Kindness or Compassion? What the Exodus Reveals About God’s Love

Kindness (chesed) and compassion (rachamim) are two traits that characterize a Jew.

The boundary between these two qualities can sometimes blur, causing an act of compassion to appear to us as an act of kindness, and an act of kindness to seem like compassion. In truth, however, kindness and compassion are two distinct inner forces, each drawing from different spiritual roots.

Compassion: A Response to Suffering

Compassion is awakened by an external trigger. In most cases, the feeling of compassion does not arise unless a person is exposed to a situation that evokes pity. When someone encounters another person’s distress, their compassion is stirred and seeks expression.

Kindness: An Inner Drive to Give

The quality of kindness is fundamentally different. Kindness is an inner movement of the soul that flows from the depths of a person’s character toward those around them. It does not require an external stimulus to awaken it. Rather, it is an internal force that seeks to give of itself and to complete another person’s lack, even when that person is not actively suffering.

The Redemption from Egypt: Kindness or Compassion?

Parashat Beshalach concludes the redemption from Egypt and recounts one of the greatest miracles in history, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. The period of exile ends, and the people of Israel are redeemed from their suffering.

Which attribute did the Holy One, blessed be He, use to redeem Israel from Egypt: compassion or kindness?

There is no doubt that the condition of the Israelites during the exile aroused deep compassion. God says to Moshe: “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their pain… And now, behold, the cry of the Children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which Egypt oppresses them” (Shemot 3:7–9). God speaks of seeing their poverty, their cries, their pain, and their oppression. At first glance, it seems that Israel was redeemed through divine compassion.

Was that truly the case?

The Detail That Reveals Divine Kindness

When the Children of Israel left Egypt, the Torah states: “Today you are going out, in the month of spring” (Shemot 13:4). Rashi, citing the Midrash, explains: “Did we not already know in which month they went out? Rather, He said to them: See the kindness that He has shown you, for He took you out in a month that is suitable for travel, neither too hot nor too cold, and without rain.”

Why does the Torah emphasize the weather at the time of redemption? The Israelites had suffered terribly. The Egyptians tortured them and cruelly murdered their children. Their desire was simple: to leave Egypt as quickly as possible. Would their joy have been diminished had they left in harsh winter weather or on a blazing summer day?

A Parable of Love Beyond Necessity

To understand this, consider a parable.

A small baby needs frequent changes of clothing. Typically, the mother bathes the baby with fragrant soap, applies creams, dresses the child in clean clothes, and within minutes the baby spits up or soils itself. The effects of the bath disappear completely, and there is an urgent need to change the baby’s clothes once again.

Usually, when the mother carries her baby from the crib to the changing table, she showers the child with kisses during those brief moments. These kisses teach us that the changing is not done merely out of compassion for the baby whose dirty clothes cause discomfort. It goes far beyond that. She loves the child. Her love transforms the act itself into a purpose, strengthening the emotional bond and increasing affection.

Redemption with “Kisses” of Love

The Holy One, blessed be He, did not take His children out of Egypt in a purely technical way, merely to rescue them from suffering and save them from their pursuers. He led them out with “kisses” of love. The seemingly insignificant detail of pleasant weather reveals which divine attribute was present at the Exodus: kindness. “See the kindness that He has shown you.” The fact that God took them out in a month without extreme heat or cold teaches that the redemption was not only an act of compassion to relieve suffering, but also, and perhaps primarily, an act of loving kindness, a desire to bestow goodness upon His children.

Kindness at the Splitting of the Sea

God’s love is expressed again at the splitting of the sea. The Torah states: “Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind all night, and He turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were split. The Children of Israel came into the midst of the sea on dry land, and the waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left” (Shemot 14:21–22).

The sea split, and its floor became completely dry. By leading the people across on dry ground, as if on a paved road, God demonstrated His special affection. Had this been merely an act of compassion born of necessity, they could have crossed through wet ground, mud, and sludge. Instead, God chose kindness. He wanted it to be good for them.

Kindness in Daily Life

We must open our eyes to the immense kindness of God that surrounds us in nearly every area of life. God created food not only out of compassion so that we might survive, but with beauty, color, taste, and aroma. As we say in the Grace after Meals: “Who nourishes the entire world in His goodness, with grace, kindness, and compassion.”

Understanding this relationship between the Creator and His people should guide the way we relate to our family members and friends. In almost every step of life, we encounter these two dimensions: compassion and kindness. Life often obligates us to do things we must do. The great secret is to do them with added kindness and grace.

You bathe your children. You prepare them dinner. You help a friend. Let them feel that you are not doing it only out of obligation or compassion, but also out of kindness, and love.