Parshas Beraishis - A World of Chessed

As we begin reading Sefer Bereishis, the Torah describes the creation of mankind:

“And G-d said, ‘Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness. They shall rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over the animals, the whole earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”” (Beraishis 1:26)

To whom was G-d speaking to when He said: “Let us make man”?

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b) explains that G-d was addressing the angels:

“Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: At the time that the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create a person, He created one group of ministering angels. He said to them: If you agree, let us fashion a person in our image. The angels said before him: Master of the Universe, what are the actions of this person You suggest to create? G-d said to them: His actions are such and such, according to human nature. The angels said before him: Master of the Universe: “What is man that You are mindful of him? And the son of man that You think of him?” (Psalms 8:5), i.e., a creature such as this is not worth creating. G-d outstretched His small finger among them and burned them with fire.

And the same occurred with a second group of angels. The third group of angels that He asked said before Him: Master of the Universe, the first two groups who spoke their mind before You, what did they accomplish? The entire world is Yours; whatever You wish to do in Your world, do. G-d then created the first person.”

The first two groups of angels recognized humanity’s flaws and potential for sin. From their perspective, creating such a being was irrational. Why, then, did G-d destroy these angels, and what does it mean that He “extended His small finger and burned them with fire”?

The Maharsha explains that Hashem created the world with His small finger, which represents Gemilos Chessed - acts of loving kindness. The angels who focused only on judgment and imperfection could not comprehend this Divine attribute. A world built on chessed could not sustain angels who rejected its very foundation. Thus, the same “finger” of kindness that created the world also eliminated those who denied its value.

We see that Hashem created and continues to sustain the world through loving-kindness. The universe exists not because humanity deserves it, but because Hashem desires a world built upon loving kindness — not strict justice. As Tehillim (89:3) teaches: “The world is built on chessed.”

When people become disheartened by the cruelty or selfishness they see around them — or when they despair of their own flaws — they should remember this lesson. Hashem knew humanity’s weaknesses and created us anyway. He continues to uphold creation with His kindness. Our task is to imitate Him: to treat others, and ourselves, with that same chessed.

We should focus on the tremendous kindness and love that Hashem has for us and His world and seek to imitate Hashem in how we relate to each other. In that way, we become partners with Hashem in sustaining the world. As we begin a new year, may we strengthen our capacity for chessed so that, like we read in the prayers for Rosh Hashanah, we will soon see evil “evaporate like smoke” in the face of the tremendous compassion and loving kindness among mankind.