The concluding passage of tractate Berakhot teaches a remarkable insight into the nature of peace:
Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Haninah: Torah scholars increase peace in the world. As it says, ‘All of Your children (בָּנָיִךְ) are students of God; great is the peace of Your children’ (Isaiah 54:13). Read this not בָּנָיִךְ — ‘Your children’ — but rather בּוֹנַיִךְ — ‘Your builders'. (Berakhot 64a)
Considering the vast number of disagreements and differences of opinion among Torah scholars, Rabbi Haninah’s statement seems, well, counterintuitive. Do scholars really increase peace in the world? And why did Rabbi Haninah insist that they are “builders”? What does this tell us about scholars and peace?
True Peace
People mistakenly believe that peace in the world means that everyone will share common viewpoints and think the same way. So when they see scholars disagreeing about an issue, this appears to be the exact opposite of peace.
True peace, however, comes precisely through the proliferation of divergent views. When all of the various angles and sides of an issue are exposed, and we are able to clarify how each perspective has its place — that is true peace. The Hebrew word shalom means both “peace” and “completeness.” We will only attain complete understanding when seemingly contradictory views are recognized as partial expressions of a greater truth. Like an interlocking puzzle, together they present a complete picture.
When Torah scholars broaden knowledge and provide new insights, they contribute to the increase of peace. We need to recognize that “all of Your children are students of God.” All views, even those that seem contradictory, in fact help reveal knowledge and truth. For this reason, Rabbi Haninah emphasized that scholars are like builders. A building is erected from all sides, using a variety of materials and skills. So too, the edifice of truth is constructed from diverse views, insights, and methods of analysis.
Peace and Tranquility
The Talmud immediately follows Rabbi Haninah’s teaching with a verse from Psalms:
יְהִי שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵילֵךְ, שַׁלְוָה בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָיִךְ.
May there be peace in your courtyard and tranquility in your palaces (122:7).
What does this verse add? And what is the difference between peace (shalom) and tranquility (shalvah)?
According to Rabbi Haninah, no genuine insight or discipline should be dismissed. Rather, we must uncover its inner significance and determine its proper place within the larger whole. If there appear to be inconsistencies between different methods, we must seek out their inner kernel. Once we grasp the underlying truth in each concept, all conflicts will be resolved, and our wisdom will be expanded and enhanced.
The verse illustrates this idea by describing two levels: the surrounding courtyard, and the inner palace.
The lower level is described with the word cheil, the enclosed area surrounding the outer Temple courts. The word cheil is related to chayil, meaning “strength,” “vigor,” and “active force.” This outer realm represents the dynamic world of human activity, with its many competing ideas and energies. All of this turmoil has value when it leads to a unified goal: “peace in your courtyard.”
The inner palace, by contrast, is not the place for the clash of competing forces. It is the realm of quiet wisdom, the source of inner truth for the conflicting views in the outer courtyard. Here reigns a serene understanding of higher truth. This is not merely peace, but shalvah: “tranquility in your palaces.”
(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, pp. 397-398)