Abraham sends his servant out
to look for a wife for Isaac. After a long journey, the servant arrives at a
well. He finds a woman who not only brings him and his camels water but also
keeps bringing water until they finish drinking.
At that moment, the servant knew he had found the right woman. Why?
The woman (Rebecca, our matriarch) had shown "a quiet act of kindness buried in humility," which, as the Tanya says, "ignites an explosion of Godly light."
The servant, grateful for finding Rebecca, expressed gratitude to God, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His steadfast kindness from my master."
So, it is loving kindness that is central to our covenant with God. In the circle of the community of our story, we see kindness infused throughout.
God shows Abraham steadfast kindness. Abraham seeks kindness in the marriage partner for his son (and ultimately the matriarch of all people of the covenant). The servant shows duty to Abraham in looking for and finding kindness in the woman he sought. And the servant praises God for being steadfast in kindness to Abraham.
The tie that best binds us to God and to each other is surely Chasdo v'amito - steadfast kindness.