by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

At the beginning of creation, God saw that if He created a universe in which each individual is judged exactly in accordance with the merit of his deeds and intentions, the universe could not exist. He therefore combined the attribute of mercy with the attribute of judgment, and with both--mercy before judgment--created the world.

The natural order of creation reflects Divine judgment; Divine mercy is expressed in the form of miracles, defined as a superseding of the strict laws of nature. God's mercy is to all His creations, as is said in Psalms: "God is good to all, and His mercy extends to all His creatures."

As explained above, continual re-creation is an act of Divine lovingkindness. The fixed laws of nature, which function within created time and space, reflect the Divine attribute of might and judgment. The fundamental "law" of Divine judgment is referred to as "measure for measure." In His infinite mercy (the inner dimension of the Divine attribute of beauty), God makes the supernatural realm manifest.

Recognizing God's attribute of mercy, His desire and power to change the flow of nature (not merely in response and in proportion to the merits of man), arouses a desire in the heart of man to turn to Him in devoted worship.

In the idiom of our sages, prayer is referred to as "[beseeching] mercy." We pray that God miraculously heal the sick, provide for the poor and bless the barren with children. We pray for the clarity of mind and heart to know God, and to be able to emulate His ways.

Our sages teach us that the way to arouse God's mercy is to emulate His attribute of mercy, to empathize with one's fellow man and shower compassion upon him. In their words: "Whoever shows mercy to others will be shown mercy from Heaven."

By contemplating history, both past and present, a non-Jew will surely see the wonder of God's mercy toward His children Israel. Even in times of destruction and exile, the torch of the Jewish People has never been extinguished (as the laws of nature would dictate). By contemplating this phenomenon, the non-Jew connects to the Divine attribute of mercy in his worship.

In our prayers we depict the Mashiach ("Messiah"), who will bring salvation to the entire world, as "a beggar beseeching mercy at the doorstep." By recognizing God's attribute and deeds of mercy to all (and especially His mercy and miracles to Israel), the non-Jew connects to the soul of the true savior of mankind.