[Avodah] True Peace

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 10:28:15AM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
: The following is from RSRH's commentary on Bamidbar 25:12
: 
: 12 Therefore proclaim it: Lo! I give to him My covenant: Peace.
: 
: Here, the realization of the supreme harmony of peace is entrusted
: by God precisely to that spirit and to that activism which thoughtless
: people  anxious to mask their passivity and neglect of duty as love
: of peace  like to brand and condemn as disturbances of the peace.
...                                     There can be true peace among
: men only if they all are at peace with God. One who dares to struggle
: against the enemies of what is good and true in the eyes of God is 
: by this very struggle  one of the fighters for the bris sholom on earth.
...

Rav Dovid Lifshitz often discussed a similar understanding of shalom.
Summarizing from what I wrote at
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2008/09/shalom-aleikhem.shtml> and
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2010/05/yom-yerushalayim.shtml>.

"Shalom lav le'ohavei sorasekha ve'ein lamo michshol."

Shalom rav is the unity and wholeness of self that eliminates all
obstacles from the path of the lover of Torah.

The rule with respect to tzara'as is "ein adam ro'eh nig'ei atzmo". This
has become a rabbinical aphorism, "people don't see their own faults",
which is probably the motivation of the law of tzara'as.

Rav Dovid elaborates on the impact of this truism. Because I can not make
a realistic assessment of my own shortcomings, I can not succeed without
participating in a healthy community. Thus, there can be no pursuit of
sheleimus without shalom and no shalom without sheleimus! One is simply
another manifestation of the other.

Shalom is not defined by a cessation of violence, although that is part
of it. Shalom is when "veyei'asu khulam agudah achas LA'ASOS RETZONEKHA
BELEIVAV SHALEIM." Unity through WHOLEhearted support of Hashem's agenda.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Between stimulus & response, there is a space.
micha at aishdas.org        In that space is our power to choose our
http://www.aishdas.org   response. In our response lies our growth
Fax: (270) 514-1507      and our freedom. - Victor Frankl, (MSfM)