I recently came across the proposition, in a letter to a Jewish online newspaper, that "The most precious gift of the Torah is peace", a proposition for which the cited authority was Avot 1:12. In company with most other Avot-readers (and others), I am a great admirer of peace; I pray for it several times a day. However, I would hesitate to stretch the teaching in Avot 1:12 so far. This mishnah urges readers to be like Aaron the High Priest: love peace, to pursue it, love one's fellows and bring them close to the Torah -- but that it is as far as it goes.
The author of the letter may have been thinking of another mishnah -- "The Holy One, Blessed be He, found no better vessel in which to hold blessing for Israel than peace" (Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta, Uktzin 3:12) -- but even that doesn't quite do the job!
