We often think of God as this distant, powerful being, but Jewish tradition paints a much more intimate picture. It suggests that God is actively involved in our lives, even in the smallest details. And get this: according to some of our oldest texts, God performs acts of kindness just like we do!
Take the very beginning, for example. Genesis 3:21 tells us, "The Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them." A simple act of providing clothing. But the Rabbis saw so much more in it. They saw a model for how we should behave.
The Kohelet Rabbah points out that the Holy One, blessed be He, performs acts of kindness: adorning brides, blessing grooms, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and comforting mourners. Now, that's quite the to-do list! a little. The text uses biblical verses to illustrate each point. "He adorns brides," it says, "as it is written: 'The Lord God built [the rib that he took from the man into a woman, and He brought her to the man]' (Genesis 2:22)." Now, Rabbi Yoḥanan takes this verse and runs with it. He doesn't just say God "built" Eve; he says God adorned her and then showed her to Adam!
Rabbi Abbahu adds a beautiful detail. He asks, "Perhaps you will say that He showed her to him from behind a carob tree or from behind a sycamore tree?" As if God just shoved her out there! No, no, says Rabbi Abbahu. God adorned her with twenty-four types of jewelry before presenting her to Adam. The Midrash HaMevo’ar further emphasizes that even though Eve was created from Adam's rib and naturally should have been right next to him, God took the time to bring her to another location to adorn her and then brought her to Adam. Talk about presentation!
And it doesn't stop there. God "blesses grooms," as Genesis 1:28 states, "God blessed them." Simple and direct. God "visits the ill," as we see when "The Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre" (Genesis 18:1), visiting Abraham after his circumcision. God "buries the dead," as it is written, "He buried him in the valley" (Deuteronomy 34:6), referring to Moses' burial. And God "comforts the mourners," as evidenced by the story in Genesis 35:8: "He called its name Alon Bakhut" – the Oak of Weeping.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman explains that Alon Bakhut marks the place where Jacob mourned. While he was mourning Deborah, his nursemaid, he received news of his mother Rebecca’s death, and he wept two weepings – bekhiyot – hence the name. The very next verse tells us, “And God appeared to Jacob again… and blessed him” (Genesis 35:9). The Rabbis interpret this as God blessing Jacob with the blessing of mourners, offering solace in his grief.
What's the takeaway here? It's not just that God can do all these things. It's that God does do them. And by doing them, God sets an example for us. We are meant to emulate God, to walk in God's ways, to be partners in the ongoing work of creation.
So, the next time you're performing a simple act of kindness – visiting a friend who's sick, offering condolences to someone who's grieving, helping a bride prepare for her big day – remember that you're not just being a good person. You're imitating God. You're participating in a divine tradition that stretches back to the very beginning of time. And that, my friends, is a powerful thought.