Parshat Bechukotai Rabbi Chaim Brovender

Let us learn a posuk with Rashi

Our parasha promises that if we follow its decrees and commandments then we will reap the goodness of this world: rain will come as it should; the land will give its produce, and the trees will bear their fruit. This catalogue of reward includes the guarantee that we will "dwell securely in the Land of Yisrael". However, immediately afterwards, there is an addition to all this good; the blessings reach their pinnacle in the promise of the words: "I will provide peace in the land…" (26: 6).

Rashi explains the relationship between peace and the preceding promises to have food and security: "Perhaps you will argue, 'we have food and drink, but without peace what is it all worth?' The verse answers, 'After all this, I will provide peace in the land.'"

The first comment Rashi makes says that Hashem is well aware of the argument that peace is the sine qua non of productive existence. Food and other good things exist only within the context of peace and that is the sublime promise of the verse.

However, Ohr Hahayyim asks: "Why does the verse have to stress "peace in the land" after all the previous verse concludes: "and you will dwell securely in your land...". While the question is not directed against Rashi, it is clear that Rashi would have to respond. Apparently, he is of the opinion that "security" is not enough, we also need real "peace".

Ohr Hahayyim himself suggests several possible interpretations, based on the principle that security and peace can be differentiated. Perhaps "peace refers to an internal state" for which we all yearn. Perhaps "security" implies "against enemies" while "peace" refers to relations among the people living in Yisrael. "Peace" of this kind enables us to pursue our primary interest: the learning of Torah, our version of "the good life".

Rashi in his comment continues and says the following: "From here we see that peace is the equal of all other things combined."

Rashi means to say that peace is not simply another benefit that accrues to us because we studied the Torah and did the mitzvot. Those benefits have been enumerated in the previous verses. "Peace" is existence of a different sort and goes beyond all other good. It is a holistic principle: it contains all other goodness but also goes beyond them. Rashi has indicated that peace is not another matter which is good: it is a new, qualitatively superior, dimension of "good".

Rashi finishes his comment by saying: "This is also indicated in the verse 'He makes peace and creates all things...'". As we know this is not really the language of the verse but is the corrected version that appears in the morning prayer which chazal preferred that we say (cf. Brachot 11b). It is clear that chazal understood that a proper parallel to the word "peace" is "all things". For Rashi, when the Torah promises grain, it means grain. When the promise is for rain it means rain. However, when the Torah promises peace, it means everything.

Chaim Brovender

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