Tanya for the 21st of Menachem Av, כ׳׳א מנחם אב

Abraham epitomizes chesed, the attribute of kindness; Isaac epitomizes gevurah, the attribute of severity; the predominant attribute of Jacob is tiferet, or rachamim, compassion. The inward aspect of the soul’s Divine service when motivated by chesed is—the love of G-d; the inward aspect of the soul’s Divine service when motivated by gevurah is—the awe of G-d; so, too, Divine service when motivated by compassion has its distinctive inward aspect: