If we're only praying for peace, why is our list so long?

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first glance, Sim Shalom seems to be the brachah that encompasses all our hopes for peace. Whether personal shalom concerns, such as family disputes, office spats, sibling infighting, or marital woes, or more global shalom matters like machlokes between factions of Klal Yisrael, Sim Shalom seems to target them all.

But upon closer inspection, we find myriad other requests bundled into this brachah. Entreaties for chein, chesed, tovah, brachah, and rachamim are all prominently featured. Is this a brachah uniquely about shalom, or is shalom among the many things we ask for in it?

This brachah begins, unconventionally, with the word “sim,” to consign, implying that all the requests that follow are readily available, they simply have to be set in place. Hashem is the source of all brachos, and He is capable of allotting us any brachah we ask for, if we’re deserving. “Sim” expresses our recognition of this idea — the brachos we receive aren’t a function of Hashem’s capability, but rather are dependent on our eligibility for them.

A Vessel for Blessing

If Hashem is eminently capable of showering us with every brachah, why do we specifically begin with a request for shalom and only then follow with requests for other brachos?

The very last mishnah in all of Mishnayos (Uktzin 3:12) teaches “Lo matza Hashem kli machazik brachah l’Yisrael ela hashalom” — Hashem determined the ideal vessel for Klal Yisrael to retain brachah is the attribute of shalom, peace.

When I go grocery shopping, if I know I need more than two or three items, I grab a shopping basket or cart to hold the groceries. However, if my cart is cracked open, or has multiple large holes, most of the items will not make it to the cash register.

The attribute of shalom is like a shopping cart, it’s a receptacle to hold all the other brachos that Hashem intends for me. The extent to which shalom is a priority in my life is correlated to the amount of brachah I receive. I may be deserving of multiple carts brimming with brachah, but if I don’t have shalom, I can’t have brachah, and there’s no way I can “cart it home.”

Sim Shalom begins with the most basic prerequisite for any and all brachah in our life: the attribute of shalom.

Components of Peace

Bircas Kohanim is a template for Sim Shalom. Each of the six requests we make here correlate to one of the six brachos in Bircas Kohanim, and the definition of Sim Shalom’s brachos derives from our understanding of each of the brachos in Bircas Kohanim.

In the brachah of “tovah,” goodness, we ask that Hashem turn toward us and indulge us in a deeper understanding of His Torah. Alternatively, “tovah” is a request that Hashem reveal more of Himself to us, so we may recognize the wonder in His Torah and His world.

“Brachah” is our bid for physical plenty. Here we ask Hashem to augment our financial assets, and send brachah to our material belongings.

“Chein” — charm, grace, and beauty — is a request for Hashem to rest His Shechinah on us. When the Shechinah is present, everything is good. Therefore, this is a brachah for hosting spiritual goodness: to find favor in the eyes of Hashem and others, to be vested with knowledge, understanding, and morality, and to cultivate a compassionate and forgiving attitude toward others.

In the brachah of “chesed” we ask Hashem for protection, shemirah. Our requests include physical protection for our body, safeguarding us against the yetzer hara, shielding us from those who wish to lord over us, and guarding us from all damage and injury. Additionally, relying on another conjugation of shemirah, we ask that Hashem yishmor, uphold the covenant He made with the Avos.

“Rachamim” is a request that Hashem override His anger toward us for failing to do His will.

We ask that these brachos be conveyed “Aleinu” to those we know, and “al kol Yisrael,” even to Jews we have never met before.

Defining Shalom

The basic requirement of shalom as a conduit for brachah is reiterated with “barcheinu Avinu kulanu, k’echad b’or panecha — Hashem, bless us together, as a unified whole, with he’aras panim.” This is a reminder that when we’re a divided nation, we forfeit Hashem’s goodness and drive ourselves to a state of hester panim. Only when we prioritize unity and shalom above all else do we merit the he’aras panim so vital for our success and wellbeing as individuals and as a nation.

On a most basic level, shalom is defined by the absence of strife. Harmony can be challenging to achieve and maintain, but shalom as a concept doesn’t end here. Another, perhaps more nuanced, facet of shalom, derives from the shared root “shaleim,” completeness. When I recognize my natural, G-d-given strengths and capabilities, and instead of pining for the qualities of others, I embrace myself as I am, leaning in to what I can give, affect, and accomplish, I have achieved what is known as “inner peace.” This is actually a level of shalom called “shleimus atzmis,” feeling complete with oneself.

When we recognize that our position in this world — our characteristics, the family we were given, our physical needs and deficits, our emotional capabilities and disabilities, our financial station, our position in society — is precisely calibrated by Hashem and is essential to His world, we abandon our frantic attempts to be someone we aren’t and celebrate who we are.

The notion that I am mashlim (I complete) Hashem’s world exactly as I am, invites an experience of shleimus atzmis. This precipitates the ultimate attainment of shalom, because when I am satisfied with myself, I am more likely to be satisfied with others and less likely to engage in, or foment, machlokes.

Shalom is both the prerequisite to all brachah, and the brachah itself.

Mrs. Elana Moskowitz has been teaching in seminaries for over 20 years.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 916)