Nasó 5777 - English

By Rabbi Daniel A. Kripper

Beth Israel - Aruba

The well-known Birkat cohanim, or Blessing of the Cohanim, concludes with the word shalom, peace.

May Adonai bless you and guard you.

May Adonai shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you.

May Adonai turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace.

Shalom or ‘peace’ is the highest aspiration of Judaism for the world in which we live. It is a fundamental value, conceived by our sages as the only ‘recipient’ through which divine blessings flow into the world.

The first definition of shalom, the most common, is the absence of war, seen for example in the verse from Vayikra (Leviticus): ‘And I will grant peace in the Land (…) and no army will pass through your land’ (Lev. 26:6). The promise refers to no enemies attacking the people or exposing them to danger. 

According to the midrash, this includes also the disappearance of external elements that might disturb the peace, such as wild animals and harmful natural forces. 

A second meaning for peace refers to the harmonious coexistence of people, both among individuals and among different groups. The opposite of shalom is not only war, but machloket in the heart of society, expressed through conflicts and disputes. Shalom implies peaceful coexistence and reciprocal understanding, the contrary of division and, even, hostility and violence. This sense of peace is expressed in the midrash as follows: ‘you shall find peace on your way in and peace on your way out of your relationship with others.’

This definition of peace also includes peace in the home, ‘shalom bait’, between husband and wife, parents and children, and all others that might share a residence. The value of peace in the home in Judaism is so important that all sacrifices must be made in order to preserve it. Thus, a burst of rage must be avoided at all costs, so that it may not darken the spirit of calmness and cohabitation that must reign in the home. Violence there goes against everything Jewish tradition preaches about respect and consideration among the members of a family. 

It would be a fantasy to think that all struggles between the different social, ethnic and religious collectivities would suddenly cease, and that the dream of universal peace announced by the prophets of Israel would be accomplished. Obviously we are very far from that… The terrorism that devastates the world in our days is the antithesis of the dearest values of civilization. Our challenge is to learn to live with others, to accelerate the realization of such an awaited redemption. 

And finally, the most elevated form of peace is inner stillness, our own peaceful spirit. This is peace for our neshamah (soul), related to shelemut (perfection). This is the harmonization of our goals, aspirations and values in conflict, to finally reach a sense of completeness. 

Shalom is, therefore, a capital value that extends through every level of existence, dignifying life and making it sustainable. 

Rabbi Daniel Kripper