Introduction: Chesed which flows from the source of the Jewish soul

Sep 2, 2026

Introduction explains a distinctive, specifically Jewish form of kindness rooted in the “source of the Jewish soul.” It contrasts ordinary Chesed with Chesed that arises from profound identification: another person’s distress becomes personally felt as one’s own, as if sharing the same pain. The discussion uses rabbinic teachings to define divine empathy, human capacity to mirror others through being created in God’s image, and the virtue of carrying a fellow’s burden.

LanguageEnglish

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Pages149

Reading Time52 min

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Introduction: Chesed which flows from the source of the Jewish soul

Ordinary Chesed vs. Chesed from the Jewish soul

Empathy as “I am with him in distress”

Being created in God’s image and sharing feelings

Nosei B’ol Im Chaveiro: carrying another’s burden

Dedications לעילוי נשמת הרב ישראל יוסף אליהו בן ר׳ טוביה הלוי זצ״לאחי ורבי, ידיד נאמן, נעים בכל דרכיו Rabbi Yosef Lasdun, zt”l, the toil of Torah was his joy לעילוי נשמת הרב ראובן צבי זצ״ל, בן הרב מנחם יצחק הי״ומלמד תשב״ר, אהוב וחביב לתלמידיו לקרוביו ולחבריו Rabbi Reuven Bauman, zt”l, beloved Yeshiva Rebbi יהי זכרם ברוך תנצב״ה Note: To avoid confusion, there are two different terms followed by a specific number, included within parenthesis: “Source”, e.g., “Source III-1”: This refers to the sources, i.e., Hebrew texts and translation, which are quoted in this presentation. Sections I-XI, each have multiple “source boxes” which contain these source texts. For example, in Section II, the source boxes are numbered as: Source II-1, Source II-2, Source II-3, etc. Therefore, when a note, “Source II-3,” is found within the text of a paragraph, it is a cross-reference to the third source box in Section II. (Exception: The source boxes in the “Introduction” section are numbered as Source A-1, Source A-2). “Ref.”, e.g., “Ref. 7”: This is used to denote the cited references, which are enumerated in detail in the “References” list on pp. 117-120. For example, when a note, “Ref. 7,” is found within the text of a paragraph, the details of this citation are found on p. 117. Moreover, “Ref. 7,” is found many times, followed by different page numbers, e.g. “Ref. 7, p. 359” or, “Ref. 7, pp. 201-202”. These page numbers indicate the page number within citation # 7 (Reb Chatzkel, by Rabbi Yitzchak Kasnett). Introduction: Chesed which flows from the source of the Jewish soul What characteristic could be defined as a singularly Jewish trait? The Gemara in Mesechta Yevamos (Daf 79a) states that Dovid Hamelech said, “There are three defining characteristics of this (Jewish) nation: They are merciful, exhibit shame and perform acts of kindness.” Yet, we know that much kindness (Chesed) is also conducted by the other nations? Rav Matisyahu Salomon (henceforth: “Rav Matisyahu”) explains that there are two types of Chesed: Ordinary Chesed, and a special type of “Chesed which flows from the source of the Jewish soul” (see Source III-12; p. 40). What is the meaning of “Chesed which flows from the source of the Jewish soul?” Rav Matisyahu explains: “I am driven to help my friend because of our close familial (“שאר בשר”) kinship, whereby his distress adversely affects me as if I am suffering from the same pain. I save my friend because his pain is so unbearable for me and thus, I feel that I am saving myself.” In other words, I perform this act of Chesed not merely because I see someone who lacks something or because my emotions are aroused by his pitiful plight. Rather, his unmet need is transformed into my own need and his difficult plight hurts me as if I stand in his metaphorical “shoes” enduring all the pain that he now suffers. Since I vicariously experience his suffering, therefore, when I help him, I feel as if I am rescuing myself from that distress. Rav Eytan Feiner explains that when Dovid HaMelech said in Tehillim (91:15), “עמו אנכי בצרה” – “I am with him in (his) distress” – it denotes that Hashem, kavayachol (so to speak), feels our suffering with the same intensity that we experience it. Despite Hashem’s exalted state, with regard to the Jewish people’s suffering, He, kavayachol, puts himself on the very same plane as us, experiencing every last morsel of our suffering. Hashem is with us during each step we take through darkness (Ref. 1). Rav Yechezkel Levenstein explains when Hashem created man in His Divine image *(b’Tzelem Elokim), he endowed us with the ability to access a portion of His capacity to share another’s feelings (Ref. 2). Thus, we were given the ability to transcend our human limitations and vicariously experience our fellow Jew’s pain or joy, as if we are living through the very events which affects him or her. Therefore, Rav Feiner says, it is within our capacity to authentically say to our fel

FAQs

What distinguishes “Chesed which flows from the source of the Jewish soul” from ordinary kindness?

It is driven by inner identification: the other person’s suffering becomes personally felt, as if the rescuer is experiencing the same distress. Helping then feels like saving oneself from that pain.

How do the teachings explain divine solidarity with Jewish suffering?

They interpret “I am with him in distress” as God’s empathy matching the intensity of our experience, placing His presence on the same plane as Israel’s suffering during every step through darkness.

What does “Nosei B’ol Im Chaveiro” add to the idea of empathy?

It describes a virtue of carrying a fellow’s burden, where empathy is so real that another’s pain or joy is felt as one’s own. The text links this ability to the closeness of all Jewish souls.

Sep 2, 2026

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