The world will be built by Chesed
Olam chesed yibaneh...yai dai dai
Olam chesed yibaneh...yai dai dai
Olam chesed yibaneh...yai dai dai
Olam chesed yibaneh...yai dai dai
I will build this world from love...yai dai dai
And you must build this world from love...yai dai dai
And if we build this world from love...yai dai dai
Then God will build this world from love...yai dai dai
Chesed: A Reciprocal Covenant, Professor Elinoar Baraket
Gemilut chasadim, generally translated as “acts of loving kindness,” is known in rabbinic tradition as one of the three pillars upon which the world stands (m. Avot 1:2) and is one of three acts that should be considered “boundless” (m. Peah 1:1), meaning that a person can never do too much of it. In this rubric, chesed is a good deed that is not obligatory but should be done—in effect, behavior beyond the letter of the law.
(6) YHVH passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed: “YHVH! YHVH! G!d compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, rav chesed and faithfulness, (7) extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin ---- yet She does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”
ספרי פרשת עקב
מה הקב"ה נקרא צדיק שנ' תהלים קמה צדיק יקוק בכל דרכיו וחסיד בכל מעשיו אף אתה הוי צדיק.הקב"ה נקרא חסיד שנאמ' וחסיד בכל מעשיו אף אתה הוי חסיד.
Midrash Sifrei, Eikev 49
As The Blessed Holy One is called just, so should you be just [tzadik]...
As The Blessed Holy One is called [chasid], so should you be chasid.
- Rav Chaim Brisker
When the Almighty created human beings She made them capable of both giving and taking. The faculty of giving is a sublime power; it is one of the attributes of the blessed Creator of all things. She is the Giver par excellence; Her mercy, Her bounty and Her goodness extend to all Her creatures. Her giving is pure giving for She takes nothing in return. She can take nothing for She lacks nothing, as the verse says, ” . . . If you are righteous what do you give to Her ?” Our service to Her is not for Her need but for our own, since we need a means of expressing our gratitude to Her. People have been granted this sublime power of giving, enabling her too to be merciful, to bestow happiness, to give of herself. “God created man in Her own image.”
Eve ended up eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge because the snake fooled her, telling her that they would gain the power of Imagination and that it is the power of Imagination that gives one the God-like power of creating worlds. However, this isn’t so. That ability comes from lovingkindness.
אמר רב יהודה החסידה זו דיה לבנה למה נקרא שמה חסידה שעושה חסידות עם חברותיה
“And the ḥasida, and the anafa after its kinds” are nonkosher birds (Leviticus 11:19), Rav Yehuda says: As for the ḥasida, this is the white stork. And why is it called ḥasida? Since it performs charity [ḥasidut] for its fellows, giving them from its own food.
השם השביעי משמות הקודש הוא שם הנקרא א"ל. וצריכין אנו להודיעך סוד השם הזה על דרך העיקר, וכשתבין העיקר אז תבין כל מקום שאתה מוצא בו לשון אל. כבר הודענוך בשערים הקודמים כי שם אל ממונה על החסד והרחמים, והוא סוד המידה אשר ירש אברהם אבינו עליו השלום, כאמרו: ויקרא שם בשם יקוק אל עולם (בראשית כא, לג).
The seventh Name from the Holy Names is the one known as EL. We must make you aware of the essence of this Name by giving you its essence. When you comprehend this essence, then wherever you find the name EL. In previous gates we have already explained that the name EL is in charge of compassion and mercy and it is the essence of the attributes that Abraham, our father, inherited, as he said: "...and invoked there the Name YHVH, the everlasting EL." (Genesis 21:33)...
ועתה דע והבן כי בעת הצרות היו הקדושים והחסידים ממהרים להתפלל ולהתכוין למידת אל, וזהו שאנו אומרים; 'אל מלך יושב על כסא רחמים'. ונקראת גם כן אל עליון, והנה אברהם אבינו עליו השלום השתדל כל ימיו אחרי המידה הזאת שכולה חסד ורחמים וחנינה, וקיבל עליו כמה מיני יסורים וכמה מיני צער כדי שיהיה זוכה לה, וברוב השתדלותו ואהבתו אותה זכה שהיתה לו ירושת עולם, וזהו סוד: ברוך אברם לא"ל עליו"ן.
Now realize that in times of trouble the saints [the Kedoshim] and the pious [Chasidim] would hasten to pray and direct their thoughts to the attribute EL, which is why we call G!d EL, King who dwells on the throne of mercy. And G!d is also called EL ELYON (Supernal EL). For Abraham our father aspired all his days toward this attribute which is absolute compassion, mercy and forgiveness, and he accepted many trials and afflictions so that he would be worthy of it. Because of his extensive efforts and his love, he was awarded this everlasting inheritance. This is the essence of the blessing, "Blessed is Abram to the uppermost EL." (Genesis 14:19).
If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace [lit chesed]; they shall be excommunicated in the sight of their kinsfolk. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister, he shall bear his guilt.
Olam Chesed Yibaneh עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה:
- I love with a boundary-less love. I love into every nook and cranny.
- I see everything that exists as an expression of [G!d's] love. Even when it is hidden, the whole world is love.
- Love chesed and walk with God (based on Micha 6:8)
- If I am only for myself, what am I? (Pirkei Avot 1:14)
(ב) לְשֵׁם יִחוּד קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ בִּדְחִילוּ וּרְחִימוּ לְיַחֵד שֵׁם י"ה בְּו"ה בְּיִחוּדָא שְׁלִים בְּשֵׁם כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(ג) הִנְ֒נִי מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה. וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹֽמֶר הַתְּ֒נוּפָה שֶֽׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימוֹת תִּהְיֶֽינָה: עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁ֒בִיעִית תִּסְפְּ֒רוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה לַיקוק:
(ד) וִיהִי נֹֽעַם אדושם אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ עָלֵֽינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵֽינוּ כּוֹנְנָה עָלֵֽינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵֽינוּ כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ:
(ה) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יקוק אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר:
4. הַיּוֹם אַרְבָּעָה יָמִים בָּעֹֽמֶר:
(3) I am prepared and ready to perform the affirmative command to count the Omer, as is written in the Torah: “And you shall count for yourselves, from the day after the day of rest, from the day you bring the omer as the wave-offering, seven complete weeks shall there be; until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days; and you shall bring a new meal-offering unto Adonoy.” Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.
(4) May the pleasantness of my Master our God be upon us, and the work of our hands established for us, and the work of our hands—establish it.
(5) Blessed are You, Adonoy, our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.
Today is the fourth day of the Omer
Netzach Sh'b'Chesed
