Thank you for reading, and thanks for the question. Your comment seems to presuppose that "the love that cannot but show mercy" is a higher form of love than "justice as proportional."
But is it?
The Christian and Jewish views of forgiveness are significantly different. As I understand it, the Christian has an absolute obligation to forgive a person that has somehow wronged him or her (forgiveness literally means that we release the other party from a debt which he or she may owe to us). So let's say that I have damaged something of yours that has significant value, and I come to you and ask you to forgive me. You say that I am forgiven, and I go away feeling that I have no further obligat ion to you-- but you are still damaged. Is that fair? Are you not likely to resent me, or at least resent the incident, despite proffering the obligatory 'forgiveness'?
You might object and say that, in this particular hypothetical, you would offer forgiveness but still expect to be reimbursed. That is to say, you would separate the verbal expression of 'forgiveness' (tendered upon my request) from the actual process of releasing me from my debt or obligation (which would only occur when I have restored whatever I had damaged). But wouldn't that make the verbal expression of forgiveness a hollow ritual, devoid of any meaning?
The goal of forgiveness in the Jewish tradition is to restore amicable relations between members of the community, when the act(s) of one party have damaged or offended another party. There are three main steps in the process. First, the offender must acnowledge what he or she has done--in other words, he or she must 'own' it. The second step is for the offender to go to the victim, reimburse .or restore, to the best of his or her ability, whatever losses the victim has sustained--and this act of restoration is crucial--and only then can the offender ask for forgiveness.
The third step is the responsibilty of the wronged party. Once the offender has made full restitution, to the extent possible, and sought forgiveness with apparent sincerity, it is now the responsibility of the victim to extend forgiveness and let go of any lingering resentment or bitterness. Nursing such feelings once he or she has been made whole is also considered to be a serious offense. A victim who refuses to forgive under these circumstances is said to assume the guilt formerly carried by the offender.
From a Jewish perspective, we might say that forgiving a person who hasn't sought it, or who has made no effort to alleviate the victim's loss, is tantamount to enabling the offender. It doesn't accomplish what the ultimate goal of forgiveness should be--namely, reconciliation.
