As the world came into being, so did compassion. It may be the most vital element in our world—because it allows everything to keep chugging along while so loosely strung together, enduring so perfectly in its imperfection. Without compassion, the sages say, our world could not stand. Because with compassion comes forgiveness, and only a world that is allowed to stumble can stand on its own feet. A world of perfection—a world that follows precisely every dictate from Above—is like a fetus that has never left its womb. In what way is it a world? In what way is it real? A real world is one whose creatures can pass...