Abundant Kindness: Hashem Runs After the Poor
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Shemos 34:6
וַיַּעֲבֹר ה' עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא ה' ה' אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת
Hashem passed before him and proclaimed: Hashem, Hashem, God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness and truth.
133In his kavanos, the mystical intentions he set for each night, assigned to the sixth night the attribute of rav chessed, “abundant in kindness.” How great are Hashem's kindnesses to us! Had He bestowed on us only plain kindnesses, in keeping with the lowliness of our hearts, it would have been enough. How much more, then, the “doubled and redoubled good”1 that He awakens for us, the attribute of “abundant in kindness”!
[מב] האר"י הַק' סִידֵּר בְּכַוָּונַת לַלַּיְלָה ו' מִדַּת רַב חֶסֶד. כַּמָּה גּוֹדֶל חַסְדֵי ד' עָלֵינוּ, אִילּוּ הֵי' מַשְׁפִּיעַ לָנוּ רַק חֲסָדִים פְּשׁוּטִים לְפִי פְּחִיתוּת מַלְבִּינוֹ הֵי' דַּי, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה טוֹבָה כְּפוּלָה וּמְכוּפֶּלֶת שֶׁמְּעוֹרֵר לָנוּ מִדַּת "רַב חס"ד.
- The words of the Haggadah, after Dayeinu. ↩
In shortPlain kindness would already be more than our lowly hearts deserve; the sixth night's attribute, “abundant in kindness,” is Hashem's doubled and redoubled good.
134Rav chessed is understood through what the great and holy Maggid of Mezritch, zt"l, wrote on the attribute “He desires kindness,” one of the thirteen attributes in Michah.2 He built it on Chazal's saying: “Why does the foot of the gimmel stretch toward the dalet? Because it is the way of one who does kindness (gomel chassadim) to run after the poor (dalim).”3 That is, one who does kindness pursues tzedakah and kindness, and goes looking for the poor to give them his gift. In the same way the Holy One, blessed be He, in His great mercy and kindness, “desires kindness.” He reckons the end: how, and with what, to do us kindness, for His good will is only to do us good. This is the meaning of “to run after the poor”: after those who are poor and destitute in understanding, who are ashamed to lift their heads and to go in sackcloth to the King's gate4 to ask His help and His kindness. As Ezra the Scribe said, “I am ashamed and humiliated to lift my face, my God, to You.”5 But Hashem, because “He desires kindness,” goes looking for the poor and awakens for us the attribute of “abundant in kindness,” for His good will is only to do us good.
וְרַב חֶסֶד הוּא עפ"י מש"כ הַמַּגִּיד הַק' הַגָּדוֹל ממעזריטש זללה"ה עַל מִדַּת חֵפֶץ חֶסֶד מהי"ג מִדּוֹת דְּמִיכָה (מיכה ז') עפ"י מאחז"ל (שבת ק"ד) מַאי טַעְמָא פְּשׁוּטָה כַּרְעֵיהּ דְּגִימֶל לְגַבֵּי דֶּלֶת שֶׁכֵּן דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל גּוֹמְלֵי חֲסָדִים לָרוּץ אַחַר הַדַּלִּים, הַיְינוּ שֶׁהַגּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים הוּא רוֹדֵף צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד שֶׁמַּחֲזִיר אַחַר הָעֲנִיִּים לָתֵת לָהֶם נִדְבָתוֹ, וכמו"כ הקב"ה בְּרוֹב רַחֲמָיו וַחֲסָדָיו הוּא חֵפֶץ חֶסֶד, וְחוֹשֵׁב אֶת הַקֵּץ אֵיךְ וּמַה לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ חֶסֶד. שֶׁרְצוֹנוֹ הַטּוֹב רַק לְהֵטִיב לָנוּ, וז"ש לָרוּץ אַחַר הַדַּלִּים לַעֲנִיִּים וְדַלִּים בְּדַעַת שֶׁמִּתְבַּיְּישִׁים לְהָרִים רֹאשׁ וְלֵילֵךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ שַׂק אֶל שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ לְבַקֵּשׁ עֶזְרוֹ וְחַסְדּוֹ, וכמו"ש עֶזְרָא הַסּוֹפֵר (עזרא ט') בּוֹשְׁתִּי וְנִכְלַמְתִּי לְהָרִים אֱלֹקַי פָּנַי אֵלֶיךָ, אַךְ הקב"ה כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא חוֹזֵר אַחַר הַדַּלִּים, וּמְעוֹרֵר לָנוּ מִדַּת רַב חֶסֶד שֶׁרְצוֹנוֹ הַטּוֹב רַק לְהֵטִיב לָנוּ.
- Michah 7:18. The thirteen attributes of mercy are counted in Michah 7:18–20. ↩
- Shabbos 104a. ↩
- As in Esther 4:2: “for one may not enter the king's gate in sackcloth.” ↩
- Ezra 9:6. ↩
In shortAs the gimmel runs after the dalet, Hashem, Who “desires kindness,” seeks out the poor in spirit who are too ashamed to come to His gate, and awakens abundant kindness for them.
135This comes through great submission and through making oneself small, less and then less again, as a person takes to heart how great his poverty is and how meager his deeds. As the holy Zohar says, “Whoever is ze'ir, small, is rav, great.”6 That is, through the attribute of submission a person comes to receive rav chessed, great kindness. This is what we say in our prayers, “With great love (ahavah rabbah) You have loved us”:7 out of the greatness of His love, a mighty love, He bestows on us great good from the attribute of “abundant in kindness.”
וְהַיְינוּ ע"י גּוֹדֶל הַכְנָעָה וְהִתְמַעֲטוּת בְּמִיעוּט אַחַר מִיעוּט כִּי מֵשִׂים אֶל לִבּוֹ גּוֹדֶל עֲנִיּוּתוֹ וְדַלּוּת מַעֲשָׂיו. כמ"ש (הזוה"ק שלח דף קס"ח) מַאן דְּאִיהוּ "זְעֵיר אִיהוּ "רַב. הַיְינוּ ע"י מִדַּת הַכְנָעָה זוֹכֶה לְרַב חֶסֶד. וְזֶה שֶׁאָנוּ אוֹמְרִים בִּתְפִלּוֹתֵינוּ אַהֲבָה "רַבָּה אֲהַבְתָּנוּ שֶׁמִּגּוֹדֶל אַהֲבָתוֹ אַהֲבָה עַזָּה מַשְׁפִּיעַ לָנוּ רַב טוּב מִמִּדַּת רַב חֶסֶד:
- Zohar III 168a–b (Shelach), in the words of the head of the heavenly academy (the sefer has 169); also Zohar I 122b (Chayei Sarah, Tosefta). ↩
- From Ahavah Rabbah, the blessing before the morning Shema. ↩
In shortAbundant kindness comes to one who makes himself small, for “whoever is small is great,” and the One Who loves us with “great love” answers with great good.
Takeaway
When we feel too poor in deeds to lift our faces to Hashem, that very shame can be the door, for Hashem runs after the poor. If we take our smallness to heart, we can trust Him to answer it with His abundant kindness.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Yerachmiel Yisroel Yitzchok Danziger of Alexander. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.