Like a Father Has Compassion and a Mother Comforts

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion" (Psalms 103:13). Like which father? Rabbi Chiyya taught: like the most compassionate of the fathers. And who is the most compassionate of the fathers? Rabbi Azaryah in the name of Rabbi Acha said: this is our father Abraham. You find that before the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the flood upon the people of Sodom, our father Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the worlds, You swore that You would not bring a flood upon the world." And what is the reason? "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me, as I have sworn" (Isaiah 54:9). "A flood of water You will not bring, but perhaps You will bring a flood of fire? And how can You evade the oath? Far be it from You to do such a thing" (Genesis 18:25). Rabbi Levi said: "Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?" (Genesis 18:25). If You seek strict justice, there is no world, and if You seek a world, there is no strict justice. Why do You grasp the rope at both ends, desiring a world and desiring justice of truth? If You do not relent a little, the world cannot endure. Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nechemyah explained the verse concerning our father Jacob: "And he himself passed over before them and bowed himself" (Genesis 33:3). What is "and he himself"? While he was still in distress, he said, "Better that the trouble strike me and not my children." What did he do? He armed them within and clothed them in white garments without, and he prepared himself for three things: for prayer, for a gift, and for war. For prayer, "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother" (Genesis 32:12). For a gift, "And the present passed over before him" (Genesis 32:22). For war, "And he said, If Esau comes to the one camp and strikes it" (Genesis 32:9), from here onward we will make war with him. Rabbi Shmuel said: It is the way of a father to have compassion, "As a father has compassion on his children" (Psalms 103:13), and it is the way of a mother to comfort, "As one whom his mother comforts" (Isaiah 66:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I will do what a father does and I will do what a mother does. I will do what a father does, As a father has compassion on his children (Psalms 103:13). I will do what a mother does, As one whom his mother comforts (Isaiah 66:13)." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I, even I, am He who comforts you" (Isaiah 51:12).