Leviticus Rabbah on Peace

R. Simeon ben Yoḥai said: Great is peace, for the entirety of the blessings are included in it. May the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace (Psalm 29:11). Hezekiah said two things. Hezekiah [first] said: Peace is great for [regarding] all the other commandments it is written as If you see, If you meet (Exodus 23:4, 5), and If you encounter (Deuteronomy 22:6), such that if the opportunity presents itself for you to perform a commandment, you are obligated to do it, but if it [the opportunity] does not present itself, you are not obligated to do it; but in this case [with respect to the pursuit of peace, it is said:] Seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:15). [This means:] seek it in your own place and pursue it in a different place. Hezekiah said a second [thing]. Hezekiah said: Peace is so great that amidst all the journeys [of Israel] it is written: And they [the Israelites] journeyed and They encamped (Numbers 33:5), [the plural forms of the noun and verbs indicate that they] journeyed in a state of controversy and encamped in a state of controversy, but when they came before Mount Sinai, everyone became one encampment. “The Israelites encamped there,” [with a plural verb] is not written here but rather, Israel encamped there (Exodus 19:2) [with a singular noun and verb]. The Holy One said, “Behold, this is the time that I will give the Torah to my children.”

Bar Kappara said three things: Bar Kappara [first] said: Peace is so great that the scriptures make false statements in the Torah for the sake of nurturing peace between Abraham and Sarah, as it is written: And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, Now I have become worn, shall I still have pleasure?! And my husband is [also] old? (Genesis 18:12). But [in His subsequent recounting of Sarah’s words] to Abraham, God said only [that Sarah had said]: [Will I really give birth] now that I have grown old? (Genesis 18:13). Bar Kappara made another statement: Peace is so great that the scriptures make false statements for the sake of nurturing peace between a man and his wife, as is written: You are now barren and have not born [any children], but you shall conceive and bear a son (Judges 13:3). To Manoah, however, [the angel of the Lord] did not speak in this manner. Instead [he said]: Let the woman be vigilant concerning everything I have said to her (Judges 13:13), [meaning,] she nevertheless needs medicines [to give birth].

Bar Kappara made another statement: Peace is so great that [even] the heavenly beings, who lack jealousy, hatred, competition, quarreling, contention, division, and the evil eye, still need peace, [as it is written:] He makes peace in His heights (Job 25:2)—how much more so do the earthly beings, who possess all these attributes, [require peace]?!

Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel said: Peace is so great that the scriptures make false statements in the Torah in order to nurture peace between Joseph and his brothers. As it is written: [And they sent a message to Joseph saying, “Your father made this instruction (to us) before his death:] Thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive the offense [of your brothers]’” (Genesis 50:16–17). Yet [concerning Jacob,] we do not find [in scripture] that he [Jacob] made any such instruction.

R. Yosi the Galilean said: Peace is so great that even during a time of war, we do not initiate [dialogue] with anything other than [a greeting of] peace. As it is written: When you approach a city to wage war against it, [declare to it terms of peace] (Deuteronomy 20:10).

R. Yudan bar R. Joseph said: Peace is so great that the name of the Holy One is called “Peace.” As it is written: [And Gideon built an altar there for the Lord,] and he called it the Lord is Peace [Adonai-Shalom] (Judges 6:24). R. Tanḥum the son of R. Yudan said: From here [it is derived] that it is forbidden for a person to inquire as to the “peace” of his fellow in a filthy place.

R. Ishmael taught: Peace is so great that [regarding] the great name [the name of God] that was written in holiness, the Holy One said, “Let it be washed away in the water in order to nurture peace between a man and his wife” [explained below].

R. Meir used to sit and expound [scripture] on Sabbath evenings. Once a certain woman was sitting and listening to his discourse. She waited until he had finished his teaching, and upon returning home, she found her candle had gone out. Her husband said to her, “Where have you been?” She answered, “I was sitting and listening to the lecturer.” He [her husband] said to her, “[I swear] such-and-such [a vow] that I will not allow you to come back here until you have gone and spat in the face of this teacher.” So she sat outside for one Sabbath, a second, and a third, such that her neighbors were saying to her, “Are you still angry with one another? We will go with you to see the lecturer.” When R. Meir observed them in attendance, he recognized by means of the divine spirit what had taken place. He said to them, “Is there present among you a woman with the wisdom to whisper [a curative incantation] over an eye?” The neighbors said to her, “You can go up to him and spit in his face and release your husband from [his vow].” When she sat before him [the rabbi], she grew fearful of him. She said to him, “Rabbi, I am not [actually] wise enough to whisper an incantation for an eye.” He said to her, “Spit in my face seven times anyway, and I shall be cured.” She spat in his face seven times. He [R. Meir] then said to her, “Go and report [the following] to your husband: ‘You said [to spit on him] once, but I spat [on him] seven times!’” His [R. Meir’s] disciples then said to him, “Rabbi, do we debase the Torah in this manner?! Did it not occur to you to ask one of us to whisper an incantation for you?” He [R. Meir] said to them, “Is it not enough for Meir to be like his creator?” As R. Ishmael taught: Peace is so great that [regarding] the great name that was written in holiness, the Holy One said, “Let it be washed away in the water in order to nurture peace between a man and his wife.”¹

R. Simeon ben Ḥalfuta said: Peace is so great that when the Holy One created His world, He established peace between the heavenly and earthly realms. On the first day, He created from the heavenly and the earthly realms. As it is written: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). On the second [day], He created from the heavenly realm. As it is written: God said, Let there be a firmament amidst the waters (Genesis 1:6). On the third [day], He created from the earthly realm: God said, Let the waters be gathered (Genesis 1:9). On the fourth [day], He created from the heavenly realm: God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens (Genesis 1:14). On the fifth [day], He created from the earthly: God said, Let the waters swarm (Genesis 1:20). On the sixth day, He was set to create humanity. He said, “If I create [humanity] from the heavenly realm, the heavenly will outnumber the earthly by one creation. But if I create him from the earthly realm, the earthly will outnumber the heavenly by one creation.” What did He [God] do? He created him [humanity] from both the heavenly and the earthly. As it is written: And God formed man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7)—from the earthly sphere. And He blew into his nostrils the spirit of life (ibid.)—from the heavenly realm.

R. Manei of Sheab and R. Joshua of Siknin said in the name of R. Levi: Peace is so great that all of the good blessings and consolations that the Holy One bestows upon Israel conclude with [an invocation of] peace. [ . . . ] [While I understand this teaching to be true] only with respect to this world, from where [is this derived] concerning the world to come? Behold, I shall spread peace over her like a river (Isaiah 66:12).

The rabbis said: Peace is so great that when the King Messiah comes, he will begin with nothing other than peace, as is written: How beautiful upon the mountains the feet of the one who brings good news, who announces peace (Isaiah 52:7).