Chesed (Mercy) — חסד

Chesed is the fourth Sefirah, the first emanation below the Supernal Triad, seated atop the Pillar of Mercy. It embodies the divine attribute of unbounded lovingkindness — the Zohar calls it Gedulah (Greatness), the overflowing beneficence of the Creator that sustains all worlds without discrimination. In the liturgical framework, Chesed corresponds to the patriarch Avraham, whose tent was open on all four sides. As the first of the seven lower Sefirot (the Middot), Chesed initiates the process by which divine grace descends toward manifestation, requiring Gevurah's counterbalance lest its abundance overwhelm the vessels.

Cross-Tradition Resonances