Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, an early collection of Biblical stories and interpretations, gives us a glimpse. It paints a picture of a God deeply invested in the well-being of this new creation. Imagine the scene: the first human is created. And God turns to the ministering angels and says, in essence, "Let's go down and show them some love!"
"Come, let us descend and render loving service to the first man and to his help-mate," the text says. Why? Because, it explains, "the world rests upon the attribute of the service of loving-kindness."
Loving-kindness: In Hebrew, that's chesed. It’s more than just being nice. It’s actively seeking out ways to help, to support, to uplift others. And according to this ancient text, it’s the very foundation of the world. But the story doesn't end there. God makes an even bolder claim.
He says that this act of chesed, this demonstration of loving-kindness, is more beloved to Him than even the sacrifices and burnt offerings that the Israelites will bring in the future. As the prophet Hosea says, quoted in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, "For I desire love, and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6).
Wow.
That's a pretty powerful statement, isn't it? Think about all the emphasis placed on ritual sacrifice in the Bible. And yet, here we have God saying that a simple act of loving-kindness is more valuable. It's a radical re-prioritization.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What if we focused less on grand gestures and more on small acts of chesed in our own lives? What if we prioritized loving-kindness above all else? What kind of world would we create? Could we, in our own way, be recreating that first day of creation, over and over again?