Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Shalom
שלום
Peace (shalom) · also: שלום בפמליא של מעלה ובפמליא של מטה
Peace: the joining of two opposites by a higher level to which both are nullified; the vessel that holds blessing. Torah study makes it above (Chochmah with Binah, through Daas) and below.
The word Shalom in its plain sense is peace between people (Matot 6:18 uses it so: charity makes peace between the poor man who envies and the rich man). As a concept it names the joining of opposites above and in the soul, “peace in the household above and below,” and the “vessel that holds blessing”; context with these phrases, or with Daas and the middle line, marks the technical sense.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5, ¶7Peace joins two opposites. The worlds cannot receive life from the Creator, who is utterly removed from them, except through peace; so peace is the “vessel that holds blessing,” the drawing of G‑dly life into revelation below. “The act of charity shall be peace” applies to all the mitzvos, Torah study included.
כי ענין השלום הוא שמחבר שני הפכים ועושה שלום ביניהם
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶23Peace is the intermediary that joins two opposites, the middle line of Daas, Tiferes and Yesod. Daas is the main intermediary: it joins Chochmah (ayin) and Binah (yesh) so that Binah too is as Chochmah; that is “peace in the household above,” which Torah study makes.
פי׳ כי הנה שלום הוא הממוצע המחבר ב׳ הפכים והיינו קו האמצעי דת״י
- Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 7, ¶4He makes peace between Michael, prince of water, and Gavriel, prince of fire, by drawing a higher light that includes both; they are nullified to it until no opposition is felt there. So too love and awe are included in each other by a revelation from above both.
כי שלום הוא המחבר שני הפכיים כמ״ש עושה שלום במרומיו במלאכים שמיכאל שר של מים וגבריאל שר של אש
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 6, ¶18In the soul, the animal soul being subdued at one time and prevailing at another is not peace. Peace is the left included in the right: the animal soul’s traits refined and nullified in those of the G‑dly soul, which comes through the Daas drawn by Torah study. Through mitzvos, especially charity, it brings peace above between giver and receiver.
אבל השלום הוא שיהי׳ שמאלא אתכלל בימינא שיתבררו המדו׳ דנה״ב להבטל בהמדו׳ דנה״א
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶48Making peace between things belongs to G‑d’s being clothed in the worlds. “The curtains of Shlomo” are the level of the One to whom peace belongs, where there are not two things at all, all being as nothing before Him; it will be revealed in the Time to Come, encompassing all levels of peace.
שהשלום שלו שאין שייך כלל שם לומר שיש שני דברים שצריך לעשות שלום ביניהם
Stated differently
What “peace, peace, to the far and to the near” refers to
רחוק הוא בחי׳ האהבה קרוב הוא בחי׳ היראהThe far is love, from Binah, which nests in Beriah; the near is awe, from the higher Chochmah, Atzilus, near to the Or Ein Sof. The verse speaks of their including one another.
ב׳ בחי׳ שלום שלום מלמטה למעלה והיינו לרחוק שנעשה קרוב שהוא בחי׳ העלאה ממטה למעלהTwo kinds of peace: “to the far” who becomes near is peace from below upward, an ascent; the other is peace from above downward, the drawing of G‑dliness below into Torah and mitzvos.
שיש ב׳ בחי׳ בשלום אחד הוא גילוי תענוג העליון לרחוק הוא בעל תשובהOne kind is the revelation of supernal delight for “the far,” the baal teshuvah, like a king seeing his son return from a distant land; the second is for “the near,” through the King’s commandments. These are the peace of the household above and of the household below.
What “peace in the household above” (shalom bepamalya shel maalah) is
והדעת הוא עיקר הממוצע להיותו מחבר למעלה חו״ב וזהו ענין שלום בפמליא שלמעלהIt is the joining of Chochmah and Binah by the higher Daas, the main intermediary, so that the yesh of Binah is as the ayin of Chochmah.
והמקיף דמקיף הוא המחבר המקיף עם הפנימי כו׳ היינו שיהיה התחברות סובב וממלא שלום בפמליא של מעלהIt is the joining of sovev and memalei, made by the “encompassing of the encompassing,” Atik, the last level of the Emanator; Torah, “the parable of the Ancient One,” draws it down. Peace below is the same two levels within every creature.
ושלום בפמליא של מעלה היינו התקשרות וגילוי אור המאציל בנאצלים הוא על ידי בחינת יסוד המייחדןIt is the bond and revelation of the Emanator’s light in the emanated, through Yesod, which unites things that bear no comparison; within Atzilus alone there are also two peaces, Chochmah and Binah joined by Daas and Chesed and Gevurah joined by Tiferes.
שלום היינו התקשרות בפמליא של מעלה היינו בחי׳ גילוי אור א״ס ב״ה ממש בנפש האלקיתPeace is a bond: in the household above it is the revelation of the Or Ein Sof itself in the G‑dly soul, so that it is bound and united with Him in true bittul; the Torah, called “strength,” brings it.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5, ¶7Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶22Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6, ¶23Likkutei Torah, Matos 6, ¶18Likkutei Torah, Matos 7, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Vaeschanan 7, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶48Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Reeh 3, ¶4
Where it appears
In 171 paragraphs of 96 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 11 ¶3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 6 ¶1 ¶6 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶14 ¶15 ¶16 ¶17 ¶18 ¶19 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶4 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5 ¶14 ¶17 ¶18 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 38 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 40 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini 1 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 2 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 4 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 7 ¶4 ¶5 ¶9 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 11 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 2 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 8 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 8 ¶1 ¶13 ¶14 ¶15 ¶17 ¶18 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶3 ¶5 ¶6 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶11 ¶13 ¶14 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 7 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶46 ¶47 ¶48
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 39 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 11 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 12 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 16 ¶12 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18 ¶12 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 7 ¶3 ¶5 ¶6 ¶7 ¶8 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 4 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 5 ¶16 ¶17 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 5 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 2 ¶3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 3 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 17 ¶1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 7 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 6 ¶14 ¶22 ¶23 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 17 ¶7 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1 ¶2 ¶11 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶10 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶18 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 4 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 10 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 8 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 2 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Noach 4 ¶12 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 1 ¶1 ¶17 ¶25 ¶26 ¶27 ¶30
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 1 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 7 ¶41
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 10 ¶3 ¶20 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 7 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 1 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 1 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 2 ¶15 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 6 ¶39 ¶40 ¶45
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 5 ¶37
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 13 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Devarim 1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 3 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 24 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 4 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 6 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 2 ¶23 ¶24 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 10 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 5 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 7 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 8 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 7 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Kedoshim 1 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 16 ¶18
Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.