We continue with the words of the Bet HaLevi as he describes the need to have peace in order for Mashiach to come. He quotes the Gemara that says,
“ God did not find a receptacle to hold blessing, other than peace.”
Rav Wolbe explains that this is similar to the physical world, where you need a vessel to hold something. If you don’t have some thing to hold your expensive wine, the wine will spill all over. So too, God’s blessing needs a vessel. The receptacle to hold blessing is Shalom. That is the cup. If you don’t have peace, no blessing can be held. The Midrash Raba says, “What does Pinchas get? He gets the Blessing of Shalom.”
The Midrash continues and says the world will only function with peace. As it says about the Torah, “all its paths go to peace.” If you meet someone on the street. you tell him, “Shalom.” In our Friday night prayers we mention the Succah of peace. We end the Amida with Shalom, and we end Bircat Kohanim with Shalom. Why does everything end with Shalom? Because that is the vessel for blessing. If you want to get the blessings, you have to have Shalom. That is why on Shabbat we say Shabbat Shalom. There is a great stress on Shalom for Shabbat. The rabbis explain that since Shabbat is called Mekor HaBeracha/the source of all blessing, we need Shalom or else will all the Blessing go? Therefore, God tells us that Shabbat must be a day of peace. Because if there is no Shalom on Shabbat, all that beracha will not go anywhere.
The person has to have the middah of Shalom as the receptacle for beracha.
Furthermore, it says that a person gives the Kos Shel Beracha/ Cup of Beracha to his wife.
The Gemara says the source for this is when the angels came to bless Avraham and Sara, and they asked where she was, in order to give her the Kos Shel Beracha.
Why does it have to go to the wife ? Because if you want to have Beracha, you need to have Shalom in your house. So respect your wife, and have some peace by giving her the cup first, and then the Beracha will come down. In order to give Avraham and Sara beracha of children, shalom was necessary.
That it the receptacle for all blessings.
All the beracha that a man’s wife brings upon him, needs shalom to hold it.
That is the importance of Shalom Bayit.
B’ezrat Hashem we will continue with the wonderful lessons of shalom. Have a Shabbat Shalom