Introduction
In the final section of Chapter 7, which also marks the conclusion of the Book of Micha, the prophet turns his face toward Keneset Yisrael and comforts her. From this point forward, everything is a prophecy of redemption: a day when the fences will be rebuilt, the ingathering of the exiles from all ends of the earth, the prophet's prayer for the intervening generations, wonders like the days of the Exodus from Egypt, the shaming of the nations, and ultimately the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and the attribute of truth with which the book concludes.
A Day to Rebuild Your Fences - Parallel Clauses
י֖וֹם לִבְנ֣וֹת גְּדֵרָ֑יִךְ י֥וֹם הַה֖וּא יִרְחַק־חֹֽק׃ - A day to rebuild your fences, that day the decree shall be distant.
י֥וֹם הוּא֙ וְעָדֶ֣יךָ יָב֔וֹא לְמִנִּ֥י אַשּׁ֖וּר וְעָרֵ֣י מָצ֑וֹר וּלְמִנִּ֤י מָצוֹר֙ וְעַד־נָהָ֔ר וְיָ֥ם מִיָּ֖ם וְהַ֥ר הָהָֽר׃ - A day it is, and unto you shall come from Assyria and the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain.
The Malbim establishes here a principle we have already encountered several times: the clauses of the verses are parallel. That is, there are four clauses: the continuation of the first clause is found in the third clause, and the continuation of the second clause is found in the fourth clause. Thus here: "A day to rebuild your fences, that day" is continued by "a day it is"; and "the decree shall be distant" is continued by "and unto you shall come."
What is the rebuilding of the fences? Today we are like scattered sheep, cast into exile. The petition "to rebuild your fences" is that the Holy One, blessed be He, gather the outcast and limping sheep and gather Israel back to their Land - these are the prophecies that express the ingathering of the exiles.
"A Day It Is" - A Day with No Night
What is meant by "a day it is"? It is a day fixed and established before the Holy One, blessed be He. And it is a day accompanied by no night. The days that preceded it were days of night, as it is said, "Though I sit in darkness" - darkness is night. Night is a metaphorical expression for the state of exile, which is why we speak of the "darkness of exile."
From here we also understand the homiletic interpretation of the phrase, "The time for the morning Shema has arrived" - meaning that the time of redemption has arrived, that the light of redemption should break forth and shine. How long will we continue recounting the Exodus from Egypt, which is in the past? The time has come for the morning Shema, to recount the future redemption! For it is said, "As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt I will show them marvelous things," and they will no longer mention the Exodus from Egypt, but rather "Hashem Who brought Israel out from the land of Pathros," etc. The time has already come to begin recounting the future redemption and to emerge from exile.
There is another place where night serves as a metaphor: tzara'at afflictions are not inspected at night. One does not search for blemishes in the Jewish people while they are in exile. For even if we have blemishes, even if we are not whole and flaws are found in us - on account of the night, on account of the exile, the troubles, and the persecutions, the afflictions of Israel are not scrutinized. Thus we see that suffering and hardship are expressed through the concept of night.
In contrast, here the verse speaks of "that day," in the aspect of daytime: there will be illumination, as in, "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days." Once again, we see that redemption is expressed through the aspect of light, the opposite of exile, which is in the aspect of darkness.
"The Appointed Time Is Distant - Yet Unto You It Shall Come"
The prophet adds: Even though "the appointed time is distant" - that the time decreed by Hashem is far off, and there is still a long way from here until the Redemption - nevertheless, "unto you it shall come." This is the other side of the parallel doors: even though this speaks of the end of days, it will ultimately arrive. As it is written, "Though it tarry, wait for it" - even if the Mashiach tarries, we believe in him with complete faith, for he will surely come.
The Ingathering of the Exiles from the Four Directions
"From Assyria and the fortified cities [arei matzor]" - this refers to the exiles who will return from Assyria and the fortified cities, where they were exiled in the days of Sancheirev. "And from Egypt unto the River" - this is the exile in the land of Egypt and up to the Euphrates River, as it says, "And those lost in the land of Assyria and the castaways in the land of Egypt shall come," and likewise, "And Hashem will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea and wave His hand over the River." That time will be the time of the Redemption, when they return from Assyria, from the cities of Matzor which is Egypt, and from Matzor unto the River.
"And from sea to sea" - these are the exiles who were dispersed toward the west, for "yamah" means westward, and these are the exiles brought about by Rome, including the lands of Ashkenaz across the sea. "And mountain to mountain" - these are those exiled to the north, for Mount Hor is in the north of Eretz Yisrael. All of them will arrive at the time of the Redemption.
And the Land Shall Become Desolate
וְהָיְתָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ לִשְׁמָמָ֖ה עַל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ מִפְּרִ֖י מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃ - And the earth shall be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.
Rashi explains that this refers to the land of the Babylonians and Persians, on account of the fruit of their own deeds, and according to this, the verse returns to the dark reality of the exile described earlier. The Malbim, on the other hand, explains that the verse is already describing the time of the Redemption: the earth - the entire globe - will be desolate of its inhabitants, because Hashem will then reckon their iniquity upon them, as the fruit of their deeds, for what the nations have done.
The Prophet's Prayer for the Intervening Years of Exile
רְעֵ֧ה עַמְּךָ֣ בְשִׁבְטֶ֗ךָ צֹ֚אן נַחֲלָתֶ֔ךָ שֹׁכְנִ֣י לְבָדָ֔ד יַ֖עַר בְּת֣וֹךְ כַּרְמֶ֑ל יִרְע֥וּ בָשָׁ֛ן וְגִלְעָ֖ד כִּימֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃ - Tend Your people with Your staff, the flock of Your heritage, who dwell alone in the forest in the midst of Carmel; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in days of old.
The Malbim explains: When the prophet sees the prolonged duration of the exile, he beseeches the Holy One, Blessed be He, that even throughout this lengthy period, He should not withdraw His lovingkindness from them, but continue to have mercy on them even now. For although he spoke of the future Redemption, did he not himself say that "the appointed time is distant"? That day is still far away - and so, Master of the Universe, in the meantime, have pity and mercy upon them.
"Tend Your people with Your staff" - even if You must strike them throughout the days of exile, let it be with a staff alone. The shevet (staff) is always an expression of striking, and the prophet's plea is: Shepherd Your people, watch over them as a shepherd tending his flock. Do not strike them with a destructive club, but only with Your staff; rebuke them with a rod of men, and not with a crushing rod or stave. A rebuke that guides them back onto the proper path, not a rebuke that brings destruction, disaster, and misery.
"The flock of Your heritage, dwelling alone in a forest" - currently they dwell alone, isolated, in a forest full of predatory beasts. This is our situation among the nations: a place of danger, persecuted and afflicted. Therefore the request is "in the midst of Carmel" - graze them in Carmel, which signifies "rach umal" (tender and full), a place of grain. Watch over them so that they have grain.
And grain is always an expression of livelihood. Thus Yosef saw stalks of grain in his dreams - fat stalks represent years of abundance, and lean stalks represent years of famine, all expressing the concept of sustenance. Likewise, when he saw the sheaves, "and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf" - this was an expression that you will need me for your livelihood. And indeed so it was: they came and bowed to his sheaf, asking that from his sheaf he provide sustenance for their sheaves, that he support them, for Yosef was the provider.
If so, the request is: pasture them in a field full of grain, provide them with their livelihood properly, until the time arrives when "they shall feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old" - until they return to the Land of Israel, to the land of Bashan and the land of Gilead, and return to graze as in the days of old. In the meantime - do not remove Your providence from them.
The Response of the Holy One, Blessed be He: As in the Days of Your Coming Out of Egypt
כִּימֵ֥י צֵאתְךָ֖ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אַרְאֶ֖נּוּ נִפְלָאֽוֹת׃ - As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him marvelous things.
Here the Holy One, Blessed be He, answers and responds to the prophet: like the days when you went out from the land of Egypt. There too was affliction; you were pressed and tormented, yet I brought you out with great power, with signs and wonders. So too here - the darkness of exile brings troubles and suffering, but just as in the days of your coming out of Egypt, so will I show him marvelous things in the future as well.
Nations Shall See and Be Ashamed
יִרְא֤וּ גוֹיִם֙ וְיֵבֹ֔שׁוּ מִכֹּ֖ל גְּבוּרָתָ֑ם יָשִׂ֤ימוּ יָד֙ עַל־פֶּ֔ה אׇזְנֵיהֶ֖ם תֶּחֱרַֽשְׁנָה׃ - Nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deafened.
The wonders will be so extraordinary that the nations will see them with their own eyes and be ashamed of all their might. They will see that all their power was futility and emptiness, for the One who did everything was solely the Holy One, Blessed be He. It seemed to them that they fought and they bombed, but this was not so - "Hashem is a master of war," I waged the battles. Everything was an illusion, a kind of phantom. Then it will become clear that the Holy One, Blessed be He, did it all, and all their might was vanity and nothingness.
"They shall lay their hand upon their mouth" - they will not utter a word, as they will be unable to articulate what they see. These events will be on such an elevated plane, far beyond human intellect, that they will be unable to express them with their lips.
"Their ears shall be deafened" - notice the precision: they place a hand over their mouth, but they do not place a hand over their ear. A person places a hand on his ear to sharpen his hearing, or to cover the ear when he does not wish to hear something frightening. At the Exodus from Egypt it says, "Nations heard and trembled" - hearing caused the trembling, and out of fear they did not want to hear. Here the prophet says: their ears shall be deafened, they will not hear these things - because this time it will not be hearing from afar, but seeing up close.
And seeing is nothing like hearing. The holy Zohar always says ta chazei, "come and see," whereas the Gemara says ta shema, "come and hear." This is because the Gemara speaks of the external dimension, and the external dimension corresponds to hearing; whereas the holy Zohar reveals the inner dimension of things, what occurs within, in the upper realms - and this is a far clearer perception, a true vision, which is why it is called the wisdom of truth, and why its phrasing is ta chazei. This is what is meant here: not like "Nations heard and trembled," which was through hearing, but rather "Nations shall see and be ashamed" - they will actually see the deeds of Hashem and His wonders, and will be rendered speechless in awe before the hand of Hashem, His greatness and power, and the exalted stature of Israel.
They Shall Lick Dust Like a Snake
יְלַחֲכ֤וּ עָפָר֙ כַּנָּחָ֔שׁ כְּזֹחֲלֵ֣י אֶ֔רֶץ יִרְגְּז֖וּ מִמִּסְגְּרֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם אֶל־יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ יִפְחָ֔דוּ וְיִֽרְא֖וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ׃ - They shall lick dust like a snake, like crawlers of the earth they shall tremble from their enclosures; toward Hashem our God they will be terrified, and they will fear You.
What does "like crawlers of the earth" add beyond "like a snake"? The Malbim explains: a snake sometimes raises its head. There are species of snakes that hold their heads high, especially when preparing to strike. By contrast, crawlers of the earth always keep their heads low. Not only that, but "they shall tremble from their enclosures" - they will not even be like a crawling creature that can roam wherever it pleases and remains free. Rather, they will be confined within their cities due to the overwhelming dread that will fall upon them, locked inside an enclosure without any way out.
And this fear, the Malbim notes, will not stem from war or any physical threat, but rather "toward Hashem our God they will be terrified" - their terror will arise from the greatness and exaltedness of the Holy One, blessed is He. "And they will fear You" - when they see that Hashem is with us, they will fear us as well.
What is the difference between pachad (terror) and yirah (awe or fear)? The Malbim explains, as he reiterates in many places, that pachad is always directed at the unknown, whereas yirah is directed at what is known. Therefore, "toward Hashem our God they will be terrified" (yifchadu) - His greatness and loftiness are unknown and completely transcendent to them, and that is what terrifies them. Whereas "and they will fear You" (veyir'u mimecha) - us they know, and therefore the verse specifically employs the term yirah.
Who Is a God Like You - The Thirteen Attributes
מִי־אֵ֣ל כָּמ֗וֹךָ נֹשֵׂ֤א עָוֺן֙ וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע לִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית נַחֲלָת֑וֹ לֹֽא־הֶחֱזִ֤יק לָעַד֙ אַפּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־חָפֵ֥ץ חֶ֖סֶד הֽוּא׃ - Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, for He delights in lovingkindness.
In concluding his words, the prophet gives praise to Hashem, blessed is He, for forgiving iniquities and bearing the transgressions of His people. "Who is a God like You" - meaning, who is like You among the mighty; You, Master of the Universe, are a God with none like You. And in what way? In that You bear iniquity. Even though You initially afflicted them for their sins, now You bear the iniquity.
What Does "Bearing Iniquity" Mean?
On a simple level, "bearing iniquity" means forgiving their sin. But there is a deeper layer here. In the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy we say, "bearing iniquity, transgression, and sin." What does "bearing" mean? That Hashem, so to speak, carries and endures it, withholding immediate punishment - but is it erased? No. Something that has been erased does not need to be borne. Proof of this is that the verse continues, "and He does not clear the guilty" - so there is no immediate erasure or clearing; the sin is kept with Him until an opportune time.
This matter is explained more fully in the book Tomer Devorah (and whoever wishes can hear this elaborated in the recordings on Tomer Devorah). He presents an explanation that many cite as a proper intention during the recitation of the Thirteen Attributes: when a person commits a sin, he creates a destructive force (a mashchit). Every transgression creates a destructive entity, and this destructive force draws its vitality from the person who created it - by punishing him, tormenting him, and pursuing him; that is where it draws its life force. If the Holy One, blessed is He, were to release these destructive forces we created to exact retribution from us, heaven forbid, man would have no standing, for the destructive forces would pursue him every single moment.
What does the Holy One, blessed is He, do? He takes those destructive forces we created, so to speak, and sustains and nourishes them Himself. Yet these are destructive agents created to anger Hashem! This is the immense, unfathomable kindness of Hashem: you created a destructive force to anger the Holy One, blessed is He, and the Holy One, blessed is He, takes it and sustains it in the meantime, because if He were to release it for you to sustain it, nothing of you would remain. And He sustains it while waiting for us to repent, since through repentance we nullify and erase it. But in the meantime - Hashem bears it. He bears the iniquity, meaning He bears that destructive force born of iniquity, transgression, and sin, and only later comes "and cleanses" (venakeh). This, then, is the definition of "bearing iniquity": the interim period.
What Will Change in the Future to Come: Avon, Pesha, and Chet
The Malbim explains: in the future to come, there will be a change. First, let us define what avon is. Avon is an act done out of a distortion of the intellect, and it is the most severe of all: when a person takes his transgression and turns it into an ideology. When someone stumbles and understands that he stumbled, regrets it, or at least feels pangs of conscience - there is a chance he will rectify it. But when a person says, "No, this is how it should be" - that is called avon. The intellect itself has already become distorted; this is not merely a physical failure where the mind remains sound and understands that this is wrong, but on the contrary, the mind insists that this is how it should be, and he even takes pride in his distorted thinking. This is far more severe, because it is not merely rebellion, but heresy and intellectual distortion.
The Malbim continues: Hashem will not erase the avon from reality, and it will remain as it was before - Hashem was nosei avon (bearing iniquity), and He will continue to bear it. That is, the avon still exists, and this is the attribute of erech apayim (slow to anger): He bears and tolerates and delays His anger so as not to punish immediately. But notice the change: in the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy it says, "nosei avon vafesha" - He also bears the pesha (rebellion) and does not pass over it, implying that it awaits a day of reckoning. Here, however, it says, "nosei avon ve'over al pesha" - the severe avon, which is intellectual distortion, He will still bear, but the pesha He will pass over entirely. This is the meaning of "and passes over transgression for the remnant of His heritage," for that generation that will remain at the end of days.
"He does not retain His anger forever" - even regarding the avon, concerning which we saw that Hashem exercises patience. The term erech apayim implies that anger does exist, but Hashem delays His wrath. If there were no anger at all, that would be the highest state, an expression of fondness and love; but "slow to anger" means that wrath exists, and Hashem merely extends the time. As Chazal said, "He delays His anger and collects His due" - He waits, but eventually collects. "Slow to anger" always means that the debt is not erased; you have received an extension, but the debt remains. To this the prophet adds: "He does not retain His anger forever" - Hashem will not hold onto the wrath and anger forever.
By virtue of what? Two attributes of mercy and lovingkindness come into play here: "For He desires lovingkindness" - because He delights in chesed, He will show mercy.
יָשׁ֣וּב יְרַחֲמֵ֔נוּ יִכְבֹּ֖שׁ עֲוֺנֹתֵ֑ינוּ וְתַשְׁלִ֛יךְ בִּמְצֻל֥וֹת יָ֖ם כׇּל־חַטֹּאותָֽם׃ - He will turn again and have compassion upon us; He will suppress our iniquities, and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
"He will turn again and have compassion upon us" - this is the second attribute, the attribute of Rachum (Compassionate). Out of mercy, the Holy One, blessed be He, will pardon iniquities. Then it will no longer be merely "bearing iniquity" - which implies that the iniquity still exists but Hashem bears it - but He will forgive completely and "suppress our iniquities," so that no punishment will be brought for it. "He will suppress" means pressing it down and not allowing it to rise. The Gemara already records a dispute on this: one sage says He suppresses, and another says He bears, where "bearing" implies that the iniquity itself is not erased.
"And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" - whereas chet (sin), which is committed unintentionally, or is generally an expression of physical desire (which is also considered akin to an unintentional sin, since it stems from being overcome by one's evil inclination rather than from rebellion and heresy) - is relatively light. Therefore, it will be cast into the depths of the sea and will not be found at all. For pesha stems from rebellion, and avon stems from heresy and disbelief, which is a distortion of the intellect and far more severe.
To summarize: the sins (chata'im) Hashem will cast into the depths of the sea - complete nullification. The iniquities (avonot) He will suppress, since avon is more severe, being a distortion of the intellect. And for rebellion (pesha) - "He passes over transgression," as if not paying attention to it. Here we have three levels, and each has its own form of forgiveness according to its nature.
Why "All Their Sins" and Not "Our Sins"?
Notice the phrasing: "He will turn again and have compassion upon us; He will suppress our iniquities" - yet at the end it does not say "all our sins," but "all their sins." The Acharonim discuss what accounts for this shift.
The Malbim offers an explanation: it is well known that when a person stumbles willfully, it drags unintentional sins along in its wake. A person does not stumble unintentionally in an area in which he has never transgressed willfully. When do unintentional errors happen to a person? When a certain matter has become trivialized in his eyes; then, all of a sudden, he stumbles here and stumbles there.
We have already mentioned the story of two men whose ship was wrecked and they reached the shore. Their paths diverged, and each was hosted by a different person who gave him food. Later, they met again, and it became clear that one of them had eaten at the home of a Spanish Marrano, and thus had eaten kosher food; whereas the second, on account of his hunger and to save his life (pikuach nefesh), had been forced to eat non-kosher meat (neveilot and tereifot). He came complaining to the rabbi: "Why did I not merit as my friend did?" The rabbi asked him: "Tell me, was there ever a time in your life when you ate non-kosher food willingly?" He answered: "Yes, once I faced such a test." The rabbi said to him: "Now you can understand; that is why you stumbled now as well. But ask your friend - he never ate non-kosher willingly."
When a person does not sin intentionally, he does not come to unintentional sins either. Unintentional sins (shegagot) always reflect a certain cooling of passion that caused us to sin willfully (meizid), from which we descended into unintentional missteps. This is the meaning of: "He will turn again and have compassion upon us; He will suppress our iniquities," and through that, "and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" - whose sins? Those of the deliberate iniquities. The willful sins that we once committed are what dragged the unintentional sins in their wake. Therefore it says "all their sins": the sins dragged along as a consequence of the intentional iniquities.
You Will Grant Truth to Yaakov - The Conclusion of the Book
תִּתֵּ֤ן אֱמֶת֙ לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב חֶ֖סֶד לְאַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ מִ֥ימֵי קֶֽדֶם׃ - You will grant truth to Yaakov, lovingkindness to Avraham, as You swore to our fathers from days of old.
Let us first read Targum Yonatan: "The truth of Yaakov shall be given to his children" - the virtue of Yaakov's truth will be granted to his sons; "as You fulfilled and swore to him at Beit El" - just as You confirmed and swore to him at Beit El; "the goodness of Avraham to his seed after him" - grant the good deeds of Avraham to his descendants after him; "as You swore to him between the parts" - just as You swore to him at the Covenant Between the Parts, preserve his merits for his children after him, which is the meaning of "lovingkindness to Avraham"; "remember for us the binding of Yitzchak, who was bound upon the altar before You" - remember on our behalf the Akeidah of Yitzchak, who was bound upon the altar before You; "perform with us the goodness that You swore to our fathers from days of old" - do with us the good things You swore to our ancestors from ancient times, from bygone years.
Rashi explains, following the Targum: What You promised Yaakov, when You told him, "For I will not leave you" - fulfill that "I will not leave you" for his seed after him. And concerning Avraham, we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, promised him all the destined blessings because he commanded his children to keep the way of Hashem, as it says, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Hashem, to do righteousness and justice" - remember this on our behalf.
Rashi makes a precise observation: It does not say, "You will grant truth to Yaakov and kindness to Avraham," but rather "kindness" without the conjunction vav, meaning it refers back to the truth mentioned previously. In other words: verify and fulfill the promise of Yaakov for us, and this will be the reward for Avraham's kindness. For what was Avraham's kindness? That he taught his children after him. And how will You fulfill this for him? By keeping the promise to his children, namely to Yaakov and his descendants. For the promise to Avraham concerned the children after him, and when You bestow it upon Yaakov, You thereby validate the promise You made to Avraham. "As You swore to our fathers from days of old" - this is the oath at the Akeidah of Yitzchak: "By Myself have I sworn, says Hashem, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son" - remember all of this for us.
Radak explains that "lovingkindness to Avraham" refers to Hashem giving the Land to him and his seed after him, and his descendants after him are the children of Yaakov; this is "truth to Yaakov." For truth means the fulfillment of the word, and validating a promise means carrying it out. And where will that kindness done with Avraham be fulfilled? By giving the Land as a gift to his descendants. Everything here pertains to the gift of the Land. Why? Because Hashem is truth, and truth fulfills its word. "As You swore to our fathers" - since the oath was made to all three Patriarchs, fulfill for us that very oath to cause us to inherit the Land.
The Malbim explains that this verse is a direct continuation of the preceding ones. Having described the Divine attributes - pardoning iniquity, passing over transgression for the remnant of His heritage, turning again to show mercy, delighting in lovingkindness - we have mentioned the attribute of kindness (chesed) and the attribute of mercy (rachamim), "preserving kindness for thousands." Now the prophet invokes the attribute of truth (emet), that the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills His promise: grant the truth and the promise You made to Yaakov. This corresponds to what we say: "Hashem, Hashem, God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands" - after kindness comes truth.
And what was that promise to Yaakov? The Malbim explains that it concerned multiplication: "And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east." After the exile, during which they reached such a low, degraded state that "they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like crawling things of the earth" - Master of the Universe, bring them to the state where they burst forth in their heritage, having an inheritance without boundaries. In this, Your attribute of truth will be fulfilled, for there is not only kindness and compassion here, but also truth.
"Lovingkindness to Avraham" - the Malbim explains that Avraham Avinu had no prior promise, and therefore whatever was granted to him is termed kindness (chesed). Yaakov, by contrast, arrived with an existing commitment from the Holy One, blessed be He, by virtue of what He had promised Avraham - Yaakov came, as it were, with a check, and that check was from his forebear, Avraham. But Avraham came with no check at all, for Terach had a restricted bank account! In Avraham's case, it was an independent, initial promise, which is pure lovingkindness. And we ask: preserve that which You swore to our ancestors, and even though the oath is from days of old - "He preserves kindness for thousands of generations."
In summary:
At the conclusion of Sefer Micha, the darkness of exile is transformed into light: "a day it is" that has no night, and even though "the decree is distant" - "unto you it will come," and the exiles will return from Assyria and from besieged cities, from the sea and from Mount Hor. In the meantime, the prophet prays that Hashem shepherd His people with His staff and not with a damaging rod, watching over them in a fertile Carmel of sustenance until they return to Bashan and Gilad. The Holy One, Blessed be He, responds: As in the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders, until the nations see with their own eyes and not merely hear, being ashamed of all their might and laying their hands upon their mouths. From here, the text transitions to thanksgiving for the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: in the future to come, Hashem will completely pass over transgression, suppress iniquities, and cast all sins into the depths of the sea - all by virtue of "for He delights in lovingkindness" and "He will return and have compassion upon us." And the book concludes with the attribute of truth: "Grant truth to Yaakov, lovingkindness to Avraham" - that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will fulfill His oath made to our forefathers from the days of old. Completed and concluded is Sefer Micha.