22 Teves: Peace & Prosperity

PEACE & PROSPERITY In that era, there will be no famine or war, envy or competition, for good will flow in abundance, and all delights will be freely available as dust. The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d. (Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 12:5) On a simple level, the abundance of the Time to Come is needed to remove envy and competition. This is a prerequisite to creating an environment of peace and tranquility, where mankind can dedicate its energies to “knowing G-d.” On a deeper level, peace and abundance are tied to the essence of Moshiach, which expresses unity between man and his fellow and between G-d and the world. Everything in the world has its opposite. Instead of competing, opposites serve to complete each other. For example, animals exhale carbon, which is poisonous waste to us, but is life-giving food for plants. Plants exhale oxygen, which is poison to them, but life-giving air for animals and people. By uniting, we never run out of resources; we maximize the way we use them! As long as we feel threatened by opposition, we remain finite. By uniting opposites, we begin the upward spiral toward progress, peace, and prosperity. Hisvaaduyos 5742, vol. 4, pg. 2039 Hisvaaduyos 5752, vol. 1, pg. 139; ibid, pg. 296