- Multireligious Institute on Mercy
In keeping with the etymology of the term manifestothe following text is intended to make certain fundamental intuitions visible, clarify theoretical achievements and formulate orientations.
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.
Editors:
Rav. Haïm BENDAO (Dir.), France
