Peace Now – Re'ei
In the entire Torah, the word שִׂמְחָה (in different variations) is repeated the most times in parshat Re'ei, seven in all -
וַאֲכַלְתֶּם שָׁם לִפְנֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם בְּכֹל מִשְׁלַח יֶדְכֶם אַתֶּם וּבָתֵּיכֶם אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַכְךָ ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ (דברים יב, ז).
וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם אַתֶּם וּבְנֵיכֶם וּבְנֹתֵיכֶם וְעַבְדֵיכֶם וְאַמְהֹתֵיכֶם וְהַלֵּוִי אֲשֶׁר בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶם כִּי אֵין לוֹ חֵלֶק וְנַחֲלָה אִתְּכֶם (יב, יב).
כִּי אִם לִפְנֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ תֹּאכְלֶנּוּ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ בּוֹ אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתֶךָ וְהַלֵּוִי אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ בְּכֹל מִשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ (יב, יח).
וְנָתַתָּה הַכֶּסֶף בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן וּבַיַּיִן וּבַשֵּׁכָר וּבְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁאָלְךָ נַפְשֶׁךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ שָּׁם לִפְנֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ אַתָּה וּבֵיתֶךָ (יד, כו).
וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתֶךָ וְהַלֵּוִי אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ וְהַגֵּר וְהַיָּתוֹם וְהָאַלְמָנָה אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבֶּךָ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם (טז, יא).
וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתֶךָ וְהַלֵּוִי וְהַגֵּר וְהַיָּתוֹם וְהָאַלְמָנָה אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ (טז, יד).
שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תָּחֹג לַה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה כִּי יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ בְּכֹל תְּבוּאָתְךָ וּבְכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ וְהָיִיתָ אַךְ שָׂמֵחַ (טז, טו).
The Midrash Sifri says that all these references to the word שִׂמְחָה in fact are referring to a korban Shelamim, which is the topic of this shiur.
All the korbanot are listed in sefer Vayikra, beginning with the Olah and ending with the Shelamim. The Netziv of Volozhin says that it may appear that the Olah is of a higher status since it is called Kodesh Kodashim while the Shelamim is called Kodashim Kalim, but this is not the case. The purpose of both the Olah and the Shelamim is to restore peace. The Olah restores peace בֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם, while the Shelamim restores peace בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ. When Moshe Rabbeinu was about to break the luchot when he descended from Har Sinai to find Am Yisrael worshipping the egel, the 70 elders asked him "Why break both of the luchot?" The sin of the egel is בֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם, so only break the first luach, with the mitzvot בֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם and leave the second with the mitzvot בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ intact!" Moshe responded that this was impossible because the two different sets of mitzvot are not mutually exclusive, they are intricately connected and one cannot exist without the other.
Chazal say (וַיִּקְרָא רַבָּה, פָּרָשָׁה ט, סִימָן ח) that the fact that the Shelamim is listed last, alludes to its importance. Onkelos, when translating all the other korbanot gives the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word - עולה/עֲלָתָא, חטאת/חַטָּתָא, אשם/אֲשָׁמָא, מנחה/מִנְחָתָא, but with Shelamim, Onkelos translates it as קוּדְשַׁיָּא.
Unlike all the other types of korbanot that are offered to atone for a sin, the Shelamim is offered purely out of love for HKB"H. The location where the Shelamim was offered is indicative of this. The Midrash (וַיִּקְרָא רַבָּה, פָּרָשָׁה ט, סִימָן ו) says that the passuk - עוּרִי צָפוֹן וּבוֹאִי תֵימָן וכו' (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים ד, טז) is referring to korbanot brought to atone for a sin offered on the northern end of the mizbeach (עוּרִי צָפוֹן), and also the Shelamim, which was offered on the southern end (וּבוֹאִי תֵימָן). Sins are caused by the yetzer harah and one of the names the yetzer harah is צְפוֹנִי (Sukkah 52a).
Even though the Mishna in Avot (2, 1) says that we do not know the value of the different mitzvot, king Chizkiya said that Shalom, making peace, is greater than any of the other mitzvot. Regarding all the other mitzvot, one is obliged to perform it only if the opportunity arises. For example, the mitzva of Shiluach Ha'ken is only performed if you happen upon a bird's nest. The Torah does not obligate you to actively go out in search of a bird's nest to perform this mitzva. However, with the mitzva of making peace, בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ (תהילים לד, טו), it is not sufficient to wait for the mitzva to fall into your hand, you must actively go out looking for an opportunity to perform it וְרָדְפֵהוּ.
Vayikra Rabba (פָּרָשָׁה ט, סִימָן ח, ט) says that the mitzva of making peace is so important, that the Torah itself tells two "white lies" in order to maintain peace.
The first is when Sarah heard that she was to give birth to Yitzchak, the passuk says וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה בְּקִרְבָּהּ לֵאמֹר אַחֲרֵי בְלֹתִי הָיְתָה לִּי עֶדְנָה וַאדֹנִי זָקֵן (בראשית יח, יב). Sarah said that Avraham was old. However, in the following passuk when HKB"H relates this episode to Avraham, He changes what Sarah actually said וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָהָם לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר הַאַף אֻמְנָם אֵלֵד וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי (שם, יג). HKB"H says that Sarah said that she was old! HKB"H told a "white lie" as it were, to preserve shalom bayit.
The second is when Yaakov dies and the brothers fear that Yosef may have been waiting for this to take his revenge on them. They tell a "white lie". They say that before he died, Yaakov told them to say to Yosef - כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ לְיוֹסֵף אָנָּא שָׂא נָא פֶּשַׁע אַחֶיךָ וְחַטָּאתָם כִּי רָעָה גְמָלוּךָ (בראשית נ, יז) when in fact Yaakov never said any such thing.
Aharon HaKohen adopted the same modus operandi to restore peace between rivals. Aharon would say to rival party A that he had just met party B who was so deeply distressed at the rivalry that he couldn't sleep at night. When he met party B, he would say the same thing about party A. It wasn't completely true, it was a "white lie". Neither party really felt bad for the other, each was adamant in their own position (although it was partly true because deep within, their neshama was in distress as a result of machloket). This is all it took - a gesture (even an imaginary one) from the other side, to soften the hearts of both parties and facilitate reconciliation.
Peace is so important that the first thing Am Yisrael are commanded to do before waging war is to offer the enemy the opportunity to make peace. כִּי תִקְרַב אֶל עִיר לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ וְקָרָאתָ אֵלֶיהָ לְשָׁלוֹם (דברים כ י). We have to even forego the element of surprise, which can win or lose a battle, by knocking on the gate and offering our enemy to make peace. When HKB"H is on our side and we are fulfilling His will, there is no need for the element of surprise or any other "man-made", artificial ruses. HKB"H wages war on our behalf and He is invincible.
Peace is such an important concept that one of HKB"H's names is שלום. We learn this from the story of Gideon, when he built the mizbeach in Ofra, וַיִּקְרָא לוֹ ה' שָׁלוֹם (שופטים ו כד). HKB"H is even willing to have His name erased to preserve peace (korban Sotah).
The Midrash above brings the story of R' Meir who used to give a shiur every Friday night. There was one pious woman who sat and listened to the shiur until the end and when she returned home to her husband, it was so late the Shabbat candles had already gone out. Her angry husband asked where she had been and she told him (based on his subsequent response, the husband was obviously not such a great tzaddik – if he was, he would have also been at the shiur together with his wife). The angry husband vowed to his wife "There will be no shalom bayit in this house until you go and spit in the face of the maggid shiur!" Obviously, the wife was not willing to dare spit in R' Meir's face. Three weeks went by and her neighbors noticed that the situation had not improved, so they offered to accompany her to R' Meir to seek his counsel. As they approached, R' Meir already understood with Ruach HaKodesh what the situation was. He addressed the women "I have just come from my doctor who told me I have an eye infection and that the only cure is for someone to spit in my eye. Do any of you know of this therapy and can help spit in my eye and cure the infection?" Her neighbors said to her "What luck! This is a perfect opportunity, go spit in his eye and restore shalom bayit with your husband!" The wife was still afraid to spit in R' Meir's eye and said she was not familiar with the procedure he required. R' Meir placated her and said "Never mind, spit in my face seven times, at least one will go where it is supposed to!" She did. R' Meir then said to her "Go home and tell your husband that he only asked you to spit once, but that you spat in my face seven times!" Afterward R' Meir's talmidim asked him "Is it fitting to demean the Torah in this way that you asked a strange woman to spit in your face? Couldn't you have asked one of us, your talmidim, to do it instead?" R' Meir answered them "Would you deny me this great mitzva (of making Shalom)?"
HKB"H ends all the important brachot with Shalom. Kri'at Shma in Arvit ends with פּוֹרֵשׂ סֻכַּת שָׁלוֹם. The Amidah ends with עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו. Birkat Kohanim ends with שָׁלוֹם. We learn this principle from the list of korbanot in Vayikra, where it ends with the korban Shelamim.
When HKB"H created the world, He did so by dividing his creations between the עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים, to create peace between Heaven and earth.
Until Matan Torah the concept of a korban Shelamim was unprecedented. The Avot and Bnei Noach only offered Olot. Everything about the Shelamim embodies peace. Part of the korban is offered to Hashem and part is enjoyed down here, חֶצְיוֹ לַה' וְחֶצְיוֹ לָכֶם. It involves many people and is limited in place and time (Toda), to create a situation that fosters friendship and peace.
Only through peace can one achieve true joy. In last week's parsha we spoke about the deceptive types of fleeting, "instant gratification" joy that the yetzer harah tempts us with. That is joy derived from dissonance. It is an unbalanced joy that serves to divide rather than unite.
True joy is not fleeting and intense. It takes longer to arrive at and is a result of acquiring balance. It is achieved by team work, by connecting disparate elements, working and contributing in harmony and symbiosis. Such joy does not dissipate instantaneously, but lingers. Out of peace comes true joy.
The Beit Hamikdash is designed according to this model. The manpower is not uniform and equal. Each has a unique, symbiotic role to play in the whole. The korbanot embody this concept – the Ketoret achieving peace between eleven disparate ingredients, the twelve loaves of Lechem Hapanim resting in harmony on the Shulchan, the lights of the Menorah illuminating in tandem, the Aron Habrit, a repository for the two distinct luchot that coexist side by side in one space, the Kruvim, each fundamentally different, facing each other in a loving embrace.
In order to merit building such an enterprise, there must first be peace in the world. The Beit Hamikdash emanates from peace and it perpetuates peace. It could only be built by שְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ, so called because he was the king of peace, during his reign the world was at peace. As long as Shelamim were being offered in the Beit Hamikdash the world was at peace (תַּנְחוּמָא פָּרָשַׁת תּוֹלְדוֹת, סִימָן א)
Peace is a synonym for perfection, שָׁלוֹם and שְׁלֵמוּת are one and the same. They are the blueprint for HKB"H's creation, they reflect HKB"H Who is Perfection.
It is not surprising therefore that peace, שָׁלוֹם lies at the very fabric of Am Yisrael, even today in modern times.
Even radical, left-wing organizations in Am Israel, like "Peace Now", emanate from this Divine blueprint. They reflect the spark of a spiritual yearning for HKB"H's perfection, for peace, something that is embedded in our very DNA, the longing for a more perfect world, the kind of world where one nation is no longer at war with another nation.
The problem with "Peace Now" is not the "Peace" part, but the "Now" part. Peace is not "Now", it is not instant gratification, the modus operandi of the yetzer harah. Peace is a process that evolves gradually, with constant, untiring effort and, most importantly, that is guided by the Divine blueprint, the Torah – not some modern, man-made, "improvised concoction of morality". The "Peace Now" philosophy indeed draws from Judaism, but is de facto being directed by the yetzer harah (who tricks humans into thinking they are smarter than G-d) and not the Torah, where the blueprint originated. Only out of such a man-made pseudo-morality can you arrive at the absurd, upside-down surreality in which the Arab terrorist is your "friend" and your Jewish brother is the "enemy".
The yetzer harah is running rampant in Am Yisrael right now and he finds no better prey than those whose neshamot were damaged by the horror of the Holocaust - and their children. Not for nothing the vast majority of those who affiliate themselves with the so-called "Peace Camp" in Israeli society, flaunt the fact that they are descended from Holocaust survivors, like a badge on their sleeve, a calling card. (Not all Holocaust survivors lost their faith in HKB"H, many remained steadfast in their loyalty to HKB"H).
Ironically and paradoxically, these injured neshamot, deceived by the yetzer harah, have hijacked one of the essential cornerstones of Yiddishkeit, the yearning for true peace, have perverted it and turned davka those who cling to the Torah and the wellspring from which this laudable vision emanated – into stereotypical "enemies of peace". Using their man-made and self-concocted pseudo-morality they engage in self-destructive behavior that seeks to destroy any and every affiliation to HKB"H. They blindly and repeatedly ignore that true evil does exist in the world. Although we are commanded to first knock on the door and offer peace to our enemies, after you have knocked and offered peace, but have received rejection, terror and evil in return, you do not knock twice, certainly not twenty times - you fight the evil and defeat it. You do not self-destruct on the premise that you did not offer enough "peace", territory, etc. and if we had offered more there would have been peace. You do not continue to relinquish every strategic and natural resource that will result in your ultimate demise, in an attempt to placate evil. Evil is unplacatable.
This is the chasm that divides Israeli society today. You have one side, the demographic majority that clings to HKB"H, tradition and the Torah and the other, ever decreasing, side of those who are ruled by the yetzer harah. This is not to say the Torah-affiliated side is perfect, far from it. They have a lot of work to do to stop repeatedly causing a chilul Hashem by their often-thoughtless and tactless actions.
All is not lost, however, hearts of stone can be melted. Those who are so deeply ensnared by the yetzer harah, in a state of something that cannot be called anything other than mass psychosis, still have the possibility to break free. If they are exposed to undeniable evidence of the truth, they will break free. When presented with the truth as it will become apparent in the Geulah, the vast majority of them will b"H break free of the bonds of the yetzer harah and the hearts of stone will soften and become living flesh once more. Those reshaim who do not, will perish - like those who died in the plague of darkness in Egypt.
Meanwhile the rival factions in our nation teeter on the brink of a seemingly uncrossable chasm. Am Yisrael is desperately in need of an Aharon HaKohen to bridge the rift, to give an opening to both rival factions, a gesture that will facilitate reconciliation. Unfortunately, we do not have leaders today who are up to the task. It is up to each and every one of us to be a "small Aharon HaKohen". To pursue peace, not wait for it to coming knocking on our doorstep. Making peace is a mitzva that we have to proactively pursue.
We start with ourselves, by making peace within ourselves. Slowly attempting to steer clear of the instant gratification types of joy and concentrating on the true, harder to obtain, longer lasting joys and pleasures. We continue in our family circles by softening our hearts, exercising more humility, allowing for more give-and-take and not standing our ground to the bitter end. This then extends to our communities, our workplaces, our towns, cities, and eventually envelopes the entire land.
Joy emanating from peace is mentioned seven times in our parsha, because it is an effort that needs to be pursued seven days of the week, perpetually, without respite. The Lechem Hapanim worked its magic of making peace within the Twelve Tribes perpetually, תָּמִיד - even on Shabbat. In six of the seven psukkim the name of HKB"H is mentioned in addition to the word joy/peace. To attain this noble goal, we need enormous help from HKB"H. There is one passuk of the seven, however, in which HKB"H's name is not mentioned. To silence the קָטֵגוֹר, HKB"H also wants us to make our maximum effort and hishtadlut on our own without Him, to take a leap of faith, just like at Yam Suf מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ. If we do, we will have the full force of the Creator of the universe helping us every step of the way to the Geulah. יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.
