A Single act of Chesed
| Loving Chesed Mic. 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, To love chesed, And to walk humbly with your God? |
In a previous blog we asked several questions concerning the “Days of Messiah.” In this brief blog we will continue to ask thought provoking questions and offer an insight into beginning the [simple_tooltip content=’The Days of Messiah’]Y’mot HaMashiach[/simple_tooltip] within our sphere of influence immediately. Our cited passage from the Prophet Micah tells us that we are to walk in justice. In brief this means that we must exercise the mitzvoth as taught by the intermediaries of G-d, i.e the Hakhamim. This is intimated in the words “do justly” and “walk humbly” with G-d. Each of these statements require a considerable amount of “unpacking” per se. Here we will only, at present speak of the character of chesed. There are many things to be said about the proper way to perform acts of chesed. Here we will suggest only the idea that we perform acts of loving-kindness in our realm of influence. While we may think that we should perform acts of kindness towards our fellow Jews, we note that we should include Gentiles, animals and the cosmos per se. The greater act of chesed might be not littering the highway or showing kindness to creatures of our cosmos. We are taught by the Sages that it is a mitzvah to feed an animal (specifically and animal of service) before we sit down to our own meal. In all of this we must look at our attitude and make sure that we have the right attitude.
CHANGING THE COSMOS WITH ONE ACT OF CHESED A DAY
In all of the spurious thoughts we say that we can change the entire cosmos one act at a time. Along with this goes the idea of changing the world (cosmos) one mitzvah at a time. We wait for some magical kingdom or transformation divorcing ourselves from acts of kindness – tikun that will rectify the damage done to the cosmos. Chesed is the healing balm that rectifies the failings of humanity. Surely Messiah will bring great change to the world and cosmos. But we are obligated to initiate the process.
When G-d initiated the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle – Shemot Ex. 25:8) He was establishing a precedential norm for interacting with the Divine Presence (Shekinah). Contained in the word “Shekinah” is the idea of neighbouring in close proximity. In other words, the constructing of the Mishkan was a way for the Divine presence to dwell “near” those who characterized the characteristics that would retain the Divine Presence. Chesed produces an atmosphere, “Mishkan” for the Divine Presence. Therefore, acts of chesed generates a spiritual field of energy (virtue). In the case where the woman with the issue of blood came and touched the tzitzit (fringes) of Yeshua’s garment he notes when the Divine energy (virtuous – energy) flowed out by saying “virtue has gone out of him.” Yeshua was a tabernacle (Mishkan) filled with the Divine Presence. This does not and did not make him “G-d!” He demonstrated a life of “chesed” and obedience to the mitzvoth of G-d. This he made himself a vessel for the Divine Presence. His life is, as are many lives of the Sages living demonstrations on what we must do to bring tikun to the cosmos.
The Hakhamim have modelled self-less lives as a living demonstration how to draw the Divine Presence. However, a greater truth remains hidden. Each act of chesed and each mitzvah taught is an act of drawing the Y’mot HaMashiach nearer. We can say “Olam HaBa a thousand times and fail to grasp the thought that the “Olam HaBa” is a world that is “Coming.” Chesed is a tool, a gate that is key to “drawing” the “Coming World” ever closer.
Like many other things that need to be said concerning this passage we note that the Ruach (Hakodesh) and the “Kallah” (Bride, i.e. the Hakhamim) seek to draw our presence closer to that “Coming World.”
Do not let the sacred tool of Chesed remain some “mystical” idea unattended. “Normal Mysticism” as an ordinary act of chesed and kindness bring us nearer to the ever “Coming World.”
We readily admit that there are many truths that will develop out of these words. But let us endeavour to make acts of chesed a daily way of drawing the Olam HaBa ever closer.