The Torah portion of Chayei Sarah (Bereishis 23:1-25:18) also contains many references to chessed-kindness. First there is a description of the burial and eulogy of our matriarch Sarah, which are acts of kindness; then the Torah recounts how Rivkah was chosen for Yitzchak after she was tested on the attribute of benevolence. The Torah also records that Yitzchak and Yishmael buried our forefather Avraham, and the Torah alludes to the fact the Holy One extended condolences to the mourning Yitzchak. These are all aspects of chessed.

In the portion of Vayetze (Bereishis 28:10-32:3), as well, the Torah mentions that Yaakov vowed to separate a tenth of all his possessions, and we may assume that he distributed that tithe to charity and other acts of kindness.

The truth is that we could go on and on listing all the places where we find the idea of chessed mentioned in the Torah. In fact, many of the Torah’s commandments are designed to teach us the attribute of chessed. Now, a thinking person should realize that if the entire Torah is so full of references to this attribute, then how important it must be to strengthen our fulfillment and commitment to it, and not be satisfied with a few acts of kindness that are done here and there once a month or once a week; rather, he will constantly engage in this attribute.