What Is “The Love of Chesed”?

Based on Ahavas Chesed vol. 2 chapter 1

We previously noted that the book Ahavas Chesed derives its name from Micah 6:8: “You have been told, o man, what is good and what Hashem desires of you: only to act justly, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” The Chofetz Chaim observes here some surprising terminology. Why isn’t it “act justly and kindly” or “love justice and kindness”? Why is it “act justly” and “love kindness”?

For that matter, why does the verse tell us “He has told you, o man,” suggesting that this is something we need to be told and wouldn’t have figured out on our own? Doesn’t everyone know these things?

The Chofetz Chaim answers by explaining a Gemara in Sanhedrin (7a). There we are told that a person whose garment is confiscated by the court should rejoice. The Chofetz Chaim explains that theft is a sin for which one might lose all of their possessions. Therefore, if the court confiscates a garment, having determined that it was acquired illegally, one should be grateful. The judges are actually doing him a favor by saving him from the consequences of his actions!

This now explains the verse in Micah: “You have been told, o man, what is good….” Just like the thief thinks his actions will benefit himself but he is in fact way off base, what we think is good may likewise be way off base. For example, many people think the end-all and be-all of life is to accumulate wealth. In reality, one’s best investment is in acting justly and loving kindness. If a person can’t do these things, he doesn’t deserve what he has and it may be taken from him.

But why does it say specifically to love kindness? This is because a person might grudgingly perform the bare minimum necessary out of peer pressure or to stave off Divine punishment. That’s “doing chesed,” perhaps, but it’s not sufficient. One has to love chesed and pursue its fulfillment enthusiastically and wholeheartedly. This is a trait that must be cultivated.

Do you have kids? Even if you don’t, you probably know someone who does. Or maybe you were a child once yourself. Well, with rare exception, parents lovingly feed, clothe and house their children. They constantly think about – and sometimes agonize over – how to make their children’s lives better. That’s how we should feel about performing acts of chesed.

Did you ever wonder about the line at the end of the Shemoneh Esrei in which we say that Hashem has given us “the Torah of life and a love of chesed”? When Hashem gave us the Torah, He also revealed to us how much we should pursue chesed and love this characteristic. The Jews at Sinai were able to understand how important chesed is, for without Hashem’s chesed the world could not endure.

This reality is evident from such verses as Psalms 33:5, “Hashem’s kindness fills the world.” Similarly, Psalms 89:3 teaches us that “the world is built on kindness.” We see that chesed is so important that we must constantly cling to it. This will benefit us both in this world and the next.

Get handy, colorful chesed "cheat sheets" in A Universe of Chesed!