תהלים, פרק ל״ד, פסוק ט״ו

A meaningful and proper life demands constant moral and spiritual movement. It is a journey that moves from actively avoiding wrongdoing to positive action, peaking in an uncompromising effort to build harmony among people. This creates a complete circle of human duty, covering obligations toward God and toward society.

The primary approach among commentators is that avoiding evil involves keeping all the negative commandments, while doing good refers to fulfilling the positive ones. However, moving away from evil can be understood more deeply. Rather than fighting against internal and external negativity, a person should simply turn away from it and invest their energy entirely into doing good [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A higher level of this avoidance is reached when a person steps away from sin out of their own internal choice, rather than out of fear that others might catch them failing. When this return is done out of love, a person actively does good by transforming their past wrongs into merits [אלשיך].

While the initial steps focus on defined commandments, the call to seek and pursue peace broadens the scope to include all moral behavior and good character traits, going even beyond what is explicitly required [מאירי]. God's children are not meant to look for power or control over one another, but rather to look for peace [אבן עזרא]. The value of creating harmony between people is so immense that a person enjoys its benefits in this world, while the core reward remains waiting for them in the next world [תורה תמימה].

In daily life, seeking peace means actively looking for harmony in relationships. This includes initiating greetings with those accustomed to it [תורה תמימה] or even doing a visible favor for someone you have offended in order to encourage them to make amends [אלשיך].

Commentators note a clear difference between merely looking for peace and actively chasing it. Some see a geographic distinction, explaining that a person should look for peace in their own city and chase after it in other places [רש״י]. Another perspective highlights the difference between the outward and the inward. A person should speak of peace with their mouth but chase it deep within their heart, guided by a fear of God, much like a servant who is careful to do His will [רד״ק]. Ultimately, peace is a fragile thing that easily slips away and is not always within reach. If peace runs away and the other party refuses to reconcile, a person must step out of their normal routine and chase after it with great persistence until it is finally achieved [מצודת דוד, אלשיך, ביאור שטיינזלץ].