Ashrei - אשרי

(3) את גדלך [TO SHOW] THY GREATNESS — This means Thy attribute of goodness. Similarly it states, (Numbers 14:17, 18) "And now, I beseech Thee, let the strength of my Lord be great, [according as thou hast spoken, saying: The Lord is long-suffering and of much mercy, etc."]. (4) ואת ידך AND THY [STRONG] HAND — This refers to Thy right hand which is extended to all who enter the world (all human beings) [to receive them in penitence] (Sifrei Bamidbar 134:5).

(6) In explaining this commandment the sages taught thus: Even as He is called gracious, be thou gracious; even as He is called merciful, be thou merciful; even as He is called holy, be thou holy. In this wise did the prophets attribute to God all such terms as long-suffering, abundant in benificence, just and right, perfect, mighty and powerful and others like these, to proclaim that they are good and straight paths, and that man is obligated to lead himself in them, and to be like unto Him in proportion to his power.

(7) And how may a man inure himself in these tendencies so that they be permanent with him? He should try once, repeat it, and do a third time the things he is called upon to do in harmony with the tendencies of the middle-course, and repeat the practice continuously until the doing it will be accomplished with slight effort, and they will not be burdensome upon him, then will the tendencies be a fixed part of his being. And because the Creator is termed by these attributes which are the middle-way, this way is called the Lord's way. And, it is even in this that Abraham our father instructed his sons, saying: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, that they shall keep the way of the Lord" (Gen. 18.19). And he who walks in this way brings goodness and blessing upon himself, even as it is said: "In order that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him" (Ibid.).

(9) Having stated the sublime ideas contained in that Scriptural passage, and quoted the explanation of our Sages, we will now complete what the remainder of that passage teaches us. The prophet does not content himself with explaining that the knowledge of God is the highest kind of perfection; for if this only had been his intention, he would have said, "But in this let him who glorieth glory, that he understandeth and knoweth me," and would have stopped there; or he would have said, "that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am One," or, "that I have not any likeness," or, "that there is none like me," or a similar phrase. He says, however, that man can only glory in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of His ways and attributes, which are His actions, as we have shown (Part 1. liv.) in expounding the passage, "Show me now thy ways" (Exod. 38:13). We are thus told in this passage that the Divine acts which ought to be known, and ought to serve as a guide for our actions, are, ḥesed, "loving-kindness," mishpat, "judgment," and ẓedakah, "righteousness." Another very important lesson is taught by the additional phrase, "in the earth." It implies a fundamental principle of the Law; it rejects the theory of those who boldly assert that God's providence does not extend below the sphere of the moon, and that the earth with its contents is abandoned, that "the Lord hath forsaken the earth" (Ez. 8:12). It teaches, as has been taught by the greatest of all wise men in the words, "The earth is the Lord's" (Exod. 9:29), that His providence extends to the earth in accordance with its nature, in the same manner as it controls the heavens in accordance with their nature. This is expressed in the words, "That I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth." The prophet thus, in conclusion, says, "For in these things I delight, saith the Lord," i.e., My object [in saying this] is that you shall practise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. In a similar manner we have shown (Part I. liv.) that the object of the enumeration of God's thirteen attributes is the lesson that we should acquire similar attributes and act accordingly. The object of the above passage is therefore to declare, that the perfection, in which man can truly glory, is attained by him when he has acquired--as far as this is possible for man--the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Providence, and of the manner in which it influences His creatures in their production and continued existence. Having acquired this knowledge he will then be determined always to seek loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, and thus to imitate the ways of God. We have explained this many times in this treatise.

(11) God is near to all who call Him, if they call Him in truth, and turn to Him. He is found by every one who seeks Him, if he always goes towards Him, and never goes astray. AMEN.