If we're only praying for peace, why is our list so long?
ATfirst glance, Sim Shalom seems to be the brachah that encompasses all our hopes for peace. Whether personal shalom concerns, such as family disputes, office spats, sibling infighting, or marital woes, or more global shalom matters like machlokes between factions of Klal Yisrael, Sim Shalom seems to target them all.
But upon closer inspection, we find myriad other requests bundled into this brachah. Entreaties for chein, chesed, tovah, brachah, and rachamim are all prominently featured. Is this a brachah uniquely about shalom, or is shalom among the many things we ask for in it?
This brachah begins, unconventionally, with the word “sim,” to consign, implying that all the requests that follow are readily available, they simply have to be set in place. Hashem is the source of all brachos, and He is capable of allotting us any brachah we ask for, if we’re deserving. “Sim” expresses our recognition of this idea — the brachos we receive aren’t a function of Hashem’s capability, but rather are dependent on our eligibility for them.
If Hashem is eminently capable of showering us with every brachah, why do we specifically begin with a request for shalom and only then follow with requests for other brachos?
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