Observing Yom-Kippur – ‘The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy’

Observing Yom-Kippur – ‘The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy’ 

“The LORD! The LORD! The God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in merciful lovingkindness and truth, preserving His covenant mercy for thousands of generations, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty or allowing sin to go unpunished.” (Exodus 34:6-7).

This traditional Jewish acknowledgment of God’s mercy is recited and prayed many times during Yom-Kippur, and is central to the believer’s understanding of the character and nature of God.

The Back Story to ‘The Attributes of Mercy.’ When at the base of Mt. Sinai, Moses asked God if he could see God’s glory. (Exodus 33:19). The Lord Yahweh responded by saying that He would pass before Moses, but he would not be allowed to see His “face,” only His backside. The Glory is too overwhelming for humans who are not equipped to experience a consuming fire quite yet. Yahweh told Moses that He will cause all His “goodness” to pass before Moses, and that in Moses’ presence He will pronounce His holy Name. Goodness is usually a synonym for mercy, because God’s goodness is revealed through His mercy. So Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to meet God at the top, and Yahweh descended in a cloud and stood there with Moses. Only God can accurately name Himself, and here we see the Lord pronouncing His sacred Name… “God passed before Moses and proclaimed, “I AM Yahweh! I AM Yahweh! A God who is compassionate (rachem) and gracious (chanun), longsuffering and slow to anger, abounding in mercy (hesed) and truth (emet), preserving mercy (hesed) for thousands of generations, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty or allowing sin to go unpunished.” (Exodus 34:6-7). What a singular moment! The Almighty God, the Great I AM, describes His Name, His identity. He is revealing to Moses how He sees Himself in His Essence. What a turning point in history! The Lord of the universe chooses to reveal Himself in utter transparency to a human being! ‘You want to know what I am made of, Moses, the Lord is saying, then this is how I describe my character, these are my core attributes. Yes, I am the great LORD, and this is Me in a nutshell… rich in mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness. That is truly who I am, Moses!’

The Traditional Rabbinic Understanding of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: 

(1.) Yahweh! – The LORD who is compassionate before a person sins because of His covenant faithfulness;

(2.) Yahweh! – The LORD who is compassionate after a person sins if they repent;

(3.) God – El, short for Elohim, who is the Almighty Creator and gives to all creatures according to their need;

(4.) Rachem – Compassionate; the Hebrew word for mercy rooted in the “womb,” an inner compassion that is warm and affectionate, a strong desire to relieve suffering and cherish the sufferer. It has been said that this word for God’s mercy implies a tender, protected place where life springs forth, and that living in God’s mercy is to live in the womb of God’s love. Passages with “rachem” include Isaiah 14:1, 30:18, 49:15 and 60:10; Jeremiah 12:15 and 3:20; and Lamentations 3:32; Ps. 106:46.

(5.) Chanan – Gracious; the Hebrew word for mercy in terms of gracious, generous, joyfully compassionate, quick to forgive and always poised to show undeserved favor, especially to someone who is in need. Verses with “chanan” in it are Exodus 34:6, Ps. 86:15, Ps. 103;8, and 2 Chronicles 30:9.

(6.) Erek Apayim – Slow to anger; longsuffering; patient in order to give time to repent.

(7.) Hesed – The classic Hebrew word for mercy that is often translated as lovingkindness, indicating a steadfast love, a compassionate faithfulness and loyalty to covenant love. Hesed is central to a believer’s view of God’s character and His desire to remain true to His promises out of sheer love. It is used over 120 times in the Psalms alone, in order to focus on God’s continued and unwavering forbearance and patience because of His faithful lovingkindness, including 107:1 and 43; Ps. 108:4; Ps. 98:3.

(8.) Emet – The Biblical word for truth as well as faithfulness, and implies God being the ultimate Truth of the universe, and His being true to His word, fulfilling His promises out of His ultimate goodness.

(9.) Notzer hesed la’alafim – He preserves lovingkindness and covenant mercies for thousands, to the point of remembering the merits of ancestors for future generations.

(10.) Noseh Avon – A forgiver of wickedness, pardoning sinners even when the iniquities are intentional wrongdoings.

(11.)  Va’ Peshah – A forgiver of transgressions, pardoning sinners even after rebellious act to defy God.

(12.) Ve’ Chataah – A forgiver of careless sins, pardoning sinners even when the wrongs are the result of being thoughtless mistakes, negligent, were accidental, or done out of ignorant apathy.

(13.) Ve’Nakeh – One who cleanses those who truly repent out of His grace and mercy, but will not clear those who refuse to repent.

Descriptions of Mercy: God’s will to satisfy all mankind with His goodness; to strongly desire what is best for someone, especially for those in need; to graciously treat someone in distress with compassion, especially when one could ignore that needy person if he wanted; to have a readiness to show practical love to someone in any type of trouble or need; to have an eagerness to put  love into action; to personally relieve the suffering of someone; to demonstrate an act of good will towards someone who needs it; to show a lovingkindness that is way beyond the call of duty; to demonstrate to a complete stranger the same type of compassion one would reveal to a friend or family member. Mercy is the most active aspect of Love, which also includes Grace and Compassion.  These three aspects of Love are distinctive, but each is a part of the other. Grace is full of compassion and mercy; compassion is full of grace and mercy; mercy is full of grace and compassion. Grace: God’s welcoming face of God’s favor and acceptance to the undeserving; Compassion: the willingness to reach out and suffer with another and bear that person’s burdens; Mercy: the actual doing of the love that grace and compassion has started; Love-in-Action.

Thoughts on God’s Mercy:

1. “Without the word ‘mercy,’ the Bible is a dead book in which there is no revelation of God at all.” (Rex Andrews, What the Bible Teaches about Mercy);
2. “The root of all of God’s activity in this world, beginning even with the world’s creation, is Mercy.” (Rev. P. H. Reardon, Christ in the Psalms);
3. “Mercy is the cause and reason of all that God does. God does nothing, absolutely nothing, except as an expression of His Mercy.” (Rev. Reardon);
4. “His Mercy stretches out to both extremes of infinity. All we will ever discover of God will be the deepening levels of His great, abundant, overflowing, rich, endless Mercy.” (Rev. Reardon);
5. “When we deal with God, everything is Mercy. Everything else that can be said of God is but an aspect of His Mercy.” (Rev. Reardon);
6. “‘For His Mercy endures forever’ lies under each line of Holy Scripture, and is the eternal song of the saints.” (Rev. Reardon);
7. “It is better to limit belief in God’s power than to dampen faith in God’s mercy. Between mercy and power, mercy takes precedence – and to the mercy of Heaven there is no limit.” (Rabbi A. J. Heschel, Heavenly Torah);
8. “Mercy is the defining explanation of everything that God has revealed of Himself. Mercy is the explanation of every single thought that God has with respect to us.” (Rev. Reardon);
9. “Mercy rather than justice is regarded as the outstanding attribute of God.” (Rabbi Heschel, A Passion for Truth);
10. “Beyond all mystery is the mercy of God. It is a love, a mercy that transcends the world, its value and merit. To live by such a love, to reflect it, however humbly, is the test of religious existence.” (Rabbi Heschel, God in Search of Man);
11. “The encounter with God’s Mercy, a celebration of God’s sustained and abundant Mercy, is the root of all Christian worship.” (Rev. Reardon).