שָׁלוֹם

The primary sense of hearing comes from the letters of speech being engraved in the air — and the airstreams strike one another until the sound reaches the ear of the listener. And therefore when the air is calm, still, and clear — the speech is heard from a distance; but when there is a stormy wind — one's fellow cannot even hear the voice, let alone the speech itself. Similarly, when there is love between people — this is the dimension of the calm air in which their spirits rest one with the other; and through this the words are heard from a distance, in the particular and in the general: meaning that the good words of each person are heard by his fellow — in the particular; and likewise in the general, the world hears and accepts the holy and true words of the true Tzaddik even from a very great distance — in the dimension of "and his hearing goes throughout the provinces" [Esther 9:4] — to the point that even those far away come and draw close to Hashem Yisborach: which is the dimension of converts [geirim] and masters of teshuvah. But when there is hatred, Heaven forbid, between people — this hatred is in the dimension of a stormy, evil wind that separates between them; and through this evil wind the airstreams are confused until through this the words are not heard even in their own place and nearby — and certainly not from afar. And the primary rectification for there to be calm, clear air is through giving charity to truly true tzaddikim and worthy poor people. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

There is hidden and concealed Torah that the world is not worthy to make use of the light of this Torah — and likewise there are also tzaddikim who are hidden and concealed, that the world is not worthy to make use of them. And when the hidden tzaddikim and the hidden Torah are revealed — then great peace will be revealed in the world, to the point that all opposites will join together — in the dimension of "and the wolf shall dwell with the sheep, etc." [Isaiah 11:6]. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

The more da'as [knowledge] increases — mercy and peace increase; and through this livelihood becomes easier. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.] Through the unity among the tzaddikim — a person can give charity and it will not diminish for him at all from this. And likewise through this a person can have true mesiras nefesh [self-sacrifice] — and even so it will not harm him and he will remain alive. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

Peace and unity among Israel are very precious in His eyes, blessed be He — for through this His simple unity, blessed be He, is revealed also above: in the dimension of "You are One and Your Name is One and who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth" [from the Shabbos Maariv]. And the more numerous they are — since they are in the dimension of varying actions, for they have different views from each other — and even so are included together in love and unity and agree on one true holy view — the more precious this is to Hashem Yisborach. For through this is revealed the simple unity from within varying actions — to know that all the varying actions in the world flow from the One Simple One, blessed be He, Who created all of them; and this is very precious to Hashem Yisborach.

The fact that many agree on one view — this is the dimension of Shabbos, the dimension of son [ben]. See the inner text. And then they are in the dimension of children [banim] to the Omnipresent; and Hashem Yisborach also agrees with their view; and it is for this reason that when there is a difference between an individual and the many, the halachah follows the many [yachid v'rabbim halachah k'rabbim]. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

A person must be very careful about the peace of his household [shalom bayis] — for the ba'al davar places itself very greatly on this: to corrupt the domestic peace of young couples and cause some disruption between them in order to trap them through this in his net, Heaven forbid. And our Rabbis of blessed memory already warned about honoring one's wife — for it is sufficient that they raise our children, etc. And they also said: "Honor your wives" [Aramaic: okiru l'nasheichu], etc. [Translator's note: No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]