"Hessed" for Kehillah Kinnus 2023/5783

The Hebrew word Hessed can be translated in a lot of different ways: The three options we'll work with today are:

Love

Kindness

Loving-Kindness

Since the word hessed is the subject of today's text study, it will be transliterated instead of translated each time it comes up. We may discuss other possible translations aside from the three above. Feel free to consider other options based on context and a little bit of your own creativity!

Our first source is from the mishnah, the later layer of Talmud, which can be called the written version of the oral Torah. The Talmud is divided into seders and masechets or tractates. This is Tractate "Avot" aka "Pirkei Avot-Chapters of the Fathers"

The next 2 texts are medieval commentaries on the mishnah above. In them you will find lots of examples of actions that are considered hesed. The text after these 2 is a medieval code of halacha-Jewish Law by Maimonides-RaMbaM and there too you will find some more concrete examples. Underline or circle each of the examples as you find them so you can consider the list that emerges. Which examples feel most important to you? Why might that be? Which examples feel like they don't fit? Why might that be? What might we learn from the inclusion of examples that we find surprising? Also, consider what patterns emerge? What do all the actions considered hesed have in common with each other? Where do you resonate or not resonate with the values conveyed by these texts? (that last question applies to every text you see today...and ever.) Where can you find machloket-disagreement between the medieval Rabbis who write these three texts?

There are other aspects of each of these texts that may also stand out to you. Feel free to explore whichever ones you feel drawn to.

Rebbeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avot 1:2:5

and on acts of hesed" As the matter that they said (Sukkah 49b), "Acts of hesed are greater than charity (tsedekah); since hesed is both with the poor and with the wealthy but charity is only with the poor. Great is hesed since it is both with one's body and with one's money, but charity is only with one's money." And this is what they said, (Bava Batra 9a), "One who gives a small coin to a poor man is blessed in six ways and one who comforts him with words is blessed in eleven." ... And acts of hesed are even to the wealthy, to lend them money at a time when it is not found in their hand and to give them advice, as King Shlomo said, (Proverbs 27:9), "Oil and incense gladden the heart, but the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel." [This] is to say, just like oil and incense gladden the heart, so [too] does one 's friend become delighted by personal advice; and when he gives him good advice, he is gladdened by it. And this trait of hesed brings God's satisfaction in front of Him, and for it was the world created - in order to do it...

Mishneh Torah, Laws of Mourning 14:1

(1) It is a positive commandment of Rabbinic origin to visit the sick, comfort mourners, to prepare for a funeral, prepare a bride, accompany guests, attend to all the needs of a burial, carry a corpse on one's shoulders, walk before the bier, mourn, dig a grave, and bury the dead, and also to bring joy to a bride and groom and help them in all their needs. These are deeds of kindness that one carries out with his person that have no limit.

Although all these mitzvot are of Rabbinic origin, they are included in the Scriptural commandment Leviticus 19:18: "Love your neighbor as yourself." That charge implies that whatever you would like other people to do for you, you should do for your comrade in the Torah and mitzvot.

(2) The reward one receives for accompanying guests is greater than all of the others. This is a statute which Abraham our Patriarch instituted and the path of kindness which he would follow. He would feed wayfarers, provide them with drink, and accompany them. Showing hospitality for guests surpasses receiving the Divine Presence as Genesis 18:3 states: "And he saw and behold there were three people."

Accompanying them is greater than showing them hospitality. Our Sages said: "Whoever does not accompany them is considered as if he shed blood."

Micha 6:8 (This is one of the books of the Prophets, which is part of the Hebrew Bible, AKA TaNaKh (Neviim-Prophets put the N in TaNaKh!)

“He told you, Human, what is good, And what GOD is seeking from you. Only:

to do justice, and love of Hessed, and modestly walk with your God.

What other traits are connected to hessed in this verse? What might we infer about how hessed relates to these other traits based on the verse alone? When you look at the next text, which is a rabbinic discussion about this verse, notice if your ideas align with or contradict the ideas presented there.

Masechet/Tractate Sukkah 49b (This is a tractate of gemara, the later layer of Talmud, which make up the written versions of the oral Torah. The Talmud often includes interpretations of biblical verses or pesukim. The Talmud's linguistic style feels very terse when translated directly. So the translator includes explanatory stuff that is not actually in the original. The direct translation is in bold and the non bolded words are the explanatory stuff, Try reading with only the bolded words to see if you can make sense of it or maybe even have multiple interpretations.)

What is “He told you, Human...(Micha 6:8)?" “To do justice”; this is judgment. “To love mercy”; this is acts of kindness. “To walk humbly with your God”; this is referring to taking the indigent dead out for burial and accompanying a poor bride to her wedding canopy,

In the verse from Jeremiah above, what "act" of hessed is referenced? Was this act included in the first few sources where lots of examples of hesed were listed? Who did this act of hessed and who received this act of hessed? Can you make an argument for multiple answers to the above question? How might this shift or expand your understanding of hesed?

In the next 2 texts, notice if there is a word that both texts have in common with the one above and consider how you might make meaning out of that common word. How does it help you understand Rabbi Elazar's statements about hessed and charity? Can you articulate how he is using the verse from Hoshea in both of his statements? Do you think the verse really supports his claims? Why does he make both of the claims he makes? What do they each contribute to your understanding of Hesed?

Hosea is another one of the books of the Prophets, which is part of the Hebrew Bible, AKA TaNaKh (Neviim-Prophets put the N in TaNaKh!)

More from Sukkah 49b

§ Rabbi Elazar said: One who performs acts of charity is greater than one who sacrifices all types of offerings, as it is stated: “To perform charity (righteousness) and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than an offering” (Proverbs 21:3), including all types of offerings. And Rabbi Elazar said: Acts of kindness, assisting someone in need, are greater than charity, as it is stated: “Plant for yourselves according to charity (righteousness), and reap according to kindness” (Hosea 10:12). This means: If a person plants, it is uncertain whether he will eat or whether he will not eat, since much can go wrong before the seed becomes food. However, if a person reaps, he certainly eats. In this verse, charity is likened to sowing, while acts of kindness are likened to reaping.

And Rabbi Elazar said: The reward for charity (righteousness) is paid from Heaven only in accordance with the kindness and generosity included therein and in accordance with the effort and the consideration that went into the giving. It is not merely in accordance with the sum of money, as it is stated: “Plant for yourselves according to charity, and reap according to kindness.”

...and some more from Sukkah 49b:

The Sages taught that acts of kindness are superior to charity in three respects: Charity can be performed only with one’s money, while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money. Charity is given to the poor, while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the rich. Charity is given to the living, while acts of kindness are performed both for the living and for the dead.

The 2 texts above compared the hesed with charity or TZeDaKa in Hebrew. Which one is better according to Rabbi Elazar and the Sages? What are the three reasons given by the Sages? What do you think of this claim and the three reasons given? The root TZ.D.K means just or righteous. So in Hebrew, the word for charity also has an implication of justice and righteousness. Does this help you understand the comparisons more clearly or does it raise new questions about the comparisons? Earlier, you saw Rabbeinu Yonah on Avot quote part of this text. Which part did he leave out? Why do you think he did that?

Jeremiah is another one of the books of the Prophets, which is part of the Hebrew Bible, AKA TaNaKh (Neviim-Prophets put the N in TaNaKh!)

What connection is made in this text between knowing God and hesed? How might this connection inform our understanding of hesed, acts of hesed, God, knowledge, human relationships etc...?