The pasuk tells us that Hashem will always remember the kindness we did for Him when we left Mitzrayim. What was that kindness? לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא זְרוּעָה — we followed Hashem into a desert, into a land with no vegetation. In an extraordinary display of bitachon, the Jewish people went with their families, even their young children, into a place where, in the natural order of the world, they could have died of starvation. Yet they trusted fully that Hashem would provide for them. They could never have imagined that food would literally rain down from Heaven. They did not know how their needs would be met — but they went anyway, relying on Hashem. Why is this called a chesed? One explanation is that just as a parent cherishes when a child trusts him, so too Hashem cherishes when we trust in Him. Imagine a young child learning to swim while his parent stands in the water and tells him to jump. Beyond teaching the child how to swim, the parent wants the child to trust him — to feel secure that he will be caught and protected. Hashem loves us more than any parent could ever love a child, and He wants us to feel secure in the knowledge that He will care for us. When we trust Him, He considers that a kindness we are doing for Him. When the Jewish people placed their trust in Hashem, He surrounded them with the Clouds of Glory and gave them mann from the heavens. The pasuk testifies that one who trusts in Hashem is surrounded by His kindness- הַבּוֹטֵחַ בַּה׳ חֶסֶד יְסוֹבְבֶנּוּ . If someone is struggling financially — or facing any challenge — and finds himself lying awake at night consumed by worry, he should realize that he has a precious opportunity to do a chesed for Hashem by placing his trust in Him. If he can calm himself and feel secure in the awareness that Hashem runs the world and his life, and that He will provide in the best possible way, then he has accomplished this chesed. Hashem knows what is in a person's heart, so the feeling must be genuine. A person can strengthen this by learning sefarim on emunah and bitachon. And when he does this chesed for Hashem, Hashem in turn surrounds him with chesed. A young woman told me that a few years ago her father told the family he was struggling badly in business. It became so severe that he feared he would not be able to afford the necessities for the upcoming Yom Tov. But instead of becoming anxious, he calmed his family and told them that Hashem had always taken care of them and that all they needed to do now was trust in Him. His bitachon was contagious, and the entire family felt a sense of calm even during that very difficult time. He did not tell a single person about his situation. He spoke only to Hashem. A few days before Yom Tov, some friends came to his home with a large package. They explained that they had long appreciated how much he had helped them in the past, and now they wanted to express their hakarat hatov. They brought hundreds of dollars' worth of meat and groceries — along with an envelope containing thousands of dollars in cash. This family performed a chesed for Hashem by trusting in Him, and He performed a chesed for them by surrounding them with His kindness.