Judaism

Theological and anthropological manifesto:

Justice and mercy in Judaism

Introduction

A constitutive tension in Jewish thought

Jewish tradition is based on a fundamental tension between two divine attributes: justice ( דין / משפט ) and mercy ( רחמים / חסד ). Far from being a theological contradiction, this duality constitutes one of the structuring principles of the Hebrew Bible, rabbinic literature, medieval philosophy and Kabbalistic mysticism.

The fundamental question is:

How can a perfectly just God be infinitely merciful?

Jewish thought does not resolve this tension by eliminating one of the poles. On the contrary, it proposes a dynamic dialectic in which justice and mercy are mutually corrective.

Justice guarantees the moral order of the world.

Mercy guarantees the possibility of its continuity.

Without justice, the world would become arbitrary.

Without mercy, it would become unliveable.

This tension is not merely theological. It is the foundation of a moral anthropology: human responsibility, the possibility of forgiveness, and the very structure of history.

I. The Primacy of Justice: The Moral Foundation of Creation

The Torah establishes justice as a central principle of human life and social order. “
” “צדק צדק תרדוף”
*“Justice, justice you shall pursue.”*¹
The repetition of the word צדק (justice) indicates its absolute nature. Justice is not merely a social norm; it is a fundamental moral imperative.
In Genesis, Abraham himself challenges God: “
” “השופט כל הארץ לא יעשה משפט”
*“Would not the Judge of all the earth do justice?”*²
This challenge is remarkable: it presupposes that divine justice is understandable and consistent.
The Talmud expresses the precision of divine judgment:
“The Holy One, Blessed be He, is as meticulous with the righteous as a hair’s breadth.”
*“The Holy One, Blessed be He, is as meticulous with the righteous as a hair’s breadth.”*³
Divine justice therefore implies absolute individual responsibility.
Maimonides: Justice as a Rational Structure.
According to Maimonides, the divine attributes do not describe emotions but rather observable effects in the world.
In *The Guide for the Perplexed*, he explains that rewards and punishments correspond to the rational order willed by God⁴.
Divine justice is not an emotional reaction. It is the expression of cosmic wisdom.
Thus, in Jewish rationalist thought, divine judgment corresponds to the ontological structure of reality.

II. The Emergence of Mercy: A Prerequisite for the World’s Survival

The Torah explicitly reveals divine mercy in the proclamation of the Thirteen Divine Attributes:
⁵“ה׳ ה׳ אל רחום וחנון ארך אפים ורב חסד ואמת”
God is described as:
➢ merciful
➢ compassionate
➢ slow to anger
➢ abounding in kindness.
The Midrash expresses a fundamental idea: God wished to create the world with justice alone. He saw that the world could not survive. He combined mercy with justice.⁶
Mercy thus becomes a prerequisite for existence.
The depth of the word רחמים
The term רחמים (raḥamim) comes from the root .ר־ח־ם
It yields:
רחם — reḥem: the womb
רחום — raḥoum: merciful
Jewish mercy is thus conceived as a maternal compassion, similar to a mother’s love for her child.
As the Psalm says:
“כְּרַחֵם אָב עַל בָנִים”
“*As a father has compassion on his children.*”⁷
Mercy is not mere indulgence: it is vital protection.

III. Teshuvah: The Dynamic Synthesis

Jewish tradition transcends the opposition between justice and mercy through the concept of teshuvah (repentance).
The Talmud states:
⁸» גדולה תשובה שזדונות נעשות לו כזכויות «
“Great is repentance: sins become merits.”
Justice would demand punishment.
Mercy would offer forgiveness.
Teshuva transforms the sin itself into a source of elevation.
For Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, teshuva is a cosmic force of restoration.⁹
It allows the world to regain its moral balance.

IV. The Kabbalistic Synthesis: Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet

Kabbalah describes these forces within the structure of the sefirot.
חסד — expansion, love
גבורה — restriction, rigor
תפארת — harmony
In the Zohar, תפארת corresponds to¹⁰ רחמים
Mercy is therefore the balance between love and rigor.
It is neither weakness nor sentimental indulgence.
It is cosmic harmony.
The Akedah: the symbolic birth of Mercy.
The episode of the binding of Isaac represents this synthesis.
Abraham embodies .חס ד
Isaac embodies .גבורה
The Zohar explains that their encounter produces .רחמי ם
The ram offered in Isaac’s place symbolizes the transformation of judgment into mercy.
Thus, the Akedah marks the historical birth of a theology of Mercy structured by justice.

V. Moral Anthropology: Imitating God

Judaism does not view these attributes as purely theological.
They serve as an ethical role model.
The Talmud teaches:
¹¹“As He is merciful, so are you merciful.”
“Just as He is merciful, be merciful.”
However, the Torah also requires impartial justice:
¹²“Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God.”
Jewish ethics are therefore based on a demanding balance:
➢ moral justice
➢ active compassion
➢ criminal justice and Mercy.
Rabbinic tradition illustrates this balance in criminal law.
The Mishnah states:
A Sanhedrin that executed a person once every seventy years was called a “destroyer.”¹³
The evidentiary requirements were extremely strict:
— two eyewitnesses
— prior warning
— conscious acceptance of the crime.
Capital punishment is not abolished by the Torah, but is rendered practically unenforceable.
Mercy does not abolish the law.
It protects life.

VI. The Metaphysical Depth of רחמי ם

In Lurianic Kabbalah, mercy takes on a cosmic dimension.
Isaac Luria describes creation as a process:
Tsimtsum — contraction
Shevirat haKelim — shattering
Tikkun — repair
Mercy acts as a cosmic matrix, a space where reality can be repaired.
The Ari even speaks of Ibur (gestation) to describe spiritual transformation.
The world is carried within a divine Reḥem.

VII. The Problem of Evil: The Holocaust and *Hester Panim*

The Holocaust represents the most radical question posed to Jewish theology.
Where was the ? רחמים
Some thinkers refer to the concept of Hester Panim—the hiding of the divine face.
¹⁴“And I will surely hide My face on that day”
Providence is not absent, but veiled.
Rabbi Soloveitchik emphasizes the continuity of the covenant: mercy is manifested in the survival of Israel.
Rabbinic tradition maintains a cautious stance:
Some forms of suffering are beyond human understanding.

VIII. Comparison of Religions

Judaism develops a unique conception of mercy.
Christianity
→ redemptive grace
Islam
→ God’s sovereign mercy
Buddhism
→ universal compassion without God
Judaism
→ mercy linked to a covenant and moral responsibility.
God forgives because man returns.

Conclusion

A Theology of Responsibility and Hope.
Judaism never resolves the tension between justice and mercy.
It offers a living dialectic:
Justice forms the foundation of the moral order.
Mercy enables the world to survive.
Teshuva transforms sin.
Human beings are called to embody this balance.
“Rahamim” is not weakness.
It is the divine capacity to sustain humanity despite its imperfections.
Just as the womb protects the embryo before birth, divine mercy creates a space where life can still come into being.

READ THE MANIFESTO and its references

Editors:

Rabbi Haim Bendao
Jacob Nabet
Michel Canizares
Jason Azoulay
Ariel Corentin
Zalman Bendao
Anne Bonich
Anne Berger
Maurice Jabes