Judaism, unmerited grace

"Freedom had come to them as an act of sheer, unmerited grace, a clear instance of Yahweh's unanticipated and astonishing love for them." - Huston Smith, "The World's Religions" Today I am reading about Judaism. This quote is about the Exodus in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament for Christians). Throughout history, Jews have struggled for freedom from oppression. God bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, the Exodus, is one way in which God took care of his people, the Israelites. It is interesting that the term "unmerited grace" is used here, because typically when you hear grace you think Christianity, but here it is in the chapter about Judaism in Huston Smith's, "The World Religions," book.