GEN229 One manifestation of God's mercy is shalom (peace).  A nuance of this attribute that relates to [employer performance appraisal requirements] is the mercy God show us in preventing the outbreak of discord.  In this regard, R. Shimon b. Halafta observes that in the first five days of creation, God created an equal number of things for the heaven and the earth. On the sixth day, when He came to create man, He said: “If I create man as one of the upper elements of the universe, the upper elements will outnumber the lower by one created object, and if I create him as one of the lower created objects, the lower will outnumber the upper by one created object.” What did He do? He created man of the upper as well as of the lower beings: this is proved by what is written: The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground [this verse] i.e., out of the lower parts of creation; And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [this verse], i.e out of the upper spheres. Imitatio Deo, in the form of emulating God’s attributes of shalom, urges an employer to arrange his labor relations by means of a performance-appraisal system because doing so minimizes discord in the workplace.  CASE 311-2