Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, if you aren't familiar, is a fascinating early medieval text that retells and expands upon stories from the Torah. It's full of amazing imagery and profound insights.
And in chapter 18, we find a powerful moment: Israel, representing the Jewish people, speaks directly to God.
What do they say? It’s a plea, a heartfelt acknowledgment of our dependence on divine grace. "Sovereign of the worlds!" Israel exclaims, "Thou didst complete the heavens and the earth… let not Thy mercy and loving-kindness be withheld." The heavens and the earth, everything around us, brought into being through God's creative power. But the creation isn't a one-time event, a set-it-and-forget-it kind of deal. No, according to this passage, the world's continued existence depends on God's ongoing mercy and loving-kindness, that constant flow of chesed (loving-kindness) that sustains everything.
Israel continues, "If Thou withholdest Thy mercy and loving-kindness we are unable to exist, because the world rests upon Thy mercy and loving-kindness." It’s a pretty stark statement, isn't it? We are utterly dependent. The world is utterly dependent.
It's not about being weak, though. It's about recognizing a fundamental truth: that our existence is a gift, a constant act of divine generosity.
To emphasize this point, the passage then quotes the prophet Isaiah: "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee… saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:10). Even if the seemingly most stable things in the world – mountains and hills – were to vanish, God's kindness will remain. That's quite a promise.
And it doesn't stop there. The passage also draws upon the Psalms: "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever of old" (Ps. 25:6). This is both a reminder and a request. Remember your past acts of mercy, God, because they are the foundation of our hope for the future.
So, what does this all mean for us today?
Perhaps it's an invitation to cultivate a greater sense of gratitude. To recognize that every breath we take, every moment we experience, is a gift. And maybe, just maybe, it's a call to action. If the world rests on God's mercy and loving-kindness, then we, as partners in creation, have a responsibility to embody those qualities in our own lives. To extend kindness, to show mercy, and to act with loving-kindness towards others, thereby helping to sustain the world, one small act at a time. Because, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, the fate of the world might just depend on it.