As the Hebrew year 5782 draws to a close and we gear up for the High Holidays, Jews all over the world naturally begin a period of reflection. As we at Temple Shalom continue our focus on community, we must also consider the values that are central to our community, our kehillah kedosha. Chesed, the concept of loving kindness, is a primary ethical virtue in Judaism.
Like many Hebrew words, chesed doesn’t translate directly into English. It is more than just kindness, it is loving kindness. It is also more than just an idea. It is the act of giving oneself fully with love and compassion. Chesed appears in the Torah to communicate G-d’s kindness and love toward humanity as well as human kindness and love toward each other. Acts of chesed are not merely a virtue within Judaism, but a representation of the covenant of Judaism. This covenant can be interpreted as the way G-d wants us to live or as the social contract that guides us to live as our tradition teaches.
As we move into the new year, we challenge all of our members and our larger community to take stock and find ways to give themselves fully in acts of compassion. As a Temple, we are asking our community to act on this through a planned blood drive, donations to our local family shelter, support for Canopy, and participation in our Caring and Social Action work.
But it doesn’t stop there. Please look for ways to extend chesed in your personal and professional lives. Find ways to welcome the stranger and show kindness, compassion and love to all those that need it.
As we move into the year 5783, we must join together to grow and strengthen our bonds of friendship as a community. To this end, we invite all those interested to join us to celebrate and observe the High Holidays; together, with loving kindness.
Erin Cohen and Melissa Woods