62. What are Kindness, Righteousness and Judgment?
Before proceeding to the conclusion, the Rambam tells us that the meanings of three terms must be clarified: chesed (kindness), tzedaka (righteousness), and mishpat (judgment). [III, 53]
Chesed is the act of extending a great amount of kindness. In Tanach, it generally refers to showing kindness to those who have done nothing to deserve it. This is the chesed shown by God. Even the act of creation was the result of His kindness, as per Psalms 89:3, “the world was built on chesed.” The Torah also tells us that God is “abundant with kindness” (Exodus 34:6).
While we commonly translate tzedaka as “charity,” it really means righteousness, from the word tzedek (justice). Tzedaka means to show kindness to a person according to what he has earned. When we fulfill our duty to assist our fellow man, it is an act of tzedaka – we are giving him assistance that he actually deserves. For example, when we return a borrower’s collateral to him, the Torah calls it an act of tzedaka (Deuteronomy 24:13). The term applies to any act of righteousness, even to placing one’s trust in God, as the Torah says of Abraham, “He believed in God, Who counted it as tzedaka for him” (Genesis 15:6).
Mishpat means to give a person what he has earned according to strict judgment, whether it be mercy or punishment.
So chesed means to give a person kindness what he has not earned, tzedaka means to show kindness that we are obligated to extend, and mishpat means to give a person what he deserves, for good or for bad.
Way back in section 4, we said that God’s “attributes” are really descriptions of his deeds. For this reason, God is called “Chasid” because He performs acts of chesed, such as creating the universe; He is called “Tzaddik” because He performs acts of tzedaka by providing for every living thing; and He is called “Shofeit” because He performs acts of mishpat, judging the acts performed by mankind. (See Exodus 34:6, Deuteronomy 32:4, and Genesis 18:25, respectively.)[1]
[1] As noted above, Exodus 34:6 actually uses the term “Rav chesed” – “abundant with kindness” – rather than “Chasid.”
