אור החיים — קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת

Q — In his prayer Yaakov thanks God for 'חסדים' and 'אמת' — what is the difference between these two?

A — Or HaChaim explains 'חסדים' as the good God bestowed upon him, and 'אמת' as God's safeguarding of that good so it was not stolen away — specifically, that Lavan was not permitted to rob and plunder him. He adds a striking principle of free will: sometimes God grants a person a kindness, yet because of free will ('להיות בחירי') another person can rob even a divinely-given gift; God then compensates the victim. But such compensation is only 'half consolation,' since the victim still grieves both the lost gift itself and the wrongdoer's success.