רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד: עַל הַדִּין,וְעַל הָאֱמֶת, וְעַל הַשָּׁלוֹם,
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (זכריה ח) אֱמֶת וּמִשְׁפַּט שָׁלוֹם שִׁפְטוּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶם (אבות א:יח):
A Significant Peace
Our last piece examined din and emet, the first two foundational values that sustain the world. The third value is shalom. While truth and justice are essential, it is equally crucial to maintain and foster shalom. A society that upholds only truth and justice cannot endure.
The Torah concludes Birkat Kohanim with shalom. Similarly, we conclude all of our tefilot, including Shemoneh Esrei, Bentching, and Kaddish, with a focus on shalom. Shas Mishnayot also ends with shalom, describing it as the vessel that receives and sustains Hashem’s berachah.
Chazal teach that shalom is equal in significance to the entirety of creation and encompasses the combined importance of all existence. Without shalom, we have nothing.
Shalom is essential for both man and G-d. Human beings require peace to survive, thrive, and build society. Hashem also prioritizes shalom, choosing it as one of His names and granting the Torah only when we were united in peace. Chazal further assert that when we live harmoniously, Hashem cannot (!) cause us to be defeated in war, even if we are idol-worshippers.
Pursuing Peace
Because of its importance, shalom should be actively pursued. Sefer Tehillim states: “Seek and pursue peace." Most mitzvot are situational; for example, if we encounter eggs under a mother bird, we must send away the mother before taking the eggs. If we build a house, we must affix a mezuzah. In contrast, shalom is a value that we must seek proactively.
Earlier in the first perek of Avot, Hillel identifies Aharon HaKohen as a model for loving and pursuing peace. Aharon worked tirelessly to restore and foster peace between spouses and friends, helping each party appreciate the other and rebuild mutual respect. Consequently, when Aharon died, the entire Jewish people deeply mourned his passing.
Sacrificing For Peace
Pursuing peace is so important that we sacrifice other significant values to achieve it. Hashem Himself established this precedent. To restore peace between husband and wife, Hashem commands a sotah, a woman suspected of infidelity, to drink water mixed with dirt, which miraculously clarified her fidelity. To emphasize the importance of this goal, Hashem mandated erasing His holy Name as part of the process. Hashem could have arranged for the test to work without this erasure; by requiring it, He demonstrated the great value of shalom.
Chazal learned from and expanded upon this precedent. To promote peace, they instituted the use of the word “shalom" as a greeting, despite it being Hashem’s holy Name. Although the Decalogue prohibits uttering Hashem’s name in vain, Chazal permitted its use in greetings due to the importance of shalom. In this context, the name is not used in vain but to foster peace.
Although emet is also one of the world’s pillars, we sometimes set it aside for the sake of shalom. Chazal derive this principle from Hashem’s statement to Avraham regarding Sarah’s reaction to the news of her upcoming pregnancy, and from the actions of Yosef’s brothers, who misrepresented Yaakov’s request to forgive them in order to sustain peace.
The pursuit of shalom also explains why Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel intermarried despite their disagreements regarding marital status. Although both groups firmly believed in the truth of their respective positions, they avoided separating from one another. The Gemara explains that their actions fulfilled Zecharyah HaNavi’s mandate to “love truth and peace." Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel valued emet, yet they prioritized shalom.
Their example teaches us that commitment to truth should not prevent the community from living in peace and unity.
Higher Peace
The Akeidat Yitzchak and Rav Kook explain that shalom encompasses more than the absence of hostility. In its fullest sense, shalom implies mutual appreciation and collaboration among individuals. Unlike the word “peace," which derives from the Latin “pax" and is associated with “appeasement," the Hebrew word “shalom," related to “shalem," means “whole" or “complete." Shalom describes a state in which the entire Jewish people, and indeed the world, live and work together as a unified creation.
Rav Kook applies this concept to the goals described by Shimon HaTzaddik at the beginning of the first chapter of Avot. He explains that those engaged in gemilut chasadim and those focused on avodah should appreciate each other’s endeavors. Additionally, both groups should respect and collaborate with those involved in Torah study. In this way, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s statement at the end of the chapter complements Shimon HaTzaddik’s earlier teaching.
Two Pieces
Both emet and shalom are critical values. This is evident from the mishnah‘s conclusion, which quotes a pasuk from Zecharyah that mandates including both within our judicial system. For this reason, Jewish courts employ both din and pesharah (compromise).
Despite the value of both, Rav Yehoshua ben Karcha learns from the same pasuk that pesharah should be the preferred option. Though we value truth, we prefer reaching a decision that fosters peace.
May this mishnah help us prioritize peace in our personal and national spheres!
Rav Reuven Taragin is the Dean of Overseas Students at Yeshivat Hakotel and the Educational Director of World Mizrachi and the RZA.
His new book, Essentials of Judaism, is available at rabbireuventaragin.com.