Walking in His Ways Printed with permission from "The Chesed Boomerang" by Jack Doueck www.judaicapress.com The Torah teaches us that man was created in God's image. This obviously does not mean a physical image. God's image is the divine spark of spirituality that each human being is blessed with. The spark gives man the potential for unlimited spiritual and creative success. This "divine image" separates man from beast. It is the essential reason that man is the only animal in the world that gets ashamed. When a human being makes a mistake he might feel embarrassed, regretful. When you look at the face of another human being, you are looking into the eyes of divine spirit. When you help or connect with the another person, you are connecting yourself with God. The Mishnah (Avot 3:18) declares: "He (Rabbi Akiva) used to say: Beloved is man, for he was created in the image of God." All men were created in God's image. All men are brothers, partners in the work of creation. Doing acts of chesed further unites and promotes this spirituality in the world. To hurt another human being is, in some way, to hurt the divine spark, the divine soul. It is to deplete the spirituality in the world. The prophet, Malachi, put it very simply (2:10): "Have we not all one father? Has not one God created all of us?" One of the greatest, most prolific thinkers in history is Moses Maimonides, the Rambam. He writes:"...the purpose of the laws of the Torah is to promote compassion, loving-kindness and peace in the world". Return to 'Our Tradition' Menu