Chesed—loving-kindness, loyal love, covenant faithfulness—is one of the central attributes of God and one of the three pillars on which the world stands (Pirkei Avot 1:2). Micah 6:8 summarizes what the Lord requires of His people: “to do justice, and to love chesed, and to walk humbly with your God.” The word appears repeatedly in the Thirteen Attributes and throughout the Psalms as the defining characteristic of the Lord’s dealings with Israel.
Acts of chesed are among the primary ways the Sages say we “avert the evil decree.” They are also among the most accessible forms of teshuvah. Where speech has wounded, kindness can begin to heal. Where indifference has prevailed, a concrete act of care reopens the heart. The classic Yom Kippur haftarah, Isaiah 58, insists that the true fast is inseparable from sharing bread with the hungry, bringing the homeless poor into one’s house, and not hiding oneself from one’s own flesh.
The Apostolic Writings present kindness as fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and commands believers to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Messiah forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Yeshua’s own ministry was marked by relentless chesed—touching lepers, eating with tax collectors, welcoming children, and ultimately laying down His life. To walk in His steps is to grow in the same loyal love.
For the House of Israel, the entire history of redemption is a story of divine chesed. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My chesed to you” (Jeremiah 31:3). The restoration promised by the prophets will be the climactic expression of that steadfast love: the gathering of the exiles, the reunification of the two houses, the new covenant written on the heart, and the permanent dwelling of God among His people. Every act of human chesed in this season becomes a small echo of the great chesed that will one day restore all things.
Growing in chesed requires intentional practice. It is easy to be kind when it costs little; the test comes when kindness requires inconvenience, financial sacrifice, or emotional vulnerability. The Sages teach that the highest form of chesed is that which is done anonymously and without expectation of return. In this season such acts become both personal teshuvah and a living prayer for the day when the knowledge of the Lord’s kindness will cover the earth.
Practice for Day 18:
Perform at least one deliberate act of kindness that costs you something—time, money, attention, or convenience—without expectation of return or recognition. As you do so, thank the God of Israel for His steadfast love toward the House of Israel and toward you. Let the act become both repentance and intercession.
