Brochas Daf Yud Zayin amud aleph

Rav Safra, after davening the Amidah, would say: May it be your will, Hashem our G-d, that you establish peace in the Heavenly assembly and in the assembly here below, and between the students who are engaged in the study of your Torah, whether they are engaged for its own sake or not for its own sake. And regarding those who are engaged not for its own sake, may it be Your will, that they will engage (in Torah) for its own sake.

The Beis Levi in his commentary on Parshas Noach observes that the Medrash tell us that the animals prior to the flood became corrupted such that they had relations "lo b'mino" i.e. outside their own genus.  He asks how was this possible, since it is a canon of Judaism that only man has free will.  He answers that when man become corrupted, he in turn corrupts the environment around him until such time as nature itself changes to be corrupt.

In Mictav mi-Eliyahu (volume Two p.51-2), Rav Dessler continues in similar vein that each nation is charged with the task of perfecting a particular middo (character trait) so that they may improve the world, which at its foundation is dependent upon Yisrael.  This tikun (rectification), or G-d forbid its reverse, is effected by a two way flow between the material world and the Sar (angel) which represents each individual nation in the celestial realms.  As Rashi points out, discord between the Sarim in the upper worlds, causes wars between their nations in the world below.

Rav Dessler goes on to explain that there are two negative facets to each character trait, one of tayva (appetite) and one of gayva (haughtiness). The former, which is gashmi, is less serious, in that it has borders, because it is constrained by its physical host; hence gluttony or drunkenness is at the end of the day bounded by satiety.  By contrast, haughtiness, which is ruchni, is non tangible and has no limits.  The nations fall into one of two groups.  Most (Egypt, Bavel, Pras) enslave the Jews for their own end, to fulfill their own appetites, for gold, power, labour etc. However Esav desires nothing from the Jews, but to elevate itself at our expense; their hatred is lishma, (pure and for its own sake).

Rav Safra prayed that both the upper and lower worlds would behave in a fashion that would ensure peace.  He finished his prayer with the role of those who study Torah, since this is central to the world's continued existence, and focused on the need for our Torah learning to also be lishma to counteract the "purity" of Esav's evil.