Yeshua Explored
July 2021
Mercy
How should we treat each other?
Then there’s the other aspect of chesed (lovingkindness), the little meaning, addressing the relationship between man and man. This is the popular usage of chesed within the Jewish community, fuelled by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) translation of the word as mercy.
This manifests as acts of kindness and charity, something that is very much a feature of Jewish society. These are not the acts of charity, such as giving to the poor, that are considered a duty. These are known as tzedakah, a religious obligation. Rather, chesed represents acts of kindness and charity that go above and beyond the expected and can be directed to anyone, even the rich and the undeserving. Subsequently many Jewish charitable initiatives make use of the word ‘chesed’ in their titles. How about Biblical examples? A good place to start is the Sermon on the Mount:
