלום, Peace, as we know from Judges 6,24 ויקרא לו ה' שלום, “he (Gideon) called the altar “G’d Who is peace.” We have a verse in Song of Songs 1,1 in which the Talmud interprets the words “Song of Songs by Solomon” to mean that the poem is dedicated to the Lord Who personifies “peace,” שלמה (Shevuot 35). G’d chose the Jewish nation from among more than 70 nations all of which are His, and called us שולמית, (compare Song of Songs 7,1) where the author calls on the Jewish people to return to G’d, addressing it as שולמית, the nation representing peace. It is the nation that harbors within it the concept of universal peace. G’d gave the Torah to the Jewish people seeing that the Torah personifies the ideal of peace. This is the gist of our opening verse above, that ”all its paths are peace.”
All the commandments in the Torah are aimed at ensuring peace for the body as well as for the soul. We know that the commandments are designed to provide peace for the body from Exodus 15,26: ”if you will heed the Lord your G’d diligently, doing what He says and what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I the Lord am your healer.” Proof that Torah also provides peace for the soul is derived from Psalms 19,8: “the Lord’s Torah is perfect, restores the soul.” Performance of the commandments of the Torah enables the soul at the end of its sojourn in a body to return to its roots in a state of purity. The attribute of peace constantly yearns for the return of these souls to its domain. This concept enables us to understand the meaning of Ketuvot 104, that when the wicked die the angels of destruction “welcome” them by saying: “there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord” (Isaiah 48,22) [in other words, there is no room for you in My domain. The Talmud is a little more elaborate. Ed.]
The attribute of peace is the greatest of all the attributes in that it is used as a “seal” on all requests and documents. It is the final benediction in our principal prayers, a thought inspired by the sacrificial offerings which the prayers try to emulate, the daily communal prayers known as תמידים. When you observe the list of sacrificial offerings whose rituals are prescribed at the beginning of the Book of Leviticus you will find the שלמים, “peace-offerings” mentioned last. (Leviticus 7,18) Our sages in Torat Kohanim comment: “why were these offerings called “peace-offerings?’ They answer that the reason is that these offerings re-establish peace in the universe.” We find that Solomon “signed” (concluded) his Song of Songs with “peace,” seeing he wrote in 8,10: “I was in his eyes like someone who had found peace.” In Kohelet Solomon also refers to peace in the “times” he describes in chapter 3, concluding with “a time for peace.” Our sages (Vayikra Rabbah 9,9) commented on this that peace is a requirement even in time of war as we know from Deuteronomy 20,10 that “when you approach a town (during war with a view to conquering it) you must first offer it “peace.” There is no need to emphasise that our terrestrial world is sorely in need of peace if even the celestial regions are in need of it as we know from Job 25,2: המשל ופחד עמו עשה שלום במרומיו, “Dominion and Dread are His; He imposes peace in His heights.” Our sages interpret the word המשל as a reference to the archangel Michael, whereas the word פחד refers to the archangel Gavriel. G’d Himself must make peace between these two angels. This is something which is easy to understand seeing that if there is need to establish (and maintain) peace in regions and domains which are not subject to competition and natural mutual animosity, this holds true even more so in regions and domains where such competitive forces are at work all the time.
When G’d is described as “making peace in the heavens,” this includes not only peace between forces at work in the celestial regions but the celestial regions themselves, seeing they are composed of raw materials which clash, such as fire and water. Seeing that Michael is the presiding angel in the celestial spheres he is referred to in Job as “the Dominion;” he is the one who asks Mercy for Israel. There is no need to mention that the living are in need of peace seeing that even the dead are in need of it (Sifri Shoftim 199). We know this already from when G’d said to Avraham (Genesis 15,15) “as for you, you will come to your fathers in peace.” The attribute of peace was granted especially to Aaron (Sanhedrin 6,2) and by means of this attribute his descendants merited to be priests for all generations and to bless the people wishing them that G’d grant them peace (Numbers 6,26). Aaron himself exploited this attribute to keep people alive and to restore peace and harmony between feuding parties.
You have learned that it is the attribute peace which ensures the continued existence of the world. Not only peace but also justice is an important factor in ensuring the continued existence of the universe. Were it not for the meting out of justice people would steal from each other, rob each other, and kill each other. As a result the world would perish. This is what the sages meant in Avot 1,12 that “the world endures owing to three things: judgment (justice), truth, and peace. We learn this from Zecharyah 8,16: “truth, justice and peace you shall judge within your gates.” The word שעריכם refers to the judges, seeing it is they who ensure that a “formal” kind of peace reigns in civilized society, the lowest level of peace which the existence of mankind depends on. This is why the Torah commanded us to appoint courts in every “gate,” i.e. in every city.
Rashi
And all his fugitives Heb. מִבְרָחָיו. According to Targum, and all his mighty men. But Menachem (p. 48) associated it with (Song 8:10): “Flee (בְּרַח) my beloved,” and this is its interpretation: and all those who fled.
Rabbeinu Bahya
Our verse here mentioned the burnt-offering first, concluding with the peace-offerings. The reason that the burnt-offering deserves to be mentioned first is that it is the choicest of the offerings. The reason why the peace-offering deserves to be the one with which the Torah concludes the list is that as indicated by its very name it brings about peace in the world which ensures the continued existence of the universe.
Our sages (the men of the Great Assembly) who are responsible for finalizing the wording of our liturgy have made the blessing of peace the final benediction in the central prayer עמידה, as without this blessing all the other blessings are ultimately worthless seeing that they will not endure. Solomon similarly concluded his Song of Songs (8,10) with the words: “so I became in his eyes like someone who finds an abundance of peace.”
Our sages (Menachot 110) state that peace is a blessing which is indispensable even in the celestial regions. They base this insight on Job 25,2: “Dominion and strength are His, He imposes peace in His heights.” On the words of our verse: “this is the law of the burnt-offering, etc.,” our sages in Menachot 110 say that anyone who studies the laws of these offerings is considered as if he had personally offered them on the Altar. What the sages mean is that once one has familiarized himself with the deeper meaning of each type of offering, it enables the student of these laws to gain new insights which in turn will strengthen his resolve to meticulously observe all the precepts of the Torah. Seeing that offering the sacrifices is also meant to bring us closer to G’d, it is no more than reasonable that studying these laws will have a similar effect. Such study and new resolve to observe the Torah will result in the sins of such people being forgiven, similar to their having performed the actual procedure of offering the relevant sacrifices. It is certainly unreasonable to suppose that the sages meant that the mere mouthing of the words of the oral Torah listing the detailed laws of the sacrificial rites would have such an elevating effect. There is a somewhat similar statement by the sages in Berachot 4 concerning people who recite Psalm 145 every day qualifying for a place in the hereafter. They certainly did not mean to imply that all that is necessary to ensure for one his place in the hereafter is a mindless recital of the words in that Psalm. What the sages meant was that by reflecting on the words in this Psalm and by understanding the allusions contained in them, the reader (student) will emerge with a newly strengthened belief in G’d and His loving care for mankind. This will trigger his serving G’d with greater intensity than before he had studied this Psalm. This in turn will result in that person earning or retaining his share in the world to come.
It is because of such reasoning that the men of the Great Assembly have included in our daily prayers such sections as the fifth chapter of Zevachim and they added that G’d said that when this chapter is being recited “I will account it for you as if you had offered the sacrifices listed therein (all of them).”
Our sages (the men of the Great Assembly) who are responsible for finalizing the wording of our liturgy have made the blessing of peace the final benediction in the central prayer עמידה, as without this blessing all the other blessings are ultimately worthless seeing that they will not endure. Solomon similarly concluded his Song of Songs (8,10) with the words: “so I became in his eyes like someone who finds an abundance of peace.”
Our sages (Menachot 110) state that peace is a blessing which is indispensable even in the celestial regions. They base this insight on Job 25,2: “Dominion and strength are His, He imposes peace in His heights.” On the words of our verse: “this is the law of the burnt-offering, etc.,” our sages in Menachot 110 say that anyone who studies the laws of these offerings is considered as if he had personally offered them on the Altar. What the sages mean is that once one has familiarized himself with the deeper meaning of each type of offering, it enables the student of these laws to gain new insights which in turn will strengthen his resolve to meticulously observe all the precepts of the Torah. Seeing that offering the sacrifices is also meant to bring us closer to G’d, it is no more than reasonable that studying these laws will have a similar effect. Such study and new resolve to observe the Torah will result in the sins of such people being forgiven, similar to their having performed the actual procedure of offering the relevant sacrifices. It is certainly unreasonable to suppose that the sages meant that the mere mouthing of the words of the oral Torah listing the detailed laws of the sacrificial rites would have such an elevating effect. There is a somewhat similar statement by the sages in Berachot 4 concerning people who recite Psalm 145 every day qualifying for a place in the hereafter. They certainly did not mean to imply that all that is necessary to ensure for one his place in the hereafter is a mindless recital of the words in that Psalm. What the sages meant was that by reflecting on the words in this Psalm and by understanding the allusions contained in them, the reader (student) will emerge with a newly strengthened belief in G’d and His loving care for mankind. This will trigger his serving G’d with greater intensity than before he had studied this Psalm. This in turn will result in that person earning or retaining his share in the world to come.
It is because of such reasoning that the men of the Great Assembly have included in our daily prayers such sections as the fifth chapter of Zevachim and they added that G’d said that when this chapter is being recited “I will account it for you as if you had offered the sacrifices listed therein (all of them).”