A Torah of Peace

The exile was caused by a lack of love and unity amongst Jews. The Evil Inclination tries to convince a person that quarreling can acheive some good. But Maimonides states that Torah was given, “only to bring peace to the world” – “Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.” Division cannot lead to peace between man.

Not only is it impossible for division to bring a good result, it’s impossible for there to really be division between Jews in the first place: When Aaron the High Priest saw two Jews quarreling, he’d approach each one separately, saying the other really loved him and wanted to make peace. This was not a lie, but a representation of the truth as defined by Torah: that a Jew’s essential desire is to always fulfill G-d’s will, especially the fundamental principle to “love your neighbor as yourself.”