"Which man desires life, and loves days of seeing good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit; turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it."

This passage, writes Iyun Tefillah, teaches that to be a good and holy man, one need not dissociate himself from the company of his fellow men and live in seclusion as a hermit. No: it is with one's fellow men that he brings to fruition all those character traits that make a person into a complete human being. He speaks with his fellows, and yet he is constantly on guard that his tongue not speak any evil. He is always on the lookout to do good for others, and not only does he "seek" peace, but he even "pursues" it. That is, exerts himself to ensure that others live amidst friendship and comraderie, and thereby he leaves his imprint upon the fabric of society.

It is thus that holiness can be attained.

True, there is the holiness of the hermit, who shuns the companionship of all others and who secludes himself to be alone with his Creator. But the Torah is given to the man who functions as a member of his society, and who interacts with others. It is to such a man that the blessings of this passage are addressed. For his spiritual achievements are not kept for himself, but are shared with all whom he meets. He leaves his mark upon his entire community. So he is blessed with life and promised that he will "see good": he will be privileged to see for himself the impression that he has made upon his surroundings.

Our Sages teach in the Talmud, "Thunderbolts were created for the purpose of straightening out the crookedness in the human heart." We may know intellectually that the world has a Creator. But we dupe ourselves into thinking that in our lives, it is we ourselves who are in charge. For this, Hashem sends the "thunderbolts." These have a special purpose, teach the Sages: they teach us that we must look to heaven, and not become overly complacent and feel that we have all of the answers.

Copyright (c) 1998 by Rabbi Levi Langer

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