Chesed ("Kindness"; חסד) is the fourth
Sephirah on the
tree of life in the
Kabbalah. It is given the association of
kindness and
love, and is the first of the emotive attributes of the Sephirot. It sits below
Chokhmah, across from
Gevurah and above
Netzach. It is usually given four paths. To Chokhmah, Gevurah,
Tiphereth, and
Netzach (some Kabbalists place a path from Chesed to
Binah as well.)
The first three of the Ten Sephirot, are the attributes of the "intellect," while Chesed is the first sephira of the attribute of "action."
Chesed, translated as kindness, is often thought of as being synonymous with niceness, but the connotation of Chesed is much deeper. Chesed can be properly described as an act that has no "cause."
Chesed is proactive (serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, esp. a negative or difficult one; anticipatory) -- it is the initiator of interaction, and must therefore be the first in the sephirot of action. Chesed deals with the level of visible, and in the chain of social dynamics is the primary spark that initiates subsequent action.
Chesed is also known as Gedulah (גדולה).
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I feel as though I have been asleep atop Chesed - and from time to time I wake up.