One of the avodos of this Yom Tov—especially on the first day, which is the Ushpiza of Avraham Avinu—is to implant in ourselves the middah of chessed. Avraham Avinu introduced the concept of chessed to the world. His purpose in his chessed was to proclaim the Name of Hashem in the world. The Gemara (Sotah 10b) tells us that Avraham Avinu would feed passersby, and when they had eaten, they got up to bless him. That is when he would tell them, “Did you eat from my food and drink?! You ate and drank from the Master of the World; give thanks to the One Who spoke and through this created the world!” In this way, he brought them close to the Ribbono shel Olam. For chessed has the ability to remove the klipah of the nations of the world, and it enables people to see the world in a real way.
Actions Speak Louder
Avraham Avinu used the vehicle of chessed to drive home the Omnipresence of Hashem because it is action-based. Aside from proclaiming Hashem through Torah and tefillah—which are based in the mind and heart—action is required as well. To remove the klipah of the nations of the world, one must do chessed. For if one is a Yid only through Torah and tefillah, not through concrete action, there will still remain a klipah of the nations of the world. Even if the klipah will not dominate his mind and heart, it will continue to affect his actions: When he is occupied with spiritual pursuits, he will remember the Ribbono shel Olam, but when he goes to business, the klipah will remain. This is why it’s important to infuse even our actions with the Presence of Hashem.
In order to be a Yid, one must reach even the aspect of action. One must exude kindness to others in a practical way—in a way that will uproot his self-centeredness.
A goy doesn’t understand the concept of chessed. Shlomo HaMelech tells us חטאת, לאומים חסד the kindness of regimes is a sin (Mishlei 14:34)—there’s no such thing as selfless kindness in a goy; there must be something in it for him. But for a Yid, the greatest success is to give to others. Even if the recipient has no idea about it, it is the greatest accomplishment for a Yid to have given a few hours of his time to another, and he sees Olam HaBa success in it.
