Grace

There are some differences of opinion as to which Hebrew word(s) actually translate(s) as the concept of grace in Judaism, or for that matter, if there even is such a Jewish concept. Rabbi Rami Shapiro, in his book, Amazing Chesed, challenges the notion that grace (chesed in Hebrew) is a Christian, not a Jewish, ideal. "Grace," writes Rabbi Shapiro, is “G!d’s unlimited, unconditional, unconditioned, and all-inclusive love for all creation.” He adds that there is no one outside the reach of grace and that “there is nothing one can do to merit grace, earn grace, or even avoid grace.… Grace is unlimited and all-encompassing.” Shapiro sees the concept of grace within the Hebrew word chesed, which is usually translated as loving kindness.

Another Jewish concept of grace relates to the attributes of G!d, especially those which signify G!d’s loving-kindness, mercy, and compassion. The concept of grace is in contrast with the attribute of justice, as grace is granted even to the undeserving. Jonah noted that divine grace is extended not only to the chosen, but also to the heathen; it is conditioned, however, on sincere repentance. In Deuteronomy, divine grace is cited as a guaranty that G!d will keep the covenant with Israel, as a result of obedience, which indicates grace bestowed by merit.

In Jewish thought, grace, more often expressed as G!d’s lovingkindness or mercy, is balanced by G!d’s justice. The rabbis of the Talmud explain that G!d created the world with both, because loving kindness alone would have allowed sin to proliferate and justice alone would have condemned all of creation (Genesis Rabbah 12:15). Therefore, the rabbis continue, G!d’s favor, forgiveness, and mercy are not automatic, for that would unbalance justice. Nor are those attributes earned or deserved, because that would suggest human control over G!d.


In other places in the Torah and voiced by the prophets (Isaiah and Joel, in particular) is the notion that G!d’s mercy is conditional upon our attempts to obey the commandments in the quest to repair the world, and to repent when we miss the mark. In Jewish thought, it is through doing that we open the door to tikun olam, and therefore G!d’s favor, mercy, and forgiveness.

In May, 2015, Candace R. Kwiatek reports in The Dayton Jewish Observer that “The spiritual concept of grace is better-known to Christians... It doesn’t appear in Jewish vocabulary lists, on informational websites, or throughout indices of hundreds of Jewish print resources on basic Judaism, G!d, spirituality, Bible, theology, or values.” According to Kwiatek, the word grace appears 38 times in the King James version of the Hebrew Bible as a translation for the Hebrew word chen. As well, chen appears an additional 31 times in the text where it is translated as favor or occasionally as gracious, precious, or pleasant. The term chen derives from the Hebrew root meaning pardon, favor, graciousness, compassion, and mercy.

In Christian thought, it is through believing that the door to G!d’s grace and personal salvation is opened. It is precisely because this Christian notion is generally associated with “grace” that the English term rarely appears in Jewish literature. Rabbi Shapiro challenges this, but prefers the word chesed to chen.