Chesed

Chesed (or khesed (חסד)) is the Hebrew word for "kindness." It is also commonly translated as "loving-kindness," or "love." Chesed is central to Jewish ethics and Jewish theology. Many Jewish thinkers view chesed as the primary virtue.

Kindness is valued by religious Jews of all denominations. It may be seen as a virtue or as a value which contributes to tikkun olam (repairing the world). It also is seen as the foundation of particular interpersonal commandments and of a variety of communal institutions.

Chesed is also one of the ten sephira on the kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is given the association of kindness and love, and is the first of the emotive attributes of the sephirot.