DEUT1518 All the blessings of the Torah possess this characteristic [chesed -AJL], as we find in connection with [this] verse: "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you will hearken to the voice of Hashem, your God." The Tanna debei Eliyahu (end of Chap. 26) comments: "When will all these blessings come upon you?--If you will obey Hashem, your God, and walk in His ways, the ways of Heaven. What are the ways of Heaven?--As He is merciful, as He has compassion even on the wicked and receives them when they repent wholeheartedly, and as He feeds and sustains all creatures--so shall you be merciful to one another, support one another, be gracious to one another. Another explanation: What are the ways of Heaven?--He is gracious and gives His bounty as a free gift both to those who know Hm and those who do not. So shall you give free gifts to one another. Yet another explanation: What are the ways of Heaven?--He dispenses chesed in abundance, and inclines his acts toward chesed; so shall you favor one another, grant charity to one another and incline towards goodness… From all that has been said, one can gain an impression of the greatness of the virtue of chesed. Happy is the person who clings to it wholeheartedly, since he acquires merit for the coming generations.