Three times each day in the Amidah, we say “…Magen Avraham/The Shield of Abraham.”
It is well known that Avraham is the epitome of Chesed/Kindness. He is himself completely good, and everyone else is completely good in Avraham’s eyes; he perceives the good in even the most despicable being.

In the Torah, we find that Avraham prayed for Yishmael that he would live and prosper. He wished for his son to live eternally within G-d’s greatest level of infinite giving and goodness. Although Avraham knew who Yishmael truly was, he still insisted on the best for him, because he related only to his positive traits. Ultimately, however, this isn’t fitting, nor is it productive for the world. The danger of Avraham’s limitless Chesed is that it is so receptive that it sustains even evil.

We know that by the time Moshiach comes, all evil and impurity will be removed from the world.  For this to occur, we must actively work to draw G-d’s light into the world, through Torah study and Mitzvah observance, while diligently rejecting those things which are antithetical to G-d. For now, the world requires a reduced level of Avraham’s Chesed.

Each morning, as the sun rises, G-d’s kindness flows very strongly into the world. The morning is therefore an auspicious time for receiving G-d’s light, and as a result is a time of intense prayer and connection with G-d. The morning is the time of Avraham. As it says (Genesis 19:27) “Avraham arose in the morning…”

Sometimes, a shield’s purpose is to repel things from the outside. Often, a shield protects what is within from getting out – a case. Hashem’s shielding of Avraham restrains the limitless kindness. The shield holds back the abstract, absolute Chesed, and makes it relevant to us. It makes way in the world for constructive progress; it now provides for the deserving and restrains the undeserving.

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Drawing Blessing. Repelling Negativity. Selfless Devotion.

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